Enhanced EEG power density during painful stretching in individuals with cerebral palsy

Abstract

Background: Pain perception mechanisms in cerebral palsy remain largely unclear.

Aims: This study investigates brain activity in adults with cerebral palsy during painful and non-painful stretching to elucidate their pain processing characteristics.

Methods and procedures: Twenty adults with cerebral palsy and 20 controls underwent EEG in three conditions: rest, non-painful stretching, and painful stretching. Time-frequency power density of theta, alpha, and beta waves in somatosensory and frontal cortices was analyzed, alongside baseline pressure pain thresholds.

Outcomes and results: Cerebral palsy individuals exhibited higher theta, alpha, and beta power density in both cortices during painful stretching compared to rest, and lower during non-painful stretching. Controls showed higher power density during non-painful stretching but lower during painful stretching. Cerebral palsy individuals had higher pain sensitivity, with those more sensitive experiencing greater alpha power density.

Conclusions and implications: These findings confirm alterations in the cerebral processing of pain in individuals with cerebral palsy. This knowledge could enhance future approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of pain in this vulnerable population.

Keywords: Cerebral palsy; Electroencephalography; Pain; Pain assessment; Passive stretching.