Neurofeedback
WHAT IS NEUROFEEDBACK?
HISTORY OF NERUOFEEDBACK
Unlocking the brain’s potential and enhancing self-regulation has been a pursuit of humanity for as long as we’ve had brains. Over the last century, our tools have significantly improved. Electroencephalography, or EEG, measures brain waves, and this technology was first discovered in 1924 by Hans Berger.
Fast forward to the mid-1960s, and Dr. Joe Kamiya and Dr. Barry Sterman independently stumbled upon what we now know as EEG biofeedback, or neurofeedback.
Neurofeedback was born out of a surprising scientific discovery during Dr. Sterman’s research on rocket fuel (metylhydrazine) safety for astronauts. During an experiment involving cats, a group of these cats unexpectedly showed resistance to seizures when exposed to the toxin. Intriguingly, these cats had previously been part of a different experiment where they were rewarded with chicken broth each time they produced a specific brain wave.
This particular EEG wave, known as SMR (Sensorimotor Rhythm), is associated with relaxation, body stillness, and supporting sleep and learning. SMR is like the brain’s ‘calm mode’, generated at the intersection of the sensory and motor cortices—the area of the brain that runs from ear to ear. It plays a role in regulating sensory and motor system activity by connecting the cortex with the thalamus, the brain’s internal switchboard.
Sterman, M. B., & Fairchild, M. D. (1967). SUBCONVULSIVE EFFECTS OF 1, 1-DIMETHYLHYDRAZINE ON LOCOMOTOR PERFORMANCE ON THE CAT: RELATIONSHIP OF DOSE TO TIME OF ONSET: Defense Technical Information Center. https://doi.org/10.21236/AD0664549
Sterman, M. B., & Egner, T. (2006). Foundation and Practice of Neurofeedback for the Treatment of Epilepsy. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, 31(1), 21–35. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10484-006-9002-x
Kamiya, J. (2011). The First Communications About Operant Conditioning of the EEG. Journal of Neurotherapy, 15(1), 65–73. https://doi.org/10.1080/10874208.2011.545764
Sterman's Cats:
SMR Trainining impact on rocket fuel exposure
INITIAL HUMAN STUDIES
The positive effects on seizure control and brain stability weren’t limited to just cats. Dr. Sterman developed an audio feedback device to train the SMR of a patient with a seizure disorder that was resistant to medication. If you look at her seizure log (image to the right), you’ll notice the reduction in seizure frequency as well as adjustments in her medication.
This groundbreaking discovery paved the way for the clinical use of neurofeedback in humans, initially to help control seizures in epilepsy patients. It later expanded into treatments for sleep disorders and addiction (starting with alcohol), and by the 1970s and 1980s, it was increasingly applied to ADHD and Autism.
Since then, neurofeedback has continued to evolve, finding applications in trauma and anxiety treatment, enhancing creativity, boosting peak and athletic performance, and aiding in brain recovery after injuries and concussions, whether from sports or the ageing process.
The effectiveness of EEG training is consistently shown across various aspects of brain function, with the most significant impacts on core areas like attention, stress, and sleep – along with all the related areas these vital functions influence.
NEUROFEEDBACK FOR SEIZURES, ADHD, AUTISM, OR IMPROVING PERFORMANCE?
Neurofeedback can address both performance challenges and diagnoses, as well as optimise your overall performance. We encourage you to think of neurofeedback as physical therapy or progressive exercise for the brain, rather than simply a treatment. It’s about pursuing the changes in brain function that you wish to enhance, rather than just undergoing a treatment aimed at “fixing” something.
What makes neurofeedback particularly appealing?
- It’s safe and non-invasive
- it can promote long-lasting change to your brain in just 30 sessions
The effects of each neurofeedback session are initially temporary, allowing you to assess the protocols. Over several weeks, these changes accumulate, leading to improvements in performance, EEG assessments, and your own subjective experience.
