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There are as yet no data pointing to any increase in the incidence of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) or a more severe course of illness in patients with epilepsy. However, considering the high prevalence of epilepsy in patients over 60 years of age, the high comorbidity of epilepsy and a whole series of somatic diseases, and the need to maintain the opportunity for constant access to antiepileptic medications and follow-up of epilepsy patients, we can expect a whole set of difficulties in the management of these patients in the conditions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. This article addresses the main principles of the management of epilepsy patients in the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic: the need to follow regimes; preservation of regular and continuous taking of antiepileptic drugs, including consideration of interdrug interactions; and switching patients to i.v. forms of antiepileptic drugs where necessary.

This article reports a comparative analysis of two methods of presenting stimulus material in studies of the mirror system of the brain (MSB) in person by the experimenter and using video clips on a monitor screen. The mirror system of the brain plays major roles in a variety of social interactions and supports understanding of the actions, motivations, and emotions of other people. Decreases in the power of the EEG μ rhythm in the central areas of the brain are linked with activation of the MSB and are used in research studies as an indicator of activation of the MSB. In the present study, two groups of subjects were initially shown clenching of the fist and were then asked to imagine and then perform the same movement themselves. The first group of subjects was shown clenching of the fist performed live by the experimenter, while in the second group the same motor movement was demonstrated on a monitor screen. Our study showed that decreases in μ-rhythm power were seen in all three MSB-activating tasks, but only in the upper part of the frequency range 10.5–13 Hz and only in the group of volunteers shown live demonstrations. This group of subjects also displayed an increase in the EEG β2 rhythm in the motor and sensorimotor areas. There were no significant changes in power in the μ or β rhythms in the second group, shown the action on a monitor screen. The results obtained here suggest the hypothesis that activation of the MSB is more significant in the situation of live social interactions.

Objective. To determine the neurophysiological features of schizophrenia at late (more than 20 years) follow- up and identify correlations between neurophysiological indicators and the clinical characteristics of the disease. Materials and methods. Patients of three groups were studied: those with a predominance of personality changes (group 1, 17 patients), those with negative disorders (group 2, 23 patients), and those with marked positive and negative disorders (group 3, 40 patients). The main study methods were psychopathological and neurophysiological, with assessment of event-linked potentials. Results and conclusions. A statistically significantly greater θ-rhythm frequency and a significantly lower α-rhythm frequency were found in group 3, the dominant frequency of the θ rhythm showing a correlation (positive) with the total score for positive disorders on the PANSS. No statistically significant between-group differences were seen in measures of the P300 wave of auditory event-related potential recorded in the oddball paradigm. These results are considered in the framework of views of the role of θ activity as a marker for hippocampal-prefrontal interactions.

Objectives. To seek neurophysiological predictors of the effi cacy of rhythmic transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in patients with depressive disorders of different nosological categories. Materials and methods. A total of 34 juvenile patients (all male) with protracted treatment-refractory depressive states were studied. Investigation of patients used psychopathological and psychometric methods (Hamilton scale) and electroencephalography. The search for predictors of therapeutic efficacy was carried out using a wide range of neurophysiological indicators and different protocols for high-frequency rTMS (10 and 20 Hz). Results and conclusions. The most significant changes were identified on rTMS at 20 Hz. Favorable treatment effects on the EEG were found to correlate with higher spectral power in the α and β1 subranges.

This article addresses the main problems in person authentication using the EEG. This area is currently under active development due to advances in virtual spaces and seeking new methods for user recognition in different internet platforms. One task that needs to be solved is that of identifying stable EEG measures and patterns which might be used to perform reliable recognition of people over long time intervals. The second question considered here is that of selecting tasks for EEG recording protocols. In the present study, subjects’ EEG traces were recorded at rest and on performance of various motor tasks five times over three months and the stability of the different patterns was then compared. The results showed that the most stable was the α-rhythm pattern in the resting state with the eyes closed, with minimal values of the coefficient of variation of the α rhythm but strong within-group spreads. Of the active tests, the most stable indicators were obtained on observing motor actions and the least stable patterns were seen on performance. Writing with a pen was the action characterized by the lowest stability of EEG measures.

Objectives. To identify the pattern of functional connectivity (FC) between areas and networks in the brain in patients with frontal and temporal foci of epileptic activity. Materials and methods. A total of 43 patients aged 18–50 years with focal epilepsy – 32 with temporal epilepsy (TE) and 11 with frontal epilepsy (FE) – were studied. The control group consisted of 32 healthy subjects. The main method used in the study was brain MRI scans run using the epilepsy protocol and additionally including high-resolution structural images of the brain, along with resting-state fMRI. Results and conclusions. The most marked fMRI feature in patients with TE as compared with healthy subjects was a decrease in the FC of the insular cortex and the temporal opercula (the part of the temporal gyrus of each hemisphere overhanging the insula). In left-sided FE, the decrease on the left was significant. Increased FC in the dorsal part of the attention network on the left with the temporal and parietal areas of the cerebral cortex was specific for right-sided TE. TE also produced a decrease in FC between the anterior part of the cingulate gyrus and the basal ganglia. All significant results were linked with increases in FC in patients with FE as compared with healthy subjects, maximally in areas of the temporal cortex. Thus, the localization and lateralization of the focus of epileptic activity determine the pattern of FC in these areas and neural networks of the brain in patients with focal epilepsy.

