qEEG AND Neurofeedback in mTBI -European Neuro Convention 2017

qEEG and Neurofeedbackin Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Derek Jones PhD MBA Anatomical Concepts (UK) LtdFixxl Ltd

Can we distinguish brain injured from ‘normals’ based on their qEEG?

Can we use neurofeedback to improve

function?

mTBI

… Not Just About Sport …•Initial damage may seem minimal .. but …

•Chronic effects in the longer term

•Significant cognitive, sensory and psychiatric dysfunction

EEGBioelectric potential

recorded at the surface of the head using electrodes

and instrumentation.

Arising from the brain cells in the cerebral cortex

epiphenomenon

EEG Signal Acquisition

•80 year + Experience •Good hardware •Care needs to be taken

qEEG =

Quantitative Electroencephalography

•Frequency domain representation •Normative databases •Coherence

Data Acquisition

• Microvolt level signals • Sensitive to error & protocols • Standardised electrode positions

https://www.biofeedback-tech.com

moment-to-moment brain function is directly linked to

EEG oscillations.

Trauma should be reflected in the EEG pattern but needs to be quantified - you can’t do this

subjectively

Frequency SpectrumRepresenting the EEG

as consisting of several “classical” frequency bands

Delta - 0 to 4 Hz Theta - 4 to 7 Hz Alpha - 8 to 13 Hz Beta1 - 15 to 21 Hz Beta2 - 21 to 30 Hz Gamma - 30 to 100 Hz

SMR 12-15 Hz

Frequency Domain

Classify..Group A

Group CGroup B

“mTBI”

“normal”

Coherence

• Coherence (correlation) between regions tends to be high due to high level of connectedness

• Connectivity reflects the amount of processing that the brain is devoting to particular activities

• Could look at magnitude and phase of FFT

Human ConnectomeMapping Structure and Function

A wiring diagram of the brain

Normative Database

individual

Identify mTBIKirtley Thornton “A QEEG activation methodology that obtained 100% accuracy in the discrimination of traumatic brain injured from normal and does the learning disabled show the brain injury pattern?”.Neuroregulation, Vol. 1(3-4):209-218, 2014

10-20

Neurofeedback• Signals from the brain are “revealed” to the trainee

• Brain processes new information and learns

• Allows conditioning and signage to occur

• System needs to be intuitive and relatively simple

• There is engagement - but not “trying”

• EEG changes may occur but what matters is clinical outcomes

Conceptual view of Neurofeedback

EEG

Brain Events

Behaviour

Thought

Externalised

Internalised

Perceived as ThoughtsPerceived as Behaviour

Perceived as Neurofeedback

Derek Jones PhD MBA Anatomical Concepts (UK) LtdFixxl Ltd