What is Neurofeedback Training? BrainCore Boston Explains

Neurofeedback training is quickly becoming one of the most popular drug-free therapy options in all of North America. Using it, patients are able to naturally address the symptoms of numerous conditions including ADHD, ADD, Anxiety, Insomnia, Depression, and even Migraines.
In this video, Dianne Kosto of BrainCore Therapy of Greater Boston gives an in depth explanation of what makes neurofeedback training so effective. She also answers the more basic question of: what is neurofeedback?

If ever the online video in this article is not functioning, you should visit here.
Also, make sure to visit our website at:  http://braincoreofgreaterboston.com/boston-adhd-therapy/

Is There A Difference Between ADD and ADHD?

With all the media publicity that attention deficit disorders have received in recent years, many people in Foxboro and elsewhere may wonder about the difference between Attention Deficit Disorder, ADD, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, ADHD—especially parents who are concerned that their child may have one of these disorders. Although ADD is still used colloquially, it is technically not a diagnostic term used by clinicians. Only ADHD is technically a diagnostic term, and it is divided into three subtypes: ADHD- Predominantly Inattentive, ADHD- Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive, and ADHD- Combined Type. The designation ADD could perhaps best be applied to people with the Predominantly Inattentive subtype of ADHD, who often lack the hyperactive component commonly associated with the disorder.

Do Doctors Even Use The Term ADD?

Attention Deficit Disorder, ADD, is an older term that is sometimes still used by doctors, although not as a formal diagnosis. The terminology was officially changed in 1994 with the release of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, DSM-IV. Currently the formal designation for an attention deficit disorder without hyperactivity is ADHD-PI instead of ADD. Presumably, this convention reflects the fact that ADD and ADHD are subtypes of the same disorder rather than two distinct disorders.

ADHD- Predominantly Inattentive Type: “ADHD” Without the “H”

When most people think of ADHD, they picture that hyperactive, bouncing-off-the-walls child who can’t sit still long enough to pay attention in the classroom. However, not all people with ADHD are hyperactive. People in Foxboro, and throughout the nation, with ADHD-PI, the closest formal designation to what is usually meant by ADD, are often quite opposite. They tend to feel tired or lethargic much of the time, and may feel mentally sluggish or slow.

People with ADHD-PI do exhibit the inattentive symptoms of ADHD, including:

·         Failure to pay close attention to details

·         Tendency to make careless mistakes

·         Difficulty following instructions and keeping track of assignments

·         Difficulty concentrating on planning and executing tasks

·         Difficulty concentrating on conversations with others

·         A tendency to daydream when it is not appropriate to do so

·         Tendency to misplace objects

·         Inability to “multitask”

·         General forgetfulness

·         Difficulty remembering relevant information

Because children with non-hyperactive ADHD-PI do not tend to be as disruptive in the classroom environment as ADHD children, their difficulties are more likely to be overlooked. Like ADHD, ADHD-PI can severely impact academic performance, work performance, and self-esteem. People with lifelong ADHD-PI often fear structured or planned work activities due to their difficulty concentrating. Because their problems in school are often not recognized as an attention deficit disorder, they are often chastised because their behaviors are misattributed to laziness, carelessness, lack of effort, or lack of proficiency. As a result, they often develop a low self-concept and may underestimate their own capabilities, leading to academic and occupational underachievement relative to their actual intelligence and capabilities. They may also become more prone to depression or other mood disorders. For this reason, it is important that teachers and parents in Foxboro and elsewhere recognize the existence of ADHD without hyperactivity. Like ADHD, ADHD-PI responds well to stimulant medications and to neurofeedback therapy, a scientifically proven approach now available in Foxboro that does not produce any unwanted side effects.

NEUROFEEDBACK FOR ADD & ADHD IN BOSTON

Three Neurological Disorders That Affect Your Ability to Hear Music

When anyone in Foxboro sustains localized brain damage, strange things can happen to the person’s language, vision, cognition, and other capabilities. Some types of acquired neurological disorders can actually affect a person’s ability to hear and appreciate music. Usually these effects result from localized lesions in the brain that are created by a stroke or a traumatic brain injury. Music is a way to express emotions, and individuals generally differ in their musical abilities, proclivities, and tastes. Some people in Foxboro can sing perfectly, whereas others can’t quite carry a tune. Some people are more attuned than others to the beat and rhythm of music. Many music aficionados like rhythmic, pulsating electro, whereas others prefer smooth jazz. Despite these differences, nearly everyone enjoys music to some extent. Like language, music has its basis in the brain. The brainstem, primary auditory cortex, secondary auditory cortex, and other areas of the brain are largely responsible for the recognition of aspects of music like pitch, tone, rhythm, and melody. When one of these areas is damaged, it can result in neurological disorders that are characterized by the loss of the ability to recognize, produce, or appreciate music. 

