Digital Cognitive-Motor Occupational Training with QEEG Monitoring in Schizophrenia Rehabilitation: An Exploratory...

Current occupational therapy assessments for schizophrenia rely primarily on behavioral observation, with limited access to objective neurofunctional indicators of cognitive-motor engagement. Digital tools combined with neurophysiological monitoring offer new opportunities to address this gap. This study examined a digital cognitive-motor occupational training application paired with quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) to explore neurofunctional engagement during task performance.

Thirty individuals with schizophrenia completed structured occupational tasks under two conditions: with and without QEEG-based Brain Mapping Performance (BMP). Task engagement was characterized using participant-prioritized daily activities grouped into dopaminergic, serotonergic, oxytocinergic, and endorphin-related behavioral domains, conceptualized as theoretical behavioral associations rather than direct neurochemical measures. QEEG indices included theta relative power, beta relative power, and theta/beta ratio recorded from six frontal and temporal scalp sites.

Theta relative power was higher at frontal and central sites (Fz and Cz) during BMP-monitored conditions, reflecting executive and motor planning demands. Beta relative power varied across memory- and emotion-related task phases, indicating task-dependent modulation of cognitive effort. Engagement Intensity Scores were consistently higher in the unmonitored condition, while BMP monitoring was associated with longer task completion times and increased neurofunctional engagement.

QEEG-guided occupational task performance reveals distinct, task-dependent neurofunctional patterns in schizophrenia rehabilitation. The integration of digital task-based assessment with neurophysiological monitoring provides exploratory neurofunctional indicators that may support individualized, functionally informed occupational therapy interventions.