Braincore of Wellington

08/22/2022

https://www.independent.co.ug/new-covid-19-link-to-long-term-dementia-brain-fog/?fbclid=IwAR1sIuVKeWgflrUNZeTkf3H55pZIAZq4grIHqEgXwueN7es8iOyBlJQ7PzA

London, UK | THE INDEPENDENT | COVID-19 survivors may experience neurological and psychiatric conditions such as dementia, brain fog, and psychosis, two years after their first infection compared to other respiratory infections, a study has revealed. Published in the Lancet Psychiatry journal on Fri...

06/06/2022

https://www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/news/understanding-why-the-memory-of-fear-stays-in-the-brain-362113?utm_content=209804823&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&hss_channel=fbp-479163965435700&fbclid=IwAR2UYc4D8PR8TaRt8nVkip3k0ebwJFqa0zI0g7pSsF0SxMzk-hwZ5Jaq5x8

Researchers have found a mechanism by which noradrenaline facilitates fear processing by changing the frequency of brain wave oscillation.

06/03/2022

https://www.medpagetoday.com/neurology/dementia/98704

Smaller brain volume seen with diet-driven inflammation

05/03/2022

TBI and Post-Concussion Headaches Treated with Neurotherapy

Conclusions stated “. . . TBI survivors may benefit from improved motivation for treatment and some reduction of symptoms related to attention, mood, and mindfulness, with the addition of neurofeedback to treatment.”

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), which can range from mild to severe, is a prevalent problem in both military and civilian populations. The CDC estimates that more than 280,000 hospitalization and 2.2 million emergency room visits are associated with a TBI diagnosis annually. It can lead to permanent disability. Common causes of TBI are varied ranging from trauma with causes like concussion or head injury from motor vehicle accidents, to anoxic episodes like stroke or near drowning episodes.

TBI symptoms, presentation, and recovery can vary greatly, depending on the severity of the injury, part(s) of the brain that are injured, and type of injury sustained, among other factors.1,8 Symptoms can include headaches, mood changes, fatigue, and memory issues, as well as problems with attention and concentration, and have been shown to affect satisfaction with life.

Patients who do continue to suffer from symptoms longer-term also can struggle with finding effective treatments to address their symptoms.1,11,12 Medical providers, medications, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech language therapies, and behavioral health professionals can all play vital roles in the recovery from a brain injury, but even the most effective therapies are sometimes not enough to resolve residual symptoms in some TBI survivors.

Biofeedback modalities which include use of quantitative EEG measurements and guidance have been shown to be effective in improving symptoms for these patients and have helped train users to become more aware of their physiologic responses to emotional, cognitive, or physical stimuli, and to gain more control over these responses, with the goal of being able to translate these abilities into real life settings.

For example, in patients with symptoms, such as headaches or attention problems following a brain injury, a sample biofeedback protocol could involve a general stress and relaxation assessment or brainwaves via EEG. This allows what used to be a complicated sprawl of EEG waves to be analyzed and compressed down to a workable program where the patient simply watches a video which either lightens or darkens with the (involuntary) brain wave alterations that the patient is individually programmed to move towards. With the use of qEEG the patient can exercise their inherent neuroplasticity to retune their brain pathways to an optimum state.

This may take anywhere between 20 and up to 60 NON-INVASIVE sessions for the patient to have peak benefit.

Historically, the EEG, which records electrical activity of the brain over time, was introduced in 1929 and was shown to respond to volitional control via operant conditioning by 1962.12,18,27
More recently, with the corresponding technological advances computers provided, quantitative EEG, which digitizes the EEG signal, has been introduced as the newer generation of EEG neurofeedback. This allows for more clinical sensitivity and specificity, although protocols and use of the equipment can vary from practitioner to practioner.4,12,18,27–29 EEG patterns have been shown to be different in individuals following TBI, and have even been shown to predict prognosis in some cases.7,12,26,27
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5580369/

04/26/2022

COVID-19 Brain Fog

There are multiple avenues for COVID-19 to attack the brain. Some overt examples might be stroke, anoxia, and even COVID encephalitis.
Other less pronounced effects can be Brain Fog. This can be noted in elements of forgetfulness, lack of concentration, feeling “fuzzy” or not sharp. Sort of like the feelings of either jetlag or having taken an antihistamine medication that has not worn off just yet.
The problem is that people have been experiencing these symptoms after having had a bout of COVID. For many, these symptoms last for prolonged periods of time.

The usual lab tests on these patients are all negative yet the patient continues to be sluggish.