#1: Amusia

Amusia, also called musical agnosia or musical deafness, can be congenital; however, it is usually acquired due to a brain injury. Amusia is strongly associated with deficits in pitch processing, which also creates difficulties in some aspects of language intonation recognition and spatial processing. Signs of amusia include:

·         Inability to recognize familiar melodies

·         Loss of ability to read musical notation

·         Inability to recognize out-of-tune or “wrong” notes in a piece of music

·         Loss of ability to sing or play an instrument

Like many neurological disorders, amusia can vary in presentation depending on the size and location of the lesion that caused it.

#2: Selective Musical Alexia or Musical Agraphia

Musical alexia and musical agraphia are neurological disorders involving, respectively, a loss of the ability to read musical notation and to write musical notation. Depending on where and to what extent the brain was damaged, a person in Foxboro can lose only one of these abilities while retaining the other. A loss of the ability to read or write music can also occur without an overall loss of musical ability and music recognition. 

#3: Auditory Arrhythmia

Auditory arrhythmia can result from damage to the right temporoparietal area of the brain. It is characterized by a disturbance of the person’s sense of rhythmic patterns in sounds, including music and language. A person with auditory arrhythmia will be unable to perform a basic “tapping task” in which a neurologist instructs them to tap their finger in time. This condition is thought by researchers to result from impairment of the brain’s central timing system. Although auditory arrhythmia is not restricted to music per se, it can severely impact a person’s ability to play or to write music because they can no longer keep time. 

NEUROFEEDBACK THERAPY FOR NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS

EEG Neurofeedback in Norfolk County, Boston

A Brief Guide to EEG Brainwave Frequencies

Neurofeedback therapy, available in Mansfield and Norfolk County, is a cutting-edge new approach to managing the symptoms of a wide variety of disorders, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety disorder, migraine headaches, and other psychological and pain disorders. Neurofeedback therapy uses electroencephalography (EEG), in which electrodes are attached to the scalp to measure the frequencies of electrical oscillations generated by collections of cells in different regions of the brain. Research has indicated that many conditions, including ADHD and anxiety, are associated with abnormal brainwave frequencies in certain areas of the brain that differ from those of “normal” individuals. Neurofeedback uses sound and images, often in a video game like setup, to teach individuals to consciously alter these frequencies to improve psychological or pain symptoms. There are several types of brainwave frequencies, which are associated with different states of consciousness and types of mental activity. These neural oscillations are referred to as “brainwaves” because, when displayed as an EEG reading or expressed using mathematical equations, they take the form of a wave. There are alpha, beta, theta, gamma, and delta frequencies. This article is a brief beginner’s guide to what these frequencies mean.

Alpha Brainwaves

Alpha waves are defined as neural oscillations that fall within the frequency range of 7.5-12.5 Hz. Alpha waves are notably generated in the occipital lobes, the region of the cortex at the back of the brain associated with visual processing, when a person is awake with their eyes closed. Alpha frequencies are associated with relaxation. Early work with EEG neurofeedback was focused on training people to enter the “alpha state” more easily. Alpha biofeedback has potential applications for treating depression, as well as seizures. Some types of zen meditation are associated with increased alpha waves. They are associated with a mentally restful state, as opposed to active mental attention.

Beta Brainwaves

Beta brainwaves have frequencies ranging from 12.5 to 30 Hz. Beta states, unlike alpha states, are associated with normal waking consciousness and active mental attention. Neurofeedback therapy for ADHD involves using EEG feedback to change from alpha to beta frequencies in certain areas of the brain, including the prefrontal cortex, to increase attention and reduce impulsiveness.

Delta Brainwaves

Delta brainwaves are high-amplitude, low-frequency brainwaves that fall in the range of 0-4 Hz. Delta waves are most strongly associated with deep non-REM stages of sleep, which is known as “slow-wave sleep.” EEG studies of infants and young children have shown that infants spend a lot of time in slow-wave sleep, and that even during wakefulness, children from infancy to as old as five years produce delta waves. Disruptions of delta states are implicated in a number of disorders. For example, in fibromyalgia, research using EEG neuroimaging has revealed the presence of alpha wave intrusion during sleep, when alpha waves appear when actually delta waves should be predominant. This involvement of brainwave frequency in sleep in people with fibromyalgia has led researchers to explore the potential of neurofeedback therapy for treating this difficult and pervasive disorder. Another disorder involving delta-wave dysregulation is schizophrenia. Reduced delta wave activity during sleep, along with increased delta activity during wakefulness, have been shown to correlate with negative symptoms of the disorder such as amotivation, poverty of speech, and the inability to experience pleasure. Disrupted delta wave activity is found in a wide range of other disorders, including depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and narcolepsy.

Theta Rhythms

Theta brainwave rhythms have frequencies of 4-7 Hz, and are detectable with EEG sensors when emitted in the cortex. Cortical theta is most common in young children. In adults, it often appears in drowsy or deeply meditative states, though not in the deepest stages of sleep. It is associated with REM sleep (rapid eye movement), which is when most dreams occur.

