Narrative Review: Quantitative EEG in Disorders of Consciousness

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Clinical Electrophysiology
• Neurology

Background:

• Accurate diagnosis and prognosis for patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC) remain challenging.
• Unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS) and minimally conscious state (MCS) require precise assessment.
• Quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) offers advanced analytical methods for brain activity evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the utility of quantitative EEG (qEEG) in the diagnosis of DOC.
• To evaluate the role of qEEG in predicting the prognosis for patients with DOC.
• To explore various qEEG techniques applied to UWS and MCS patients.

Main Methods:

• Narrative review of literature on qEEG applications in DOC.
• Analysis of resting-state EEG features: spectral power, functional connectivity, graph theory, microstates, nonlinear measures.
• Examination of sleep patterns (REM, slow-wave sleep, spindles) and evoked potentials (P300, MMN, N100, N400) using qEEG.

Main Results:

• Resting-state qEEG measures provide insights into brain function in UWS and MCS.
• Analysis of sleep architecture and evoked potentials using qEEG contributes to diagnostic and prognostic information.
• Specific qEEG markers show potential for differentiating diagnostic states and predicting outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Quantitative EEG is a valuable tool for improving the diagnosis of disorders of consciousness.
• qEEG analysis offers significant potential for determining the prognosis in patients with UWS and MCS.
• Further research into qEEG applications can enhance clinical management of DOC patients.