If you think about the COVID infection as an insult to the bodily organs, inclusive of the brain, then Post-COVID Brain Fog would be akin to a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

QEEG testing has demonstrated variations in the patterns of these patients.
Luckily, the brain’s innate plasticity allows for the brain to heal itself.
Neurotherapy is a non-invasive m**hod of identifying and assisting the brain into a more balanced and healthier pattern where it can clear that fog.

Neurotherapy training is an option that does not require medication and is totally non-invasive.
The patient simply sits and watches television for about 30 minutes a few days a week.
It allows the brain to make whatever corrections are necessary to “tune up” the pathways.

To learn more and see if you’re a candidate for Neurotherapy, please contact our offices at:
(561) 315-9987 or drop an email to DDavidWeissMD561@gmail.com.

04/25/2022

Effects of Electroencephalogram Biofeedback on Emotion Regulation and Brain Homeostasis of Late Adolescents in the COVID-19 Pandemic
Wanju Park 1, Mina Cho 1, Shinjeong Park 2

Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of electroencephalogram (EEG) biofeedback training for emotion regulation and brain homeostasis on anxiety about COVID-19 infection, impulsivity, anger rumination, meta-mood, and self-regulation ability of late adolescents in the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic situation.
Methods: A non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design was used. The participants included 55 late adolescents in the experimental and control groups. The variables were evaluated using quantitative EEG at pre-post time points in the experimental group. The experimental groups received 10 sessions using the three-band protocol for five weeks. The collected data were analyzed using the Shapiro-Wilk test, Wilcoxon rank sum test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, t-test and paired t-test using the SAS 9.3 program. The collected EEG data used a frequency series power spectrum analysis m**hod through fast Fourier transform.
Results: Significant differences in emotion regulation between the two groups were observed in the anxiety about COVID-19 infection (W = 585.50, p = .002), mood repair of meta-mood (W = 889.50, p = .024), self-regulation ability (t = -5.02, p < .001), self-regulation mode (t = -4.74, p < .001), and volitional inhibition mode (t = -2.61, p = .012). Neurofeedback training for brain homeostasis was effected on enhanced sensory-motor rhythm (S = 177.00, p < .001) and inhibited theta (S = -166.00, p < .001).
Conclusion: The results demonstrate the potential of EEG biofeedback training as an independent nursing intervention that can markedly improve anxiety, mood-repair, and self-regulation ability for emotional distress during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Keywords: Adolescent; Anxiety; Biofeedback; COVID-19; Emotional Regulation.

04/22/2022

Neurotherapy for Addiction: Teaching the brain to auto-correct.

Neurotherapy For Addiction
Why, you might ask, would a client in addiction treatment be willing to sit with electrodes on their heads for 30-45 minutes twice a week while watching a movie and expect to benefit from it?
Sobriety and lack of cravings.
One of the benefits of Neurotherapy for recovering alcoholics and addicts is that it produces the similar effect of their drug of choice (to a lesser degree), without side effects and negative consequences.
What Is Neurotherapy?
Electroencephalography (EEG) is an electrophysiological monitoring m**hod to record electrical activity of the brain. Think: white plastic sensors attached to your head that have wires that are connected to a main computer. Due to the brain’s ability to change and adapt new patterns (called neuroplasticity) the brain can create new neural pathways that, with time, become sustainable. In active addiction, the pathways that are created reinforce drug use. In recovery, we are trying to “rewire” these pathways.
Neurotherapy for addiction uses qEEG biofeedback as a non-invasive means of training the brain to self-regulate. EEG sensors are attached to the scalp reading brainwave activity. The “feedback” is that the computer gives rewards to the brain when it produces specific brainwave activity. How does it work exactly?
Neurotherapy And The Addict’s Brain: How Does It Work?
What is really like to use Neurotherapy as an addiction therapy tool?
A person with addiction struggles with being over-aroused or under-aroused (and often fluctuates between both states).
1. If the person is over-aroused, they are in a state of:
• anxiety
• impulsivity
• reactivity
• generally uncomfortable in their own skin

Alcohol, benzodiazepines, and opiates will calm this state (albeit with often deadly consequences).
Alternatively, Neurotherapy can be used to reward the brain and nervous system for calming itself. The brain receives feedback, and a reward is given (such as seeing a spaceship fly on the screen or the sound of ocean waves). The brain then continues to seek the reward thereby training itself to calm and self-regulate. The result is the patient feels much calmer somewhat like what they have gotten from substances in the past.
2. On the flip side, if the brain is under-aroused, the person often struggles with:
• depression
• low energy
• a feeling of hopelessness
•
Drugs such as co***ne, m**h amphetamine, and other stimulants will make the person feel awake and alive (again with dire consequences). Programming Neurotherapy for a person experiencing these states helps encourage the brain to produce higher frequency brain waves that help:
• increase focus
• mood elevation
• increase motivation
• increase energy levels

Of Note: Each patient is individually assessed with a customized brain map. This lets us know which areas are most affected and allows for individual treatment plans. We then allow the brain to auto correct.

