Feasibility Study Using In-Water EEG Measurement during Dolphin Assisted Therapy

Abstract

Dolphin aided therapy (DAT) is still lacking convincing scientific verification. To assess neurophysiologic changes in the brain during therapy sessions a novel methodological approach was developed and tested. It consists of a reliable and good quality registry of electroencephalogram (EEG) during in-water interactions between patients (children) and the dolphin. In a feasibility study we could demonstrate that this was technically possible. The procedure did not interfere significantly with the therapeutic process. Children and parents tolerated the procedure well. The registered EEG could be used for clinical analyses and represents an addition to existing assessments to describe therapy effects on brain activity during the therapy sessions in the water. Further studies are recommended to determine ideal test protocols and include a greater number of subjects.