How to Get Started with Evidence-Based Neurotherapy

Introductory READING

Necessary EQUIPMENT & SOFWARE to run SKIL Trainer

2. Multi-channel EEG Trainer Either Discovery or Atlantis 4x4 ($2,700) or J&J Engineering's C2+.

3. EEG supplies (~$600 or $850 with additional cap)

• Electro-Cap - Large (58-62 cm) (Blue)
• Electro-Cap - Medium (54-58 cm) (Red)
• Ear Electrodes, 9mm (pr.)
• Disposable Sponge Disks (pkg. of 100)
• Needle / Syringe Kit (2-16g blunted needles; 1 syringe)
• Electro-Gel (32 oz)
• Nuprep 25 gm Tubes (Box of 6)
• (Optional 3rd cap) Electro-Cap - Large / Medium (56-60 cm) (Blue / Red)
  With 3 caps you can run two back-to-back sessions of any head sizes without having to dry out the cap between sessions with a hairdryer (which is hard on the caps).

  Here is a step-by-step guide (recipe) for acquiring EEG

TRAINING

Another way to get additional training in normative EEG analysis for neurotherapy or other uses is to request a report interpretation of EEG data from either David or Barry. David charges $500 per report and spends up to 2 hrs per report on the phone explaining it.

Contact David or Barry for availability and more information.

WHY DO A QEEG FOR NEUROTHERAPY?

Our goal is to identify likely causes for the symptoms or complaints a patient exhibits. With a normative electroencephalographic (EEG) evaluation we compare a person's brain wave activity to a healthy population of the same maturation (child, teen, adult) and conclusions are based on statistics and 150 years of neuroscience knowledge and research. This information allows us to understand strengths and weaknesses of each brain area and putting this together with what we know about the functions of each brain area from neuroscience we can complete a better picture of the individual being treated. Normative EEG acts like a microscope, amplifying information about brain behavior which we cannot see with the naked eye in normal behavior.

A year ago, for instance, I saw a depressed teenager who dropped out of college for lack of motivation and who did not respond to antidepressant medication nor psychotherapy. It was not clear why the young woman was depressed, and she could give little insight to her plight to the clinician. However our EEG evaluation revealed that brain area 9R (which is located in the right hemisphere, medial frontal lobe) was functionally disconnected for her age and this we know is a brain area critically involved in attachment and self-soothing. Not only did this give her clinician a new insight into therapy, it also provided us with a neurotherapy treatment strategy. We trained this brain area 9R to coordinate its activity with 9L (the same area in the left hemisphere, which showed healthy, normal functioning), and her neurotherapist reported to me in April how the teenager had improved enough that she was back at college and doing well. Even though personal events disconnected the brain area, probably for years, EEG-guided neurotherapy restored its involvement in her brain function and this began her recovery, which should be self-perpetuating as long as circumstances and the environment remains supportive.

For instance, if we find the orbitofrontal area of the brain disconnected or underactive, an individual is likely having difficulty regulating emotional drive or controlling their impulses in a way that is different than impulse control problems due to deficiencies of other brain areas (such as in the dorsolateral frontal cortex). If we find the anterior cingulate disconnected, attention switching and conflict management are likely, which may not be apparent from general measures of behavior. If the posterior cingulate is disconnected, individuals are likely separated from their past identity, due to trauma or other problem. An EEG evaluation identifies likely markers of various conditions including PTSD, depression, trauma, and learning deficits.

An example report is shown at http://www.skiltopo.com/skil3/kaiser-report-AR2.pdf We recommend an initial neurofeedback protocol to address the primary problems identified by the report, but the report itself is an instrument for the therapist to ask more questions of the individual in order to identify what is fully happening in the person's brain, allowing them to develop a more complete treatment plan.