neurofeedback

Your Brain Can Do More Than You Think

Copyright EEG Institute 2

Introduction to Neurofeedback

• Addictions is a brain disease

• What is neurofeedback

• The theoretical model

• Arousal states

• The process

• Applications

• Outcomes

• Demonstration

Addiction: It’s a Brain Disease Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

used to be

Your Brain on Drugs Today

1-2 Min 3-4 5-6

6-7 7-8 8-9

9-10 10-20 20-30

YELLOW shows places in brain where cocaine goes (striatum)

Front of Brain

Back of Brain

Fowler et al., Synapse, 1989.

We Know There’s aWe Know There’s aBig Genetic Contribution toBig Genetic Contribution to

Drug Abuse and Addiction…Drug Abuse and Addiction…

…….Overlapping with Environmental .Overlapping with Environmental Influences that Help Make Influences that Help Make

Addiction a Complex Disease.Addiction a Complex Disease.

Biology/genes

Environment

Biology/EnvironmentInteractions

Initially, a person takes a drug

hoping to change his or her mood,

perception, or emotional state

Translation – …hoping to change their

brains.

We know that despitetheir many

differences, most abused substances enhance the dopamine

and serotonin pathways

Circuits Involved In Drug Abuse and Addiction

All of these must be consideredin developing strategies to effectively treat addiction

All of these must be consideredin developing strategies to effectively treat addiction

Storage

Synthesis

Precursor

Release

Reuptake

Degradation

Synaptic Cleft

= vesicle = neurotransmitters= receptor

dopamine transporters

DA

D2

Re

cep

tor

Av

aila

bili

ty

Control Addicted

CocaineCocaine

AlcoholAlcohol

DA

DA

DA DA DA

DA

Reward Circuits

DA DA DA DA

DA

Reward Circuits

DA

DA

DA

DA DA

DA

Drug Abuser

Non-Drug Abuser

HeroinHeroin

MethMeth

Dopamine D2 Receptors are Lower in Addiction

DA

prolonged drug use changes

the brain in fundamental

and long-lasting ways

Science has generated muchevidence showing that…


What is Neurofeedback?

• Biofeedback• EEG Biofeedback• Neurotherapy


The Theoretical ModelNeuroscience


The Brain

• Brainwaves: Delta, theta, alpha, beta

• Dominance• Arousal states


Background EEG Rhythms and States of Arousal

High Beta 20-30 Hz Tension

Low Beta

SMR

Alpha

Theta

Delta

12-15 Hz

8-12 Hz

4-7 Hz

1-3 Hz

Alert focus

Calm focus

Inattention

Drowsy

Deep sleep

15-20 Hz


Disregulation

• Arousal States• Instabilities• Disinhibition


Arousal and performance curve

arousal

perf

orm

ance

Normal function Stress, exhaustion, commission errors

Boredom, drowsiness, omission errors


Disregulation of ArousalStuck in Under-Arousal

Arousal

Per

form

anc e

Normal Function


Disregulation of ArousalStuck in Over-Arousal

Arousal

Per

form

anc e

Normal Function


General SymptomsLow Arousal High Arousal

Irritability

Fatigue

Emotionally sensitive

Lacking initiative

Weakness

Mental fog

CPT: poor performance with low demand

Or slow and variable

Agitation

Exhaustion

Emotionally reactive

Difficulty calming

Muscle tension

Mentally overactive

CPT: poor performance with high demand

Or fast and impulsive

Learned Behaviors or Unresolved Traumas

Learned fears

Habits

Addictive behaviors


Instabilities(Symptoms arise chaotically or

with shifts in arousal)

• Hyper-excitability

• Paroxysmal symptoms

Arousal

Per

form

anc e Normal

Function


Disinhibition (Loss of Control with Sustained

High or Low Arousal)

• Is the drink too fizzy? (high arousal)

• Or is the cork loose? (lack of inhibitory control)

• Or both?

