EEG Sensorimotor Rhythms Dynamics in Children with Cerebral Palsy during the Course of Neurorehabilitation, Depending in the Success of Their Imagination of Movements

An analysis of changes in sensorimotor rhythms of the electroencephalogram(EEG) and features of the restoration of motor functions duringa course of neurorehabilitation using a non-invasive brain-computer-handexoskeleton interface was carried out in 50 children aged 7–15 yearsof both sexes suffering from cerebral palsy (CP). EEG was recordedin 32 leads under conditions of rest and kinesthetic imaginationof hand extension movements. Depending on the success of the classifier programin determining imaginary states based on the EEG pattern, the childrenwere divided into two groups—with high and low success when imaginingmovements. In children of the studied groups, when undergoing acourse of neurorehabilitation, differences were revealed in thenature of changes in EEG amplitude in the sensorimotor mu (8–13Hz) and beta (15–25 Hz) rhythms frequency ranges. When imaginingmovements of the right hand, intergroup differences for the mu rhythmreached the level of statistical significance in the medial electrodesof the fronto-central and parietal areas of the neocortex, for thebeta rhythm—in the medial lead of the parietal region. Childrenin the group with high success showed a decrease or slight increasein the amplitude of the mu- and beta rhythm in these brain areasat the last session of the course compared to the first. We hypothesizethat children in this group are not only better able to kinestheticallyimagine movements throughout the course of neurorehabilitation,but also, based on feedback signals, learn to effectively adjusttheir strategies for movement imagination. Children in the groupwith low success showed an increase in the amplitude of sensorimotorrhythms in these brain areas, indicating the development of inhibitionin the frontoparietal motor network. Patients, whose conditionswere determined more accurately by the classifier, achieved higherrates of motor rehabilitation. The results of the study are importantfor clarifying the brain mechanisms of motor functions restorationin patients with cerebral palsy under the influence of a courseof neurorehabilitation.