Patients with affective disorders, apart from anxiety, tension, and apathy, often experience powerful palpitations and other signs of autonomic vascular dystonia. In seeking a link between the level of anxiety and cardiogram measures, we analyzed levels of trait and state anxiety on the Spielberger scale and measures of variational cardiometry (VCM) in 135 patients with depressive and anxiety disorders and 50 healthy subjects. After treatment, anxiety levels in patients decreased, though the only VCM parameter showing a significant reduction was the stress index. Sex-related differences were seen in both groups: trait anxiety was at a higher level in women than man and the index of sympathetic/parasympathetic interaction, LF/HF ratio o slow waves to fast waves), was lower in women than men. We found the first evidence for significant correlations in VCM measures and the level of anxiety during treatment: decreases in trait anxiety and LF were greater in patients with initially higher levels of trait anxiety; patients with low HF initially had decreased state anxiety.

Objectives. To identify the neuroanatomical characteristics of the gray matter in individual areas of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and a number of subcortical formations in patients with juvenile shiftlike schizophrenia (ICD-10, F20) Materials and methods. A total of 43 patients and 54 mentally healthy men, mean age 22 years, were studied. The main methods were psychopathological investigations and MRI brain scans producing high-resolution T1-weighted images. Results. As compared with the control group, the group of patients with schizophrenia showed a decrease in the thickness of the gray matter in all segments of the prefrontal cortex studied, though no between-group differences in the volume of the subcortical formations were seen. No statistically significant correlations between structural changes and measures of the severity of psychopathological disorders were found. Conclusions. The data obtained from these studies show that structural anomalies in the frontal areas of the brain in juvenile shiftlike schizophrenia are not linked with the severity of psychopathological symptoms.

Objective. To study the neurophysiological features of cognitive activity in patients with anxiety-depressive and hypochondriasis disorders. Materials and methods. A total of 65 subjects were studied: 16 with hypochondriasis disorder, 23 with mixed anxiety and depressive disorder, and 26 healthy subjects. Heart rate variability and electroencephalography methods were used. Results and conclusions. The EEG showed a decrease in the β1 range after performance of a cognitive task in patients with anxiety-depressive disorder. Patients with hypochondriasis disorder showed a decrease in the duration of the R–R interval and an increase in the frequency of the resting β1 range, an increase in the dominant frequency of β2 activity during performance of the cognitive task, and an increase in the spread of θ frequencies after cognitive tests.

This review is devoted to the place of anxiety disorders in the spectrum of psychiatric comorbidity in patients with epilepsy. The authors present general characteristics of anxiety manifestations and current views on the classification and qualification of anxiety disorders in such patients. Recent data show the relationship of anxiety with different forms of epilepsy, demographic and gender characteristics, localization of epileptic focus. The problem of bidirectional relationship of anxiety and epilepsy as well as the temporal relationship between anxiety and epileptic states are considered.Обзор посвящен месту тревожных расстройств в спектре психиатрической коморбидности у пациентов с эпилепсией. Представлена общая характеристика тревожных проявлений, отображены современные взгляды на классификацию и квалификацию тревожных расстройств у таких пациентов. Приведены современные данные о связи тревоги с разными формами эпилепсии, демографическими и гендерными характеристиками, локализацией эпилептического очага. Рассмотрены вопросы двунаправленности отношений тревоги и эпилепсии, а также временна`я связь тревожных и эпилептических состояний.

Objectives. To identify the characteristics of changes in the electroencephalogram (EEG) pattern and activation of neural networks on perception and performance of a motor act in healthy people and patients with affective disorders. Materials and methods. The study group consisted of 15 patients with affective disorders and the control group comprised 11 healthy subjects. The task was to first observe a hand movement performed by the experimenter (clenching of the fist), then to imagine this movement, and then to perform it themselves. EEG recordings were made and analyzed; areas of activation were identified by solving the reverse EEG problem using LORETA. Results and conclusions. Activation of the mirror system of the brain in patients with affective disorders was seen in the left temporal hemisphere, while healthy subjects showed activation in the temporal lobes of both hemispheres and the frontal superior, middle, and inferior gyri.

This report addresses the question of the neurophysiological mechanisms of the perception of social behavior. The concept of the mirror system of the brain is laid out, along with its links with the μ rhythm in social adaptation. An original three-block method for presentation of stimulus material for electroencephalographic studies of the mirror system of the brain in simple, purposive, and emotionally colored motor acts was developed and tested. Performance of these actions was shown to be accompanied by desynchronization of the μ rhythm and activation of the mirror system of the brain. Brodmann areas corresponding to the zones of maximal intensity and activation of the mirror system of the brain were identified.