Longitudinal qEEG changes correlate with clinical outcomes in patients with somatic symptom disorder, 2021, Hong et al

Highlights

• Resting state EEG of patients with somatic symptom disorder were assessed.
• Higher α and lower β2 and γ power were observed in SSD compared to healthy people.
• After treatment, β2 and γ power increased in SSD.
• The increase in β2 and γ power was associated with clinical improvement.

Abstract

Objective
The quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) of patients with somatic symptom disorder (SSD) was not yet thoroughly studied. This study aimed to investigate qEEG of SSD patients compared with those of normal controls (NCs), and changes therein after treatment.

Methods
SSD patients currently without treatment and age- and sex-matched NCs were recruited. Spectral analysis of 64-channel EEG recording was performed and somatization, anxiety, and depression were evaluated via self-rating scales at baseline. After six months of treatment as usual, SSD patients were longitudinally followed up for assessments.

Results
At baseline, the SSD group (n = 44) had higher alpha (p = 0.047) and lower beta 2 (p = 0.027) and gamma power (p = 0.001) compared with NCs (n = 29). After 6-month treatment, SSD patients showed improvement in symptoms, as well as increased beta 1 (p = 0.032), beta 2 (p = 0.012), and gamma power (p = 0.009) compared with baseline. A significant correlation was observed between the change in somatization score and temporal gamma power (r = −0.424, p = 0.031), and between the change in anxiety score and beta 2 power in the frontal (r = −0.420, p = 0.033) and central (r = −0.484, p = 0.012) regions.

Conclusions
EEG findings in this study may provide neurophysiological features of SSD. The alpha enhancement and reduced fast wave activity may reflect attentional dysfunction in patients with SSD. Decreased fast wave activity is reversible and may serve as a state marker of SSD.

Open access, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022399921002828

 

You know, if they applied all sorts of advanced technologies to analyze the brain of these "psychosomatic syndromes" i bet they would come out with a ton of abnormalities, and, god forbid, might actually give some indication of the cause. But you know, since they have already decided that nothing is wrong they have to wait at least a good 50 years after a technology has been invented to apply it. Else, it might be ethically unfair for the people who have a "real" disease to waste money on fake patients! Very timidly they are starting now..