Ever wonder what is going on inside your brain?
There is a way to discover that answer.
QEEG.
Heart Matters offers one of the most comprehensive QEEG assessments available in Colorado, using top of the line Deymed EEG acquisition hardware. We begin our assessments with the world’s leading Applied Neuroscience NeuroGuide software and database. This software has the most advanced swLORETA viewer made, the NeuroNavigator, which sees the electrical activity of brain structures in 1 mm cubes.
This is where your neurofeedback journey begins.
QEEG stands for quantitative electroencephalogram and it is different from a “clinical EEG” (also called a “qualitative EEG”), which is used in medical diagnosis to evaluate epilepsy or to determine if there is serious brain pathology, such as a tumor. The QEEG assessments we conduct are not intended to diagnose medical issues. Our QEEGs evaluate the manner in which a client’s brain functions from an efficiency standpoint, and serves a critical role in guiding the neurotherapy treatment.
The statistical analysis preformed on the data allows us to know, in many cases with a 95% degree of accuracy, if and where someone has functional brain dysregulation, which is often experienced as physical or mental health symptoms. The technology used by Heart Matters allows for the assessment and treatment of individuals with traumatic brain injuries, seizures and strokes, along with other more complex psychological, cognitive, and mental health disorders.
After a client completes their initial QEEG recording in our office, they schedule a consultation with our neurofeedback experts to go over their results.
Clients are often greatly encouraged when they see what their brain shows. Undesirable symptoms that frequently leave people feeling “broken” or “stuck” show their neurological roots, and the knowledge that these inefficiencies can be trained to normalize brings great hope.
It is from the QEEG, as well as client feedback, that highly individualized training protocols for the a client’s brain are created. This is the “work” of neurofeedback, the twice weekly training sessions that are usually conducted while relaxing and watching a movie. During that time, our state-of-the-art software provides the auditory and visual feedback the brain needs to learn a healthier way of functioning.
QEEG
Metrics
Heart Matters specializes in a particular type of treatment called swLORETA Z-Score Neurofeedback. This type of neurofeedback is a part of the NeuroGuide software, which is the gold standard for QEEG assessment and Z-Score neurofeedback training. NeuroGuide provides amazingly accurate and detailed assessments that allow for objective progress tracking on a neurological level, in addition to a client’s self-reports of change.
Some of these metrics focus on the electrical outputs (Absolute Power) in each brain structure. Some are mapping networks in the brain and how well each cortical structure communicates with other cortical structures (Phase and Coherence). Phase is a metric that determines the timing of communication between two structures in the brain- the energy from one part of the brain arriving at the right moment to perform a task. Coherence determines the clarity of that communication.
Instead of educated guesswork on what protocols will best deal with a client’s concerns, Z-Score Neurofeedback provides a comparison between the client’s brain and a normative database of brain maps from people reporting no mental health symptoms. Specially designed protocols train the brain towards the “norm”, most often resulting in symptom alleviation or elimination.
These metrics can be reflected on charts like the ones below. The deeper the color in red or blue, the further that region of the brain is away from the norm, meaning greater dysregulation. As a client trains, these metrics shift, and the goal is to see as much white in the charts as possible, indicating brain functioning that has regulated and is no longer clinically significant.
Below is an example of an optimized brain
The following pictures show metrics of a former Heart Matters client’s brain that has been trained toward optimal functioning with swLORETA neurofeedback. They represent neurological changes in subsequent QEEGs over the course of the client’s training. The first set of photos shows change in Current Density, the following set in Coherence, and the last set reflects changes in Phase. These are just a few of the metrics tracked.
