Changes in alpha band activity associated with application of the compression of fourth ventricular (CV-4) osteopathic procedure: a qEEG pilot study

Abstract

The compression of the fourth ventricle (CV-4) is one of the more well known procedures in the cranial manipulation curriculum and practice. Cranial manipulation has received criticism because of the subtle, difficult to learn techniques, controversy over whether or not cranial bone structures move, and what if any clinical effects have been shown. The aim of this study was to measure the effects of CV-4 in 10 healthy subjects through quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG), specifically in alpha band. Participants were randomly distributed in control, sham-CV4 and CV4 conditions using a cross-over design. qEEG activity was recorded for each of the 10 subjects in each of the 3 conditions. There was a significant increase in the alpha absolute power between pre and post in the CV-4 condition. There appears to be potential for understanding the effect of the CV-4 if these finding are replicated in further clinical trials.