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How is Neurofeedback Different From Biofeedback?

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At INDY Neurofeedback, a frequently asked question is, “What is neurofeedback?” And secondly, “Is this the same as biofeedback?”

“As the owner of INDY Neurofeedback, my answer is that biofeedback is the general category — a method of gaining information by monitoring skin temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, brainwaves and other body conditions. Biofeedback has been used for years to help promote control over involuntary bodily processes like breathing and stress levels. The idea is to employ some type of sensors to give information about what is going on in the body. Neurofeedback, aka EEG biofeedback, is essentially, a specific form of biofeedback and there are differences.”

With neurofeedback, we provide information about specific brainwave activity.

What We Are Looking For

Ideally, our brain waves work together to provide a smooth or regulated (harmonious) brain function. Or, there can be dysregulation, when one or several parts of our brains are not operating at peak performance.

Like a car can be hooked up to computer to determine why the check engine light is on, brain mapping provides the same type of information about our brains. And, since we can map  the brain through a Quantitative EEG (QEEG), INDY Neurofeedback can provide specifics on how your brain is not working optimally and, most importantly, what can be done to improve it.

Using the results from the QEEG, INDY Neurofeedback staff can work with clients to help fine tune a specific brain area (and corresponding waves), just as  with a car’s engine.

How do you know if neurofeedback can help with your issue?

Neurofeedback is used to improve brainwave activity.  It is particularly useful when dealing with a variety of neurological conditions.  Neurofeedback is commonly used in cases of epilepsy, sleep disorders, anxiety, stress, ADHD and traumatic brain injuries. You can think of neurofeedback as a type of exercise program for the brain used to teach the brain how to function optimally. The goal is to bring the client’s brainwaves into balance alleviating problematic symptoms and giving clients long-term benefits.

Once the cause of the symptom is determined, there is a wide variety of methods that can be selected based on what is the best for our client’s age, special needs and/or neurological issues.  At INDY Neurofeedback, we recognize our body’s systems work together as a whole.   We incorporate both biofeedback and neurofeedback to provide our client’s with comprehensive care.

If you want to talk over something that has you concerned, we are happy to help. Your first consultation is free and completely confidential.

Neurons, The Amazing Building Blocks Of Our Brains

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“The human brain is nothing short of amazing,” says Leanne O’Neil, owner of INDY Neurofeedback. “From speaking, pattern recognition, reading, thinking ahead, and memorizing – to breathing, walking, digesting, and organ function — all begin with the fundamental unit of the brain, the nerve cell or neuron. It really is fascinating.”

brain mapping and neuronsThe human brain contains an estimated 90 billion neurons, each one a different size and shape. Interestingly, just one neuron can reach from one side of the brain to the other. But no matter the length or shape, each neuron links to hundreds upon hundreds of others in an amazingly complicated network.

Some of these chains of neurons send information to the brain from the body’s extremities, registering foot placement while walking or balance while climbing stairs, for instance. Others send information from the brain to the body, signaling the need to sleep, the sense of being full, or sending a complicated series of exercise instructions to the appropriate muscles of the body. Still other neuron chains share data among themselves to construct subconscious or conscious thoughts, store memories, and acknowledge emotions.

“Even the network of neurons in and of itself forges trillions of connections throughout the brain and body,” adds O’Neil. “That makes the human brain – as far as we know — the most complicated organ on the earth.”

Scientists hope to be able to map out the entire brain with all its connections. This knowledge will help us to more completely understand the distinct areas of the brain containing cells with similar structure, function and connectivity, and how and why they are connected to other areas.

We are well underway in this brain mapping process. Neuroscientists have already charted an equivalent map of the brain’s outermost layer, called the cerebral cortex. They have been able to subdivide each hemisphere’s folds into 180 separate parcels. Some ninety-seven of these areas have never previously been described, despite showing clear differences in structure, function and connectivity from their neuron neighbors.

“The brain mapping we do at INDY Neurofeedback is different, but just as fascinating,” says O’Neil. “It relies on information from a Quantitative EEG. Our software performs thousands of statistical calculations correlating the functions of brain location with the functions of each dimension of each component band. The software then takes these calculations and correlates them with the 50k normal and abnormal brain maps in the database. The items chosen for analysis are derived from functional MRI research and traditional neurological texts. It is amazing how much we can know about areas of the brain.”

If you have a question or a concern about brain function, let’s talk, neurons to neurons!

You Really Aren’t Losing Neurons As You Age

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You may be chalking up those small moments of occasional forgetfulness to getting older. That’s because for years we’ve been hearing that the older we get, the more brain cells or neurons, we lose.

But according to Christopher Jarrett, author of Great Myths of the Brain (2014), that is a common myth and just not true. Jarrett points to mid-twentieth century studies, which suggested that adults lose approximately one percent of their brain cells every year throughout adulthood. Alarmingly, this meant that older adults would lose between 35% and 55% of their total brain neurons depending on how long they lived.

More thorough recent studies, however, found that many early theories about the brain came