Quantitative Electroencephalography (QEEG) or Brain Mapping is a way to measure activity in your brain.
Your brain is a complex and specialised organ. Brain cells are organised into neural networks with different tasks. They communicate with each other by firing electrons, which creates electrical activity, or brain waves. Brain waves are divided into five types based on their frequency, with each type corresponding to a specific brain state.
During a QEEG assessment, sensors on your scalp measure this activity and convert it into a map of activity in your brain.
Every QEEG assessment is performed while the brain is at rest. We compare results for your brain, in detail, with a large database of results from healthy normal individuals of your age. We may identify high or low levels of activity at a particular brain location. Or we may find that the brainwaves at a location are of an unexpected frequency.
Research has identified that certain imbalances in brain waves are associated with specific psychiatric conditions. For example, slower brain waves in the left frontal region are associated with depression.
Your QEEG results allow a practitioner to create a neurofeedback treatment plan which will retrain your brain to achieve more normal brainwave patterns. This has proven highly effective in conditions including ADHD, depression, anxiety and PTSD.
QEEG techniques have more recently been adopted for the diagnosis of brain injury. MRI and CT scans for patients with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) or Post-Concussion Syndrome do not show abnormalities, but QEEG results for the same patients do.
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QEEG has also shown abnormal connectivity patterns in cases of Autism Spectrum Disorder.
In all these scenarios, the QEEG results provide base information for personalised neurofeedback treatment. With detailed information about how different areas of the brain are performing, your practitioner can target treatment where it will give the best results.
At ZenWaves we routinely use QEEG assessment to inform neurofeedback plans and training.
Dr Vivek Sharma is a QEEG Diplomate, certified by the International QEEG Certification Board. He has analysed thousands of QEEGs and has a sound understanding of different brain profiles and how they can be targeted using neurofeedback. His book “Neurofeedback Secrets’ describes different QEEG profiles and how they can be harnessed for neurofeedback and medication prescribing (PharmacoEEG).
