WHAT IS BRAIN MAPPING (or a QEEG Brain Scan)?
Brain mapping is a way to measure brain balance.
The brain is a highly complex organ made up of billions of cells called neurons. Neurons send and receive messages to and from all parts of your body. These messages are electrical impulses that create brain waves. The brain map is an important tool we use to evaluate your brainwaves and identify opportunities to improve communication between various regions of the brain. The brain map is able to capture a window of brain activity, analyze the data, and create a visual representation for each lobe of the brain and each specific brain wave (Delta, Theta, Alpha, and Beta).
Visualize Inside Your Brain
The Neuro-Map, or “brain” scan is part of what makes the BrainMaster System unique. Most other neurofeedback machines do not record your specific brainwaves to determine problem areas. Instead, the patient must first be diagnosed by a physician using conventional methods, and then pre-made protocols are used that target the problem areas identified.
The BrainMaster system utilizes a specialized mapping system that records your patient’s specific brainwaves, converts them into electronic data, and generates a detailed report that is specific to each and every patient. This process allows you to give a detailed analysis of the results to your patient, and in a language that they can understand.
How Does Brain Mapping Work?
By using a cap placed on the scalp, our software captures the electrical impulses in the brain. This method is known as an electroencephalogram (EEG). The results show brain wave patterns in different parts of the brain. The process takes about 45 minutes, and the data is then converted into a visual brain map report. A clinician analyzes the brain map report and identifies any problem areas. The report displays the results in a clear and concise format that the end user can easily understand.
Neurofeedback is then the treatment to balance the brain. This is a type of biofeedback that uses electroencephalography (EEG) to provide a signal that can be used by a person to receive feedback about brain activity. The EEG signal is fed into computer software first then the feedback, usually a movie or music, is returned to the person being trained. This feedback loop can produce changes in brainwave activity. The process used to adjust brainwave activity is known as operant conditioning, which is a method where rewards for positive behavior increase learning capabilities.
The concept is fairly simple. The computer monitors your brainwaves while you watch a movie or listen to music. When deviations from normal brainwave activity occur, the computer triggers an audio or visual cue that alerts the patient that they are outside normal ranges. These cues are received by the brain, which subconsciously adjusts itself back to a normal pattern to make the cue stop. With enough repetition of this process, the brain eventually learns to stay in the normal ranges on its own without the computer. With the brain functioning normally on its own, symptoms of irregular brain activity will decline.
It has been well documented that people who suffer neurological problems have abnormal brain waves in certain areas of the brain. For instance, case studies using QEEG “brain scans” have shown that people with Attention-Deficit-Disorder (ADD) have elevated delta brainwaves, while those who suffer from depression have elevated alpha brainwaves. Those with anxiety will have elevated Beta brainwaves, while those suffering from memory loss usually have decreased theta brainwaves.
Training the brain using neurofeedback can change these brainwaves over time, adjusting them into normal, healthy ranges. It can improve alertness, attention, emotional regulation, behavior, cognitive function, and mental flexibility. When the brain moves back into normal ranges, users will often see a reduction in symptoms.
The best part of neurofeedback is that results are often permanent, allowing a person to reduce or even eliminate medications altogether. Where medications only manage the symptoms, the goal of neurofeedback is to address the underlying cause and restore normal brainwave functions.
You can purchase Dr. Conners and Dr. Halderman's on the brain at Amazon or download it for free here:
