[Changes of EEG power spectrum in response to the emotional auditory stimuli in patients in acute and recovery stages of TBI (traumatic brain injury)].

We investigated variability of responses to emotionally important auditory stimulation in different groups of TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) in acute state or recovery. The patients sampling consisted of three different groups: patients in coma or vegetative state, patients with Severe and Moderate TBI in recovery period. Subjects were stimulated with auditory stimuli containing important physiological sounds (coughing, vomiting), emotional sounds (laughing, crying), nature sounds (bird song, barking), unpleasant household sounds (nails scratching the glass), natural sounds (sea, rain, fire) and neutral sounds (white noise). The background encephalographic activity was registered during at least 7 minutes. EEG was recorded while using portable device "Entsefalan". Significant differences of power of the rhythmic activity registered during the presentation of different types of stimuli were analyzed using Mathlab and Statistica 6.0. Results showed that EEG-response to the emotional stimuli differed depending on consciousness level, stimuli type, severity of TBI. Most valuable changes in EEG spectrum power for a patient with TBI were found for unpleasant auditory stimulation. Responsiveness to the pleasant stimulation could be registered in later stages of coming out of coma than to unpleasant stimulation. Alpha-activity is reducing in patients with TBI: the alpha rhythm depression is most evident in the control group, less in group after moderate TBI, and even less in group after severe TBI. Patients in coma or vegetative state didn't show any response in rhythmic power in the frequency of alpha rhythm.