BrainCore Neurofeedback - Train Your Brain!

I am happy to announce that my office, Nashville Brain and Spine in Nashville, Tennessee, has become an authorized BrainCore Neurofeedback Clinic. There are over eighty BrainCore Clinics in the US.

The purpose of this blog is to tell of research and other information about how people can learn to improve their brain function with neurofeedback.

First of all, neurofeedback is a form of biofeedback. Biofeedback is a method using electronic monitoring to give a person immediate and continuous signals on changes in body functions that they are not usually conscious of. Examples include blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension, etc. With feedback however, conscious control of such functions can be learned.

Neurofeedback uses an EEG (electroencephalograph) to measure electrical brain waves. This is similar to an EKG (electrocardiogram) that is used to measure electrical heart activity.

In an EEG, small sensors are placed at specific sites on the scalp to record brainwave activity. The findings can then be used to design a brain training program. This typically consists of either increasing a particular brain wave there is too little of or decreasing one there is too much of, or some combination.

In neurofeedback training, the EEG information is displayed to the person in one form or another. One example, which is often used with children and adults with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), utilizes a video game or movie that is controlled by their brainwaves. When the person is producing the desired brainwave pattern, the video will play, but when not, the video and its sound will fade. With some time and practice, the person learns to keep the video playing thus improving brain function and decreasing their symptoms.

Research shows that people maintain their improvement and it is thought to be permanent. As the brain learns, new neural circuits are formed by a process known as neuroplasticity.  An example of this is learning to ride a bike.  At first, it is difficult, with practice and concentration necessary.  Once it is learned, however, you don’t have to consciously think about it, your brain already knows how to do it (through the new brain motor pathways you created) and you don’t have to relearn each time you ride a bike.

EEG neurofeedback has had success in improving a wide variety of conditions including insomnia, fibromyalgia/chronic pain, anxiety, ADHD, migraine/tension headache, PTST (post traumatic stress disorder), chronic fatigue and learning disorders, as well as improving performance in sports, music and learning. It is painless, non-invasive (no drugs or surgery) and without side effects.

A study in the Journal of Clinical Psychology (2001 Jul;57(7)933-52) found neurofeedback improved fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition characterized by widespread and diffuse pain and is usually accompanied by poor sleep.

In the study, thirty fibromyalgia patients received EEG neurofeedback training. After the training, they reported improved mental clarity, mood and sleep along with decreased pain.

Pre to post treatment and extended follow-up comparisons of psychological and physical functioning measurements, fibromyalgia symptoms, and EEG activity demonstrated statistically significant improvement.

Next time: Brain wave types and their function, abnormal patterns with possible symptoms.