Gamma Brainwaves

Gamma frequencies range in frequency from 25-100 Hz. Research into gamma waves has provided evidence that these frequencies may be heavily involved in what we experience as subjective consciousness. These frequencies have been observed in association with the coordination and synchronization of different brain areas involved in conscious awareness, notably visual awareness. Interestingly, EEG neuroimaging research involving monks in meditative states have demonstrated a correlation between gamma activity and transcendental states of consciousness. In a 2004 study, when Tibetan monks were instructed to generate a sense of compassion, they correspondingly generated rhythmic, coherent activity in the 25-40 Hz range. Gamma synchrony may be involved in the bliss, compassion, and tranquility associated with transcendental meditative states. Neurofeedback training may one day be used to help train novice meditators to achieve these states of consciousness, although scientists are still exploring the role of gamma waves in consciousness.

Neurofeedback therapy in Mansfield works by using EEG measurements of brainwave frequencies to help train people to learn to alter their brainwave frequencies at will. Many psychological and pain disorders, including ADHD, anxiety, and fibromyalgia, have been shown to involve underlying brainwave dysregulation. Using neurofeedback therapy, you can actually learn to change these frequencies at will. For example, a child in Mansfield with ADHD may have excessive alpha activity in some brain areas, and can be trained to change to beta frequencies associated with mental focus and concentration. Neurofeedback therapy in Mansfield is an excellent therapy option, and lacks many of the side effects associated with various medications.

EEG NEUROFEEDBACK - HOW IT WORKS

Massachusetts Services for Brain Injury

What You Need to Know 

The Massachusetts State Division of Health and Human Services offers disability services for people who have sustained an externally caused traumatic brain injury. According to online information provided by the department, “externally caused traumatic brain injury” is damage to the brain caused by an external injury. For example, if you suffer a concussion or open head injury in a car accident because you slammed against the windshield in an impact, that is an externally caused brain injury; however, injury due to a stroke, drug overdose, viral or bacterial disease, or other internal event, would not qualify. 

The Massachusetts Statewide Head Injury Program, or “SHIP”, offers state residents a number of services for brain injury due to external injury. Brain injuries can be truly debilitating, resulting in loss of vision, hearing, memory, impulse control, cognition, language capacity, and countless other abilities controlled within the brain. 

What Kinds of Services for Brain Injury Are Available to SHIP Applicants? 

The SHIP program offers several services for brain injury to qualifying applicants, including:

·         Assistive Technology. SHIP offers assistance in obtaining devices that may be necessary for people who have suffered traumatic brain injury. This includes equipment such as medication dispensers, reach extenders, grab bars and shower chairs, and communication devices. A traumatic brain injury can inhibit a person’s ability to speak or coordinate motor movements effectively, depending on what part or parts of the brain sustained damage.

·         Community-Based Support Services. These types of services are important for helping with rehabilitation and general quality of life for individuals with brain damage. This may include the assignment of a case manager to assess the person’s needs and coordinate services; community support workers to help the person learn and use daily living skills or to assist with day-to-day tasks like grocery shopping or driving to doctor’s appointments that the injured person may no longer be able to do on their own; individual aides to provide support and companionship; and residential services for injured persons needing “around-the-clock” care and support as a result of their injuries.

·         Regional Service Centers. The SHIP program operates four community-based service centers for eligible individuals. These service centers provide support and opportunities that help brain injury victims regain independence and daily living skills. The centers are located in Boston, Cape Cod, Western Massachusetts, and Southeastern Massachusetts.

·         Respite Services exist to provide relief for full-time caregivers of individuals who have been disabled by a brain injury. This includes in-home respite, as well as up to two weeks of out-of-home respite in a 24-hour treatment facility.

·         Family Assistance Programs. SHIP can provide clinical consultants to help brain-damaged individuals and their families develop in-home strategies to address changes in capabilities resulting from traumatic brain injury, as well as assistance in identifying and addressing clinical treatment needs.

·         Social and Recreation Programs are also among SHIP’s services for brain damage. Each program has an activities coordinator; recreational activities include museums, sporting events, bowling, trips to amusement parks, and craft nights, to name only a few of the recreational options.

·         Substance Abuse Treatment is also available through SHIP for individuals with TBI who are also recovering from addiction. 

How Do I Find Out If I Qualify for SHIP? 

To be eligible for SHIP services, you must be a resident of the state of Massachusetts and have documented externally caused brain injury. You must also, as a result of your injury, have impaired behavioral, cognitive, social, motor, or other functioning. After you apply for SHIP, your medical documentation will be reviewed to confirm your eligibility. People of all ages and income levels are eligible. 

If you or a loved one are a Massachusetts resident who has sustained externally caused brain damage, and have suffered impairments in mental or physical functioning as a result, you may be eligible for SHIP. To find out more about what SHIP has to offer and whether you qualify for assistance with services for brain injury, you can visit the following website: http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/consumer/disability-services/services-by-type/head-injury/. Or, you can call for information at (617)-204-3852 OR toll-free at (800)-223-2559. You can also request information by emailing SHIPU@MRC.state.ma.us. If you or someone close to you has been mentally or physically compromised by an externally caused brain injury, SHIP can help you find and coordinate the treatment and rehabilitation services you need.

NEUROFEEDBACK FOR BRAIN INJURY SUFFERERS