Windward Biofeedback Associates

Windward Biofeedback

Training Your Brain to Work for You

Biofeedback Professionals

HOW NEUROFEEDBACK HELPS

When discussing Neurofeedback (NFB), it’s essential to first understand Biofeedback. Identified by Neil Miller in the early 1950s, Biofeedback is a learning technique that uses medical instruments to provide immediate feedback on the autonomic nervous system. Dr. Miller demonstrated that once a person is aware of their body’s functions, they can change them with proper guidance. Instruments such as thermometers, blood pressure cuffs, devices that measure skin conductivity, respiratory meters, ECGs, or EEGs can all serve as Biofeedback tools.

In Neurofeedback, an EEG machine records brain activity and sends the data to a computer, which then presents the results to the client in a game-like format. This process enables a person to learn to control and regulate various internal processes—such as blood pressure, temperature, or respiration—by understanding the brain’s electrical activity.

But what does this mean for an individual? The core goal of NFB is self-regulation, which is a broad and powerful objective. It affects sleep, energy levels, social interactions, concentration, emotional balance, physical reactions (such as pain management), and hypersensitivities. Each of these areas is governed by different regions of the brain, and improvements in one area can positively affect another. NFB practitioners look at aspects like sleep quality, memory, attention, emotional stability, and sensory sensitivity to determine how to guide the brain toward optimal function.

A common misconception is that NFB “cures” problems. It doesn’t. Instead, it helps the brain function more efficiently, which can have widespread benefits. When someone is trained to improve concentration, for example, their emotional stability and behavior often improve as well, even if that wasn’t the primary focus. Similarly, reducing hyperactivity can enhance sleep quality. If someone seeks relief from chronic pain, their anxiety might improve as a side effect of the training, even if anxiety wasn’t a concern.

NFB is comparable to a well-rounded exercise program. You might start an exercise routine for one reason, like losing weight, but it also improves stamina, heart health, cholesterol levels, and muscle tone. Likewise, while NFB might not directly lead to weight loss or help someone quit smoking, it can help regulate mood. This, in turn, makes those habits more manageable because they no longer serve a stabilizing role for the person.

NFB won’t automatically improve a child’s grades at school, but it can enhance concentration, focus, organization, and self-regulation, making it easier for them to succeed academically if they are motivated to do so.

An ideal candidate for Neurofeedback is someone who wants to remain calm under stress, improve their concentration, sleep better, and handle tasks efficiently without becoming overwhelmed. Essentially, it’s for people seeking greater ease and balance in self-regulation.

If you or someone you know works with highly stressed, type-A individuals, people struggling with organization and focus, or those dealing with emotional regulation challenges, my husband and I are eager to connect. We’re particularly interested in connecting with professionals such as counselors, doctors, massage therapists, exercise and yoga instructors, school principals, and spiritual counselors.

Insomnia linked to damage in brain communication networks

Science News
from research organizations
Insomnia linked to damage in brain communication networks

Date:
April 5, 2016
Source:
Radiological Society of North America
Summary:
Using a sophisticated MRI technique, researchers have found abnormalities in the brain’s white matter tracts in patients with insomnia, according to a new study.
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Using a sophisticated MRI technique, researchers have found abnormalities in the brain’s white matter tracts in patients with insomnia. Results of the study were published online in the journal Radiology.

Primary insomnia, in which individuals have difficulty falling or staying asleep for a month or longer, is associated with daytime fatigue, mood disruption and cognitive impairment. Insomnia can also lead to depression and anxiety disorders.

“Insomnia is a remarkably prevalent disorder,” said researcher Shumei Li, M.S., from the Department of Medical Imaging, Guangdong No. 2 Provincial People’s Hospital, Guangzhou, China. “However, its causes and consequences remain elusive.”

For the study, Li, along with colleagues lead by investigator Guihua Jiang, M.D., set out to analyze the white matter tracts in insomnia patients and the relationship between abnormal white matter integrity and the duration and features of insomnia.

“White matter tracts are bundles of axons–or long fibers of nerve cells–that connect one part of the brain to another,” Li said. “If white matter tracts are impaired, communication between brain regions is disrupted.”
The study included 23 patients with primary insomnia and 30 healthy control volunteers. To evaluate mental status and sleep patterns, all participants completed questionnaires including the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Insomnia Severity Index, the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale and the Self-Rating Depression Scale.

Each participant also underwent brain MRI with a specialized technique called diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). DTI allows researchers to analyze the pattern of water movement along white matter tracts to identify a loss of tract integrity.

“We used a new method called Tract-Based Spatial Statistics that is highly sensitive to the microstructure of the white matter tract and provides multiple diffusion measures,” Li said.

Results of the analysis showed that compared to the healthy controls, the insomnia patients had significantly reduced white matter integrity in several right-brain regions, and the thalamus which regulates consciousness, sleep and alertness.

“These impaired white matter tracts are mainly involved in the regulation of sleep and wakefulness, cognitive function and sensorimotor function,” Li said.
In addition, abnormalities in the thalamus and body corpus callosum–the largest white matter structure in the brain–were associated with the duration of patients’ insomnia and score on self-rating depression scale.

“The involvement of the thalamus in the pathology of insomnia is particularly critical, since the thalamus houses important constituents of the body’s biological clock,” she added.

The study also found that underlying cause of white matter integrity abnormalities in insomnia patients may be loss of myelin, the protective coating around nerve fibers.

The researchers caution that further study needs to be done on a larger sample to clarify the relationship between altered white matter integrity and insomnia.
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Story Source:
The above post is reprinted from materials provided by Radiological Society of North America. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
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Journal Reference:
1. Shumei Li, M.S.et al. Reduced Integrity of Right Lateralized White Matter in Patients with Primary Insomnia: A Diffusion-Tensor Imaging Study. Radiology, Aprilo 2016
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Radiological Society of North America. “Insomnia linked to damage in brain communication networks.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 April 2016. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160405093052.htm>.
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