Temperament of the Individual and Peculiarities of EEGs in Patients Suffering from Neurological Spinal Disorder-Induced Neck and Back Pain.

Forty-seven patients suffering from neck and/or back pain were examined; their temperament was evaluated using the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ); the pain syndromes in these subjects were described according to the visual analogous scale (VAS). All patients were subjected to the detailed EEG examination. As was found, characteristics of pain in subjects of the examined group noticeably depended on the type of their temperament. Simultaneously, spectral powers (SPs) of EEG oscillations of the beta range also demonstrated specific dependences on the temperament type. Spectral powers of beta activity showed negative correlations (in many cases significant) with the extra/introversion estimates of the patients, while correlations with the neuroticism level were positive. The mean pain intensity in patients with choleric and melancholic temperaments showed positive correlations with the intensity of beta activity, while correlations of the periodicity of spinal pain with the above activity were positive and stronger. The above differences are assumed to depend on the functional state of the brain and, primarily, on the degree of activation of the ascending reticular formation reflected on the type of temperament of the individual. The importance of the human neuroconstitution for peculiarities of the pathogenesis of reflex neurological disorders of the spine with neck and back pain is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]