Characterization of EEG patterns in brain-injured subjects and controls after a Snoezelen(®) intervention.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to assess the changes induced in electroencephalographic (EEG) activity by a Snoezelen(®) intervention on individuals with brain-injury and control subjects.


METHODS
EEG activity was recorded preceding and following a Snoezelen(®) session in 18 people with cerebral palsy (CP), 18 subjects who have sustained traumatic brain-injury (TBI) and 18 controls. EEG data were analyzed by means of spectral and nonlinear measures: median frequency (MF), individual alpha frequency (IAF), sample entropy (SampEn) and Lempel-Ziv complexity (LZC).


RESULTS
Our results showed decreased values for MF, IAF, SampEn and LZC as a consequence of the therapy. The main changes between pre-stimulation and post-stimulation conditions were found in occipital and parietal brain areas. Additionally, these changes are more widespread in controls than in brain-injured subjects, which can be due to cognitive deficits in TBI and CP groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings support the notion that Snoezelen(®) therapy affects central nervous system, inducing a slowing of oscillatory activity, as well as a decrease of EEG complexity and irregularity. These alterations seem to be related with higher levels of relaxation of the participants.
Biomedical Engineering Group, Universidad de Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain. Electronic address: carlos.gomez@tel.uva.es.
Carlos
C
Gómez
Biomedical Engineering Group, Universidad de Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain; IMUVA, Instituto de Investigación en Matemáticas, Universidad de Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain.
Jesús
J
Poza
Centro de Referencia Estatal (CRE) para la Atención a Personas con Grave Discapacidad y Dependencia, San Andrés del Rabanedo, León, Spain.
María T
MT
Gutiérrez
Centro de Referencia Estatal (CRE) para la Atención a Personas con Grave Discapacidad y Dependencia, San Andrés del Rabanedo, León, Spain.
Esther
E
Prada
Departamento de Actividad Física y Ciencias del Deporte, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Toledo, Spain.
Nuria
N
Mendoza
Biomedical Engineering Group, Universidad de Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain; IMUVA, Instituto de Investigación en Matemáticas, Universidad de Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain.
Roberto
R
Hornero
D000328:Adult; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
Biomedical signal processing; Brain-injury; Electroencephalography (EEG); Non-pharmacological therapies; Snoezelen(®)