Neurotherapy Effects on Long Term Sobriety
With a series of training sessions, the patient can educate their brain and create pathways that will bring calmness and support sobriety.
They learn the keys to bringing their levels of consciousness back to a mindful state and alleviate the need for substance relapse and abuse.
Neurotherapy Treatment Rebalances The Entire System
Neurotherapy can have effects on the entire body. Its effects can range from improved sleep, to moderation of hypertension, to even a more stable heart rate.
It is effective in managing conditions such as migraines, PTSD, anxiety, depression, and many other challenges faced by each of us.
Neurotherapy Addiction Treatment Questions
If you have additional questions or believe that you may benefit from Neurotherapy, please contact us for an evaluation.

Info@psychiatricassociatesofwellington.com

04/21/2022

Why Clinicians Choose Neurofeedback For Their
Practices
The patient needs more help than medications and psychotherapy can offer.
Most experienced clinicians
are well aware of the
limitations of medications
and psychotherapy. But
what are their options?
Neurofeedback, also known
as neurotherapy is not
strange, and it’s not new.
Few clinicians are aware of
neurotherapy and how far it
has advanced. Once they
hear about it and start to
look into it further, they will
often say that it made sense
to offer it to their clients.
That’s true for even very
conservative professionals.
They just have to be willing
to jump in. Most clinicians
who adopt neurotherapy
already have 15 to 20 years
or more of experience. It’s
clearly not the young clinicians who pick it up first. It seems experienced clinicians are more acutely aware of the
limits of medications and psychotherapy
Clients are demanding an alternative to medications.
Doctors and parents are often concerned about the side effects and long-term consequences that
medications have on children. Parents and patients push for alternatives that work. When they learn about
neurotherapy, they’re often more open and interested initially than many clinicians.
It makes sense to self-regulate the brain.
Many
clinicians
claim that
the idea that
you can train
the brain and
improve selfregulation
through
neurotherapy
simply
makes sense.
So how does
a clinician
help the
client change
the brain?
Meditation,
yoga, or
deep
breathing
sometimes
help. But
many of the
problems
patients
bring need
supplemental
interventions. Neurotherapy helps an individual learn to regulate their brain by increasing certain activity and
decreasing other activity.
The neurophysiology is compelling.
Some clinicians are unconvinced or very cautious as they look into neurotherapy. However, once they
attend a very good course that makes the neurophysiology understandable, it can be an “a-ha” moment. (Note – this
isn’t simple stuff and it takes some effort to get it). When someone changes their EEG you are by definition
changing activation and timing patterns. These affect many pathways and feedback loops in the brain. When you
start to understand such mechanisms, neurotherapy becomes more compelling.
Symptoms improve quickly.
Seeing
someone experience a change rapidly that cannot be explained any other way never fails to amaze. The brain can
shift states very quickly. As an example, in many training courses we’ve observed, by the end of several days of
training, 80+% of attendees have noticed clear, significant changes in state. Changes influence sleep, mood,
alertness, or attention. For some clients, changes – often quite unexpected changes – occur in minutes. Experienced
clinicians quickly note these unexpected changes cannot be placebo, and can only be explained by the training.
NOTE: Ten or more training sessions, depending on the severity of the client’s condition, are needed before any
short-term transitory changes can be expected to hold.
The
research is impressive.
Though the “lack of research” or its limitations are often cited, that’s usually from people who haven’t read much of
it. When clinicians read enough of the research and look at some outcome studies, particularly with ADD,
depression anxiety, and addictions, it’s very hard to dismiss. Neurofeedback is evidence-based. The size of the
clinical effect is impressive, compared, for example, to the minimal effects you see in many studies on medications.
Other clinicians recommend neurotherapy.
Clinicians will often look into neurotherapy after hearing another clinician talk about its success and
impact. Providers who are experienced in neurofeedback can offer some excellent clinical insights.
Family, friend, or patient who has experienced neurotherapy recommend it.
Many clinicians enter this field because
someone they have personally met has
experienced a success that was simply
too life-changing to dismiss. It could be
chronic depression that’s no longer
chronic. Or perhaps a very out-ofcontrol
child who has settled down and
is making great grades. But what’s
especially compelling about
neurotherapy successes is that the
changes tend to sustain over time. How
many alternative treatments see
changes sustain two, four, or five years
later?
Copy adapted from and used with
permission by
www.aboutneuroffedback.com