NEUROFEEDBACK

1
NEUROFEEDBACK

• Using Technology to
• Re-Shape the Mind

2
Also called

• EEG Biofeedback
• Brain training
• Neuro-therapy
• Neuro-training
• Attention training
• Peak performance training

3
BIOFEEDBACK

• Using information about how the body is working
  to alter whats going on

Biofeedback was popular in the 70s for managing
anxiety. The client got sound tones for rewards
when his GSR (Galvanic Skin Response) met the
pre-set levels.
4
Every day forms of biofeedback
5
You have to have accurate feedback, of course!
6
Brain training isexercising the brain a
mental workout.
7
We now know our brains are much more plastic
than we used to think.

• Our brains can
• learn,
• change,
• improve,
• heal

8
THE BIG IDEA
When you have information what your brain waves
are doing, your brain can use that information to
change how it works.
9
A few brain facts

• Most brain development occurs
• during the 1st 2 years of life

10
The human brain weighs about 12 ounces at birth,
about 35 ounces at 1 year
11
By age 5, the brain is about its full size and
weight about 3 pounds (about 2 of adult body
weight).
12
Your brain uses about 20-30 of your bodys basic
energy and about 20 of your oxygen.
13
By age 20-25, we have 100 billion neurons but
then we start to LOSE brain cells.
14
As many as 10,000 brain cells die every day after
age 20.
Fortunately, those 100,000,000,000 neurons are a
generous supply!
15
Every neuron is connected to other neurons we
have an estimated 1,000,000,000,000,000
connections in our brain.
16
Our Synaptic Self

• Communication between brain cells is a
  bio-chemical event across tiny spaces called
  synapses.

Our thoughts, feelings, actions, memories
imaginations are the result of what happens in
our synapses.
Synaptic Self How Our Brains Become Who We Are
by Ernest LeDoux
17

• I think,
• therefore I am
• Rene Descartes
• (1596-1650)

18
I dont know, so maybe Im not
19
What makes us who we are? LeDoux believes it
is all in the synapses that the essence of our
personalities is encoded including the basis
for mental health and self-awareness and mental
illness, addictions and other brain-related
problems.
20

• PERSONALITY is a complex interaction between
  nature (our hard-wired responses) and nurture
  (our unique personal experiences) all encoded
  in our synapses.

21
Brain cells produce chemical electrical
signals.
22
The electricity reflects normal cell activity as
information is transferred from cell to cell.
23
We can detect this electrical signal using
sensors electrodes placed on the scalp.
24

• These electrodes pick up information about brain
  waves --
• similar to the way stethoscopes pick up
  information about our hearts and lungs.

25

• In both situations,
• SENSORS
• are gathering
• data.

26
Beta waves are produced in the brain stem and the
cerebral cortex
27
The signal is VERY tiny, measured in microvolts
about 1 millionth of a volt.
28
This electrical signal is then magnified by some
kind of amplifier, which is then fed through a
computer.
BrainMaster
Wireless Pendant
Pocket 1-W EEG
29
Computers can filter out the various brain wave
frequencies provide us with this information in
a usable form.
30
The patterns of brain wave activity varies,
depending on where on the brain we are looking,
and what kinds of things we are doing. In
different mental states, different types of brain
waves dominate.
31
Normal Brain

• Good balance of brain waves
• Ability to shift easily from one brain state to
  another

32

• Neurofeedback works by helping to restore a
  better balance of waves in various parts of the
  brain.

33
Dysfunctional Brain

• May have
• too much of some
• frequencies over others
• or in the wrong place

34
Dysfunctional Brain

• May have
• too much of some
• frequencies over others
• unstable frequencies

35
Dysfunctional Brain

• May have
• too much of some
• frequencies over others
• unstable frequencies
• an impaired ability to
• shift from one
• mental state to another.

36
Attention Deficit Disorder

• The brain produces fast beta waves when the
  person is actively mentally involved in a
  language-based task

37
and slower theta waves when involved in an
image-based processing task, like a video game.
38
For under-powered brains a fast-wave task like
school work ends up causing the brain to start
into betathen collapse into slow drowsy waves.
Stimulant meds can stimulate the brain- until
the meds wear off.
39
NF works by re-training the brain to produce the
beta waves on its own and many people continue
to improve after the training ends!
40
BRAIN WAVE FREQUENCIES

• Each brain wave frequency can be
• measured in terms of
• Microvolts (µV) Amplitude/Height of the wave
• Hertz (Hz) Frequency/Speed of the wave per
  second

41
FREQUENCY

• The speed of electrical undulations, measured in
  cycles per second, or hertz (hz).
• The frequency defines the brainwave bandwith
• Delta, Theta, Alpha Slow
• SMR, Beta, High Beta, Gamma Fast

42
AMPLITUDE

• The power of the electrical impulse, measured in
  microvolts. (µV)
• Like volume is to sound
• Slower waves have higher amplitudes.
• It takes the brain a lot of energy to produce the
  faster waves, so amplitudes tend to be lower.

