Effect of Ocular Movements during Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy: A Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study

Abstract

IntroductionEye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapeutic treatment resolving emotional distress caused by traumatic events. With EMDR, information processing is facilitated by eye movements (EM) during the recall of a traumatic memory (RECALL). The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of ocular movements of EMDR on the hemodynamics of the prefrontal cortex (PFC).Material and MethodsTwo groups were recruited: a trial group (wEM) received a complete EMDR treatment, whereas a control group (woEM) received a therapy without EM. PFC hemodynamics was monitored by near-infrared spectroscopy during RECALL and during focusing on the worst image of the trauma (pre-RECALL). The parameters of oxy- (oxy-Hb), and deoxy-hemoglobin (deoxy-Hb) were acquired and analyzed in time domain, by calculating the slope within pre-RECALL and RECALL periods, and in the frequency domain, by calculating the mean power of oxy-Hb and deoxy-Hb in the very-low frequency (VLF, 20–40 mHz) and low frequency (LF, 40–140 mHz) bandwidths. We compared pre-RECALL with RECALL periods within subjects, and pre-RECALL and RECALL parameters of wEM with the corresponding of woEM.ResultsAn effect of group on mean slope of oxy-Hb and deoxy-Hb in pre-RECALL and oxy-Hb in RECALL periods was observed. wEM showed a lower percentage of positive angular coefficients during pre-RECALL with respect to RECALL, on the opposite of woEM. In the frequency domain, wEM had significant difference in oxy-Hb and deoxy-Hb LF of left hemisphere, whereas woEM showed no difference.Discussion and ConclusionWe observed the effect of EM on PFC oxygenation during EMDR, since wEM subjects showed a mean increase of oxy-Hb during RECALL and a decrease during pre-RECALL, as opposed to woEM. Frequency analysis evidenced a reduction of activity of sympathetic nervous system in wEM group during pre-RECALL. Our outcomes revealed a different hemodynamics induced by eye movements in wEM with respect to woEM group.

How Does Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy Work? A Systematic Review on Suggested Mechanisms of Action

“…Some of these studies have examined brain functional changes associated to EMDR “online,” that is, before, during and after the application of the standard EMDR protocol, both in patients and in healthy populations. Results have described a restoration of the cortical control over the hyper aroused subcortical limbic structures (Pagani et al, 2015 ; Amano and Toichi, 2016b ; Laugharne et al, 2016 ; Rimini et al, 2016 ; Thomaes et al, 2016 ; Bossini et al, 2017 ). However, these brain functional changes are not specific of EMDR, and similar neuronal effects can be observed in other forms of anxiety-focused psychotherapy.…”

Integrating EMDR in psychotherapy.

“…The characteristics of EMDR processes make it specifically suitable to be integrated into other theoretical-methodological perspectives. The common need to understand the multiple dimensions of personality has revolutionized the boundaries of psychotherapy (Rimini et al, 2016). Any psychotherapy aims at changing the meaning people ascribe to interpersonal relationships.…”

Modified lambert beer for bilirubin concentration and blood oxygen saturation prediction

“…In addition, the wavelength varying scattering coefficients would have different influence on the amount of light being backscattered onto the detector at each wavelength; therefore it is inappropriate to represent these effects with a constant parameter G in (6). This, together with the wavelength-dependent absorptivity of the medium's absorbers, would also modify the light path-length value, d, in (6) at different wavelength [46], [47]. Fig.…”