These qualities make boosting your brain’s performance both manageable and safe. With tailored and guided neurofeedback, you can test the waters gradually, build up changes, and unlock your brain’s potential in what can be an enjoyable and rewarding journey.
Knyazev, G. G. (2009). Is cortical distribution of spectral power a stable individual characteristic? International Journal of Psychophysiology, 72(2), 123–133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2008.11.004
Riccio, C. (2002). The continuous performance test: a window on the neural substrates for attention? Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 17(3), 235–272. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0887-6177(01)00111-1
Huang-Pollock, C. L., Karalunas, S. L., Tam, H., & Moore, A. N. (2012). Evaluating vigilance deficits in ADHD: A meta-analysis of CPT performance. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 121(2), 360–371. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0027205
HOW DOES IT WORK
Neurofeedback, also known as EEG Biofeedback, is a technique that involves monitoring your brainwave activity in real-time and providing audio or visual feedback when your brain produces more (or less) of specific brainwave patterns. This process, called operant conditioning of the EEG, helps gradually reshape your brain’s resting patterns and improve performance over time.
The journey begins with a QEEG Brain Map, which measures your brain’s activity at rest with your eyes closed and open. This baseline data allows us to understand your unique brain patterns and tailor the neurofeedback protocols to your specific goals. Neurofeedback is most effective when it’s customised to your individual needs, focusing on areas of the brain that require enhancement or support.
Your brain generates different types of waves—like Delta (around 2 Hz, the slowest waves), Theta (around 4 Hz, often elevated in ADHD), Alpha (around 10 Hz, associated with a neutral resting state), and Beta (10-40 Hz, which can be high in anxiety but low in ADHD, concussion, or sleep issues). While these brain patterns can shift moment to moment based on your thoughts or emotions, they typically settle into stable resting patterns over time. These consistent patterns, often referred to as biomarkers or phenotypes, provide a reliable gauge of your brain’s resources and serve as a roadmap for optimising performance.
The QEEG Brain Map is like using data from a sleep tracker or continuous glucose monitor—it highlights areas where adjustments can lead to meaningful improvements. The mapping process is non-invasive and involves wearing a cap fitted with small electrodes that measure your brain’s electrical activity. These readings give us insight into how your brain functions, particularly in areas like attention, stress, and sleep.
Once we’ve gathered your QEEG data, we combine it with additional assessments, such as a Continuous Performance Test (CPT), which measures attention, impulsivity, stamina, and how you process auditory versus visual information. By integrating this information, we can identify specific EEG features linked to stress, fatigue, ADHD, or other performance factors, allowing us to develop a neurofeedback plan that directly addresses your needs.
During neurofeedback sessions, the system monitors your brain’s EEG in real-time, tracking specific features like the amount of Theta, Beta, or Alpha waves present. When your brain shifts in the desired direction—such as increasing Alpha waves to promote relaxation—you receive immediate feedback, like a game moving on the screen or music playing. This feedback helps your brain learn to make those shifts naturally, fine-tuning its resources for better performance.
The beauty of neurofeedback is that it gently guides your brain without forcing change. The system continuously adapts to where your brain is at that moment, nudging it towards the desired state. With consistent sessions, these small adjustments build up over time, leading to lasting improvements in how your brain functions and performs.
IS IT SAFE?
Yes—most forms of neurofeedback are completely passive.
The only things interacting with your brain are the audio and visual signals that are triggered (or stopped) when your brain moves in a desired direction.
The computer simply measures your EEG signals—cortical potentials that your brain naturally produces. Because the neurofeedback system only responds to one out of the many things your brain is doing, your brain “notices.” The software then “moves the goalposts,” adjusting the measurement threshold to stay close to that brain parameter, and continues monitoring it.
There are some forms of stimulation within the neurofeedback field, like LENS and pEMF, but at Peak Brain (and most neurofeedback providers), we focus on non-invasive, non-zapping methods of gentle, progressive operant conditioning of the EEG. We only measure brain activity at the scalp—we don’t zap it.