43
BRAIN WAVES
44
FREQUENCY BANDWITHS

• Single frequencies organized into discreet groups
• Each bandwidth is associated with specific
  characteristics
• The amplitude and microvolt readings reflect all
  of the activity within the bandwidth
• NF training is aimed at changing the amplitude of
  a selected frequency bandwidth

45
Cortical and Subcortical Processes
Regulation of basic life functions Has a role
in sexuality, memory, and processing emotional
information Used for thinking, talking, hearing,
seeing and creating
46
DELTA

• 0.5-3 Hz (cycles or waves per second)
• Sleep State
• Regenerative State
• Complex problem solving
• Consciousness completely internalized
• Transcendental states
• Dominant wave form in infants up to 6 months old
• 40 of the amplitude in infants
• lt5 of the amplitude in a normal adult

47
High Amplitudes of Delta

• Learning Disabilities
• Sleepy Brains
• Brain Injuries
• Eye Blinks and Eye Movement Artifact

48
DELTA0-3Hz
49
THETA

• 4-7 Hz (cycles or waves per second)
• Trance State
• Intuitive, Creative
• Internal Focus
• Thoughts in Theta are visual/emotional

50
High Amplitudes of Theta

• Learning Disabilities
• Foggy Brains
• Filtering Problems (ADHD)
• Processing Problems (ADD)
• Slow Reaction Time
• Lack of Oxygen and Blood Flow
• Depression
• Anxiety

51
THETA4-7 Hz
52
ALPHA

• 8-12 Hz
• Alertness
• Peacefulness
• Readiness
• Meditation
• Alpha Peak Frequency
• gt10 µV
• Suggests Superior Intelligence

53
High Amplitude Alpha

• High Anterior (Frontal) Alpha
• Daydreamers
• ADD/ADHD
• Depression
• Traumatic Brain Injuries
• Marijuana Use
• High Posterior (Rear) Alpha
• Anxiety
• Insomnia

54
Alpha8-12 Hz
55
SENSORIMOTOR RHYTHM(SMR)

• 12-15 Hz
• Relaxed yet focused
• Stillness Calm Mental State
• Reflecting-before-acting
• Sleep Spindles (12-14 Hz)

56
SMR12-15 Hz
57
BETA

• 15-22 Hz
• Thinking
• Focused
• Sustained Attention
• Problem-Solving
• Externally Oriented

58
High Amplitude Beta15-22 Hz

• Left Hypo-activation Depression
• Right Hyper-activation Anxiety
• Anxiety Disorders
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
• Sleep Disorders
• Bruxism

59
BETA15-22 Hz
60
High Beta

• 23-35 Hz
• Hypervigilance
• Very fast cognitive processing

61
High Amplitude High Beta

• Epileptic Auras
• Cortical Irritability
• Hyper-vigilance
• Overthinking
• Ruminations
• Obsessive Compulsive D/O

62
GAMMA

• 35-42 Hz
• The Binding Rhythm
• Important to learning by bringing together
  different aspects of an object into a single
  precept.
• Associated with transcendent experiences
• Found throughout the scalp rather than one
  discreet location

63
Whats Neurofeedback good for??
64
probably many, if not most, of all mental health
diagnoses!
65
HOW CAN NEUROEEDBACK BE GOOD FOR SO MANY
DIFFERENT CONDITIONS??
66
Because the real problem is the brains impaired
ability to regulate itself.
67
NF leads to improved brain self-regulation.
68
UNDER-AROUSAL is the problem with disorders like
depression and ADHD.
69
OVER-AROUSAL is the problem with anxiety
disorders (includes panic attacks, PTSD,
agoraphobia, etc.)
70
INSTABILITY is the problem with bipolar
disorder, seizure disorders, migraines.
71
How long is the treatment?
72
Typical training is 2-3 times a week, for 15-30
minutes.
73
Usually the effects are gradual,
although they can sometimes be immediate, such as
in relieving a migraine headache.
74
For many conditions, 40 sessions will provide
nearly permanent relief.
75
For really entrenched problems e.g., Aspergers
other autism spectrum disorders 100 -200
sessions may be needed, and results may not be as
complete.
76
NF can change the face of mental health treatment
and offer resolution of symptoms rather than
the temporary relief of medications.
77
For traditional therapy, it can make people more
available and therapy-ready.
78
NEUROEEDBACK POSITIVELY AFFECTS

• ADD/ADHD
• ADDICTIONS
• ANXIETY
• ATTACHMENT DISORDER
• AUTISM

79
AND HELPS THOSE WITH

• CLOSED HEAD INJURIES
• CONDUCT DISORDERS
• CHRONIC PAIN
• DEPRESSION
• EPILEPSY

80
PEOPLE SUFFERING FROM

• FIBROMYALGIA
• LEARNING DISABILITIES
• MIGRAINES
• OCD
• POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS

81
THOSE DEALING WITH

• SLEEP DISORDERS
• STROKE
• TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY

82
COMPUTER ADVANCES MEAN NEUROFEEDBACK MAY HELP
RESOLVE MANY ISSUES
83
Mental health may be on the verge of a whole new
era