Research › QEEG, Methods & Mechanisms
Identifying Neuroinflammation: The Diagnostic Potential of Spindling Excessive Beta in the EEG
STS Instructor Authored by Robert Turner
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Study at a glance
- Area
- QEEG, Methods & Mechanisms
- Study type
- Observational study
- Authors
- Morrow LM, Barr EA, Grossi E, Pillai VK, Kight KA, Wright EB, Turner RP, Swatzyna RJ
- Journal
- Clinical EEG and Neuroscience
- Year
- 2025
- Participants
- 1,233 psychiatric patients in archive; 154 compared (79 TBI with SEB, 75 without TBI)
- Population
- Adults
Key findings
- Positions spindling excessive beta as a possible EEG sign of neuroinflammation
- Compared 79 adults with TBI and SEB with 75 adults without TBI, none using benzodiazepines
- SEB was notably common in treatment-resistant psychiatric patients
- Discusses anti-inflammatory treatments as possible ways to reduce SEB
This paper argues that an EEG pattern called spindling excessive beta (SEB) could be a cheap, non-invasive marker of brain inflammation, which can look like a psychiatric disorder and is hard to detect with current tests. From an archive of EEGs on 1,233 psychiatric patients, the team compared adults with traumatic brain injury who showed SEB against adults without brain injury, excluding anyone taking benzodiazepines. SEB was common among patients whose psychiatric conditions had not responded to treatment, and the paper also discusses treatments thought to reduce inflammation, such as guanfacine with N-acetyl cysteine, photobiomodulation and hyperbaric oxygen.