Closed-Loop Adaptive Neurostimulation Technologies in Cognitive Rehabilitation of High-Tech Specialists

The aim of the study was to experimentally evaluate the applicability and effectiveness of two variants of the technology of adaptive neurostimulation with feedback from a person's own rhythmic processes to increase the functional reliability and to reach cognitive rehabilitation of high-tech specialists.

The study involved specialists who applied to the clinic with complaints of occupational pain syndromes and work stress. For the treatment of pain syndromes, analgesic electrical nerve stimulation was used with the parameters automatically modulated by feedback signals from the subject's breathing rhythm. To correct stress-induced states, musical stimulation was used, automatically modulated by feedback signals from the narrow-band rhythmic components of the electroencephalogram (EEG) of the subject - alpha EEG oscillators. Treatment procedures without feedback from rhythmic processes were used as а control.

In the control sessions without the feedback from human rhythmic processes, no significant effects of stimulation were noted. With electrical stimulation controlled by the patient's breathing (experiment 1), the most significant changes were observed in subjective pain scores, which dropped by half. A significant increase was noted in the power of the EEG alpha rhythm, respiration amplitude, and subjective ratings of well-being and mood. With music stimulation automatically modulated by the rhythmic components of the patient's EEG (experiment 2), there was a significant increase in the power of the EEG alpha rhythm, as well as a decrease in the level of emotional disadaptation and stress.

The data obtained clearly indicate that the developed and tested technologies of adaptive neurostimulation can be used for the timely correction of the functional state and cognitive rehabilitation of high-tech specialists by effectively eliminating the risks of their functional reliability caused by occupational pain and stress.