How does neurofeedback work

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. As you read the "How does neurofeedback work section" below, if you click on every underlined link, you'll get to all the 5 sections listed here

1) How it works, Step 1 thru Step 4. describes a step by step example session.
2) 10-20 head chart. Example of where to place electrodes.
3) Electrodes. What are electrodes, how are they put on.
4) When you see the EEG change, is the brain actually changing?
5) Examples of EEG changes before and after migraine ,

How does neurofeedback work? (an example)

Step 1.
Connect a special EEG amplifier and sensors to a computer.

Then put the electrodes on the head. The EEG amplifier reads the EEG from the electrodes that are put on the scalp (click here for pictures) .

The electrodes detect the client’s brainwave activity. The amplifier picks up this information and converts it into a signal the computer can understand. Every brain produces this tiny electrical (or electro-chemical) activity (EEG). It's in millionths of a volt (microvolts). Anywhere on the head you place an electrode, EEG activity exits.

The electrodes are placed on the head where it reads the brainwave activity and sends that information to the computer.

It's the patient's brain that controls the process. The computer acts as a high tech mirror, giving instant feedback about the brain.

STEP 2:
The computer needs special software that works with the EEG amplifier.

The software takes the brain's electrical signals and converts it into data the computer can handle. The special software takes data from amplifier and converts it into a display. The display could show many things - or bars (spectral activity), graphs, games.

Programs are designed to provide feedback (visual or auditory). For example, it may beep when the client is making more (or less) EEG amplitude in the targeted frequency bands. You won't get beeps when there is too much or little of specific brain activity (oversimplified and just one possible example).

The path is:

Electrodes —> Connected to the head and to the EEG amplifier —> Connected to computer —> Running software to interpret the signals

Here's an example of how a computer might display the EEG.

EEG alpha theta beta

What is the eeg or brainwaves? What does it represent? In simple terms, it's a physiological measure that represents changes in EEG activity. Particularly frequencies represent our state - sleepy, alert, agitated. For more click here. For more on what does it mean if brainwaves change (more technical, click here.

Click for STEP 3 We'll show you in more detail the therapist screen and the game screen.

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