CENTRAL CORTICAL 12-15 CPS EEG FEEDBACK TRAINING: EFFECTS ON SLEEP OF EPILEPTIC PATIENTS
Abstract
EEG feedback training aimed at seizure reduction was examined for its effects on the sleep of epileptic patients since sleep is disturbed in these patients. Fifteen subjects with motor seizures were assigned to one of two control conditions prior to feedback training. Seven subjects simply continued tabulating seizures for six weeks. Eight subjects were given yoked feedback (i.e. determined by another subject's EEG) 3/week for six weeks. All subjects were then provided actual EEG feedback, contingent upon their own EEG activity, 3/week for six weeks, and then 2/week and 1/week for two weeks each as a withdrawal condition. Sleep was recorded on three separate nights: just prior to the control condition, immediately following the control condition, and just after the six-week period of actual training. Both standard and special sleep measures were derived for the sleep analysis. Analyses showed that the feedback training was effective in reducing seizure activity in these subjects. Nine subjects had substantial decreases in seizure frequency after training. Analyses of sleep data revealed no comparable effect of the training on sleep, even in improved subjects analyzed separately. The special sleep measures, intended to describe and quantify the sleep of epileptic patients more accurately, revealed that epileptiform discharges and distortions of typical sleep components occur frequently in these patients but vary widely in incidence among patients. Differences in how these measures of abnormal activity changed across nights between improved and not improved subjects were consistent with an effect of training, but could be interpreted as influencing, rather than being influenced by the training. Analyses were also performed to determine the predictive value of sleep variables on seizure changes after training. While number of anticonvulsant medications taken was significantly negatively correlated with outcome, none of the sleep measures added to the prediction obtained without them. The lack of observed effects of the EEG feedback training on sleep, despite positive influences on seizure activity, was discussed as a result of limitations in the study. These included small sample size, high inter- and intra-subject variability, an insufficiently lengthy feedback training period, and too few sleep recordings.
Subject Area
Psychotherapy
Recommended Citation
HAMEL, ALBERT RENE, "CENTRAL CORTICAL 12-15 CPS EEG FEEDBACK TRAINING: EFFECTS ON SLEEP OF EPILEPTIC PATIENTS" (1983). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI8323528.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI8323528
