Influence of anxiety on wrist tapping parameters and individual perception of one minute in healthy adults and in patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy

Abstract

Aim -To study the influence of anxiety on parameters of wrist tapping in normal conditions and in juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME). Material and Methods -We evaluated 105 people aged 16 to 55 years old (average: 31.6±10.2 years). The sample was comprised of two groups: first (I) group -healthy volunteers (n=60); second (II) group -patients with JME (n=45). Every group was stratified into two subgroups: subgroup Ia (n=33) -healthy volunteers without symptoms of anxiety; subgroup Ib (n=27) -healthy volunteers with subclinical anxiety; subgroup IIa (n=19) -patients with JME without symptoms of anxiety; subgroup IIb (n=26) -patients with JME with subclinical anxiety. Wrist tapping parameters were studied using method of our authorship named «Method of influencing a person's individual rhythm through exogenous rhythmic stimulation». We studied reference ranges of basic characteristics of wrist tapping. Results -Comparison of basic parameters of wrist tapping in subgroups Ia and IIa revealed a trend towards an increase in rhythm stability in patients with JME when compared to healthy volunteers. At the same time, subclinical anxiety led to a pronounced increase in frequency of individual rhythm in subgroup IIb when compared to subgroup Ia. Conclusion -Influence of anxiety on wrist tapping parameters is more pronounced in patients with JME when compared to healthy volunteers.

Influence of Wrist Tapping on Alpha Rhythm Synchronization in Patients with Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy

“…In recent years, not only drug-based, but also non-drug methods of epilepsy therapy have been actively studied, (8) among which the method of WT is of great interest; (9) this method leads to a decrease in the severity of anxiety both in healthy volunteers and in patients with epilepsy. (10) However, we have not found any works that study the effect of carpal tapping on the severity of alpha rhythm synchronization, either in healthy people or in patients with epilepsy. Such a study would undoubtedly be of scientific and clinical interest.…”