Objective: To study the effect of hand tapping on the synchronization of the alpha rhythm in healthy adults. Materials and Methods: The study included 51 clinically healthy volunteers of working age. Results: We have shown that under the influence of wrist tapping in a state of sensory deprivation in healthy adults there is a statistically significant change in the peak frequency (p = 0.0006) and peak power of the alpha rhythm (p = 0.0003), but the width of the peak plateau remains unchanged (p = 0.2). This effect of wrist tapping indicates the potential for clinical use in JME, since it was previously shown that if the selected external frequencies enter into resonance with the neurons of the antiepileptic system, then an antiepileptic effect can be obtained.

Background. Non-pharmacological methods of palliative therapy for structural focal epilepsy (SFE) have been extensively investigated. Development of self-care methods based on behavioral psychotherapy and reference bioadaptation is a promising and economically justified approach.Objective: to present a clinical case of administering EpiTapp application based on the author-proposed wrist tapping method for palliative care in adult SFE.Material and methods. The author-proposed method of wrist tapping (RF patent No. 2606489 of 01.10.2017) for a smartphone Android OS application was used. Wrist tapping was performed during the period of aura and/or focal seizures (FS) in patients with SFE. Patients used the smartphone application as an element of emergency palliative therapy for SFE outpatient settings.Results. Patient L., 33 years old, suffering from SFE with frequent FS and bilateral seizures (BS), received duotherapy in the preoperative period. The woman used the EpiTapp application regularly that allowed to reduce FS rate by 65%, as well as prevent BS development without altering the antiepileptic therapy regimen.Сonclusion. The experience of using the EpiTapp application based on the author-proposed method of wrist tapping has demonstrated that it holds promise for SFE palliative therapy. The proposed technique requires additional research to confirm its effectiveness.

The objective of our review was to analyze studies of prevalence sleep disorders among medical workers during COVID-19 pandemic. Material and Methods — Overall, during the analyzed period, studying domestic and foreign databases, we identified 94 publications on the development of sleep disorders among medical personnel working during COVID–19 pandemic in 2000-2021. However, only 88 of these publications complied with the objective of the review. We included 75 full-text publications in this review. Results — Physicians and nurses during COVID-19 pandemic do not have the opportunity to take therapy aimed at combating the symptoms of sleep disorders, due to the need to maintain sufficient attention and the risk of developing excessive drowsiness while on duty in a COVID -19 hospital. The latter can have a negative impact on their professional activities. Thus, this problem certainly requires professional psychotherapeutic correction. Unfortunately, not all medical institutions have such specialists. Conclusion — Based on the literature review, we found out that health care workers have a high risk of developing sleep disorders. This can include violations of the circadian rhythm, a decrease in the quality and duration of night sleep, daytime hypersomnia caused by shift work in a hospital. An additional factor affecting the frequency and severity of sleep disorders in healthcare workers (physicians and nurses) is chronic stress, the importance of which has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, the above problem has not been completely solved and requires research in this area and the development of new programs to help medical personnel.

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the effect of wrist tapping (WT), according to the author's method, on the synchronization of alpha activity in healthy adults and patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME). Methods and Results: The study included 71 people of working age, including 51 clinically healthy volunteers (median age - 39[21;56] years) and 20 patients with JME (median age 27[23;35] years). Under the influence of WT in a state of sensory deprivation, statistically significant changes in the alpha peak frequency (APF) (P<0.001) and alpha power (AP) (P<0.05) were found in healthy adults. In JME patients, there were statistically significant changes in the APF (P<0.05) and AP (P<0.05), as well as a statistically significant increase in the ARW (P<0.05) after WT. WT, according to the author's technique, allows reducing the severity of alpha rhythm synchronization and leads to a shift in the peak frequency of the alpha rhythm in the occipital leads towards the alpha-2 sub-frequency range and a decrease in AP in both healthy volunteers and JME patients. At the same time, the alpha range width in the occipital leads is statistically significantly increased in JME patients. Conclusion: The nature of the change in the alpha rhythm, in comparison with the control, indicates the phenomenon of resonance with the frequency of the WT rhythm. The WT effect testifies to the prospects of the clinical application of WT in JME, since it was previously shown that if the selected external frequencies enter into resonance with the neurons of the antiepileptic system, then an antiepileptic effect could be obtained.

The aim of this study was to assess the dynamics of interhemispheric coherence (IC) as an indicator of integration of different areas of the brain and their participation in the performance of certain functions before and after wrist tapping (WT), using the author's method in juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME). Methods and Results: The study included 81 subjects of working age, including 51 clinically healthy volunteers (median age of 39[21;56] years) and 30 patients (median age of 27[23;38] years) with JME. Analysis of IC in the electrode pairs Fp1-Fp2, F3-F4, C3-C4, T3-T4 was performed using a computer encephalographic complex. A coherent EEG analysis was used to identify and evaluate the relationships between different areas of the brain. Based on the change in the coherence coefficients (CCs), the level of integrative activity of brain structures was quantified. In healthy volunteers, before and after WT, we observed a statistically significant decrease in CCs for the beta-1 band in the pairs Fp1-Fp2, F3-F4, and C3-C4 (P<0.05), while in the pair T3-T4, changes in CCs were not statistically significant (P>0.05). At the same time, a statistically significant decrease in CCs in the alpha band was found only in the frontal regions in the pairs Fp1-Fp2 and F3-F4 (P<0.05). No statistically significant changes were found in all the studied pairs in the theta band. When comparing CCs in JME patients in beta–1 and theta bands, before and after WT, we did not find statistically significant changes in CCs in all the studied electrode pairs. However, in the alpha band, we found a statistically significant decrease in CCs in the frontal region in the F3-F4 (P=0.0038) and C3-C4 electrode pairs (P=0.034). The results of the study of interhemispheric integration showed statistically significant differences between patients with JME and the control group. Conclusion: WT according to the author's method does not provoke the occurrence of interictal epileptiform discharges on the EEG and epileptic seizures in patients with JME. Coherent analysis showed positive changes in interhemispheric integrations of neurons in the beta–1 and alpha frequency ranges, mainly in the anterior hemispheres.