Clinical and neurophysiological examination of participants in modern warfare

Objective. To identify neurophysiological correlates of mental disorders in individuals who have participated in modern warfare. Material and methods. A total of 30 participants from a special military operation, aged 30—43 years (median age: 36 years), were examined. Diagnostic evaluations and clinical verification of mental disorders were conducted by the attending physician in accordance with the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10). The psychometric assessment utilized standardized questionnaires and scales: the Combat Exposure Scale (CES, by T. Keane), the Impact of Event Scale — Revised (IES-R), the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS), the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS-17), and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Electroencephalogram (EEG) parameters were recorded following the international 10—20% system. A clinical conclusion was drawn from the obtained EEG data, and a quantitative analysis of the background sample was performed, including the calculation of the absolute spectral powers of theta, alpha, and beta rhythms. Results. The analysis revealed a complex and polymorphic presentation of mental disorders among combatants, characterized by a high prevalence of comorbidity due to the multifaceted nature of the underlying pathogenetic mechanisms. The most common diagnostic categories within the surveyed cohort were F0 ‘Organic, including symptomatic, mental disorders’ (73.3%; n=22), and F4 ‘Neurotic, stress-related and somatoform disorders’ (56.7%; n=17). Notably, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was recorded in 47.1% of cases (n=8) within this subgroup, while it was observed in only 26.7% of the overall patient sample. Psychometric analysis indicated that participants exhibited pronounced symptoms of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. The identified mental disorders were accompanied by alterations in the brain’s bioelectrical activity, predominantly characterized by desynchronization of cortical rhythms, a diffuse increase in low-amplitude beta activity, and disorganization (polyrhythmicity) of the EEG. Conclusions. The findings of this study indicate that the predominant clinical and diagnostic categories among participants of modern warfare are organic and neurotic mental disorders, each exhibiting distinctive features in the EEG profile.