EEG-based analysis of brain plasticity in patients with full facial lesion

This thesis focuses on the EEG-based analysis of the changes in the cortex caused by the lesion characteristics in patients with facial lesions that is to say facial transplantation candidates. 10 healthy volunteers and 4 facial lesion patients participated in the study. EEG data recorded as a result of right face, right hand, left face and left-hand stimuli were analyzed spectrally by wavelet packet transform and the change processes of the energy values in defined EEG bands specific to the facial lesion were evaluated. In this evaluation process, the locations of the cortex activations created by the stimuli were mapped with the developed EEG analysis interface and comparisons were made. Thanks to the designed EEG interface, examinations were made in the desired frequency range and smoothing value. In the study, besides the bands defined as standard in EEG, calculation and analysis were made in two frequency regions as lower and upper groups. In addition, the changes in the energy value ratios of these sub-frequency regions in the control group, facial lesion patients and face transplant patients were analysed and discussed in detail. It was determined that the patients with facial lesions showed differences especially in the beta band, the ratio of upper beta to lower gamma band and delta band, and the reasons for this difference were interpreted.