• Either way we may get an explosion


The ProcessNeurofeedback as Brain Exercise

• Exercising the ability to shift and maintain state

• Flexibility and stability of state

• Better management of brain states allows better brain function

• Learning the skill of self-regulation


Neurofeedback ProcessEnhancing Self-regulation of Activation and Arousal

• Feeding back information on changes in brain state

• Challenging brain to improve self-regulation of state

• Alert brain by withholding reward when:• Rapid increases in EEG amplitude at any frequency• Rapid decreases in EEG amplitude in selected reward

band

Localization



Localized Dysfunctions(Electrode Placements)

• Left / Right Hemisphere

• Prefrontal

• Frontal

• Central

• Temporal

• Parietal

• Occipital


Left Hemisphere

• Sequential processing

• Text

• Conscious awareness


Right Hemisphere

• Body and spatial

awareness

• Context

• Social-emotional

awareness


Occipital Training for:

Visual processing

Visual sensitivity


Parietal Training for:

Body relaxation and awareness

Spatial awareness

Social-emotional awareness

Sensory integration


Temporal Training for:

Emotional regulation

Auditory processing

Object and pattern recognition


Temporal Training for Insula Function

Between frontal and temporal

Interoception

Interior state of body

Physiological regulation


Central Training for:

Somatosensory and motor deficits


Frontal Training for:

Initiation and sequencing of movement

Motivation

Speech & emotional expression

Attention & orientation to sensory input


Prefrontal Training for:Impulse control

Obsessive and compulsive symptoms

Disinhibited symptoms

Planning and organization

Fear and attachment


5. Learned Fears and Habits(Alpha/Theta Training)

Implicit Memory Explicit MemoryUnconscious

Intuitive knowledge

Subcortical / amygdala

Early development

Context free

Emotional and somatic

Traumatic memories

About current experience

Conscious

Cortical / hippocampus

Later development

Context within narrative of life

Logical and cognitive

About past events


Alpha-Theta Training Allows Reorganization of:

• Fears and attachments formed during early development

• Habits formed through addictive experience or social learning

• Fears and behaviors formed during traumatic experiences

• After improved stability and control of state


Neurofeedback Process

• Brain is sensitive to changes - not constants

• Not about too much or not enough of any EEG frequency

• Information is in the momentary increases or decreases in amplitude


General and Specific Effects

• Arousal of nervous system

• Activation of specific functional circuits

• Communication and coordination

• Differentiation of functional areas


Short-term Effects

• State changes during session

• Higher reward frequency Increased arousal

• Lower reward frequency Decreased arousal

• All within awake state

• Higher or lower relative to individual


Long-term effects

• Learned ability to shift state

• Learned ability to maintain state

• Increased STABILITY AND FLEXIBILITY of state

• Enhanced self-regulation

• Better function from the brain you have


What Are We Training?

• Increase stability of brain function

• Over long or short distances

• Brain is not confused, even if we are

The Clinical Process

•Comprehensive Biopsychosocial

•Symptom Evaluation

•TOVA

•ORF session

•Treatment



ApplicationsConditions that NF can help

• Alcohol and drug addiction

• ADHD

• Migraines

• Tension headaches

• Sleep disorders

• Depression

• Panic attacks

• Bruxism

• Epilepsy

• Chronic fatigue

• Stroke

• Autoimmune dysfunction

• Tinnitus

• LD


Results


Addictions

• Penniston & Kukosky (1989)

• Fahron• Scott & Kaiser (2002)


ADHD

• N=32• TOVA• Omission: 19• Commission: 6• RT: 13• RT Variability: 17

0102030405060708090100

I II III IV

PretestPosttest


Research and Addictions

• Penniston and Kulkosky 1989

• Penniston and Kulkosky 1990

• Fahron 1992

• Scott and Kaiser 1990

• Kansas prison study

• Texas Studies

neurofeedback

Documents

eeg amplitude

thinkcopyright eeg institute

background eeg rhythms

brain statechallenging

brain diseasewhat

beyour brain

brain exerciseexercising

better brain functionlearning