The Role of the Quantitative EEG in the Diagnosis and Rehabilitation of the Traumatic Brain Injured Patients

Abstract

The quantitative EEG (QEEG) has proven to be useful in the diagnosis and rehabilitation of the cognitive problems of the traumatic brain injured (TBI) subject. This chapter reviews the evidence on the use of the QEEG in discriminant analysis of TBI vs. normal individuals and the cognitive rehabilitation of the cognitive problems of the TBI patient. The research documents two cognitive activation approaches to QEEG analysis which have obtained 100 % accuracy in their diagnostic decision. Previous cognitive rehabilitation efforts have not been particularly effective in improving cognitive performance. The coordinated allocation of resource model of brain functioning was proposed as a conceptual framework to understand the brain’s electrophysiological functioning. The model employs a cognitive activation evaluation and comparison to a normative activation database approach to determine the EEG biofeedback protocols. The approach has produced an average of 2.31 standard deviation improvements in auditory and reading memory in the TBI patient. Thus, the evidence supports the use of the activation database-guided QEEG in the diagnosis and rehabilitation of the TBI patient.