Neurofeedback for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Neurofeedback measures
brain activity and feeds the information back via computer,
stimulating the brain to regulate itself more effectively.
It has a research-proven record of helping a range of symptoms of TBI including:
- Physical - headaches, sleep disturbance, fatigue, nausea, seizures;
- Emotional - depression, anxiety or agitation, anger or
explosiveness, and mood swings;
- Cognitive - attention problems, memory problems, confusion.
Forms of Neurofeedback
- Low Energy Neurofeedback System (LENS)
- based on EEG or Electroencephalography
- Hemoencephalography
- most commonly used to train activity
in the Prefrontal Cortex, a key brain region in executive functions such as attention,
purposive behaviour, working memory, decision-making and emotional regulation.
What's The Evidence?
Neurotherapy for Brain Injury Study
This study tested the efficacy of the Flexyx Neurotherapy System
(an early version of LENS) in the treatment of traumatic brain injury,
and concluded it 'appears to be a promising new therapy for TBI'.
HEG Neurofeedback for Traumatic Brain Injury
This presentation summarises research which used brain mapping and neuropsychological testing
to demonstrate the benefits of Hemoencephalography neurofeedback with TBI patients. The trainees also
experienced significant reduction in headache.
Neurofeedback for Head Injury Research Summary
This listing of research papers is from EEG Info, a neurofeedback training organisation.
About TBI
Every year more than a million people in the UK attend
A&E with head injury. Many experience long-term effects which vary from
mild to severe.
What Happens in a Traumatic Brain Injury?
A blow to the head causes the brain to be bounced, squashed and
twisted inside the skull, which has many sharp ridges on its inner
surface. This results in straining and shearing forces on both nerve
fibres and blood vessels. The initial damage can be compounded by
complications such as hypoxia (oxygen starvation), bleeding, and
inflammation causing the brain to swell.
Damage can be focal (localised) or diffuse. Structural brain
imaging methods such as MRI often don't reveal this kind of damage,
but functional methods such as fMRI and EEG (which show how the
brain is operating) can fare better.
TBI typically manifests in the EEG as high amplitudes in the
delta and theta bands - read more about EEG here.
LENS treatment typically reduces these amplitudes.
TBI Links
Headway - the Brain Injury Associaton:
A UK charity supporting people affected by brain injury.
FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION
An opportunity to
meet the therapist -
up to 30 mins
Find out how
neurofeedback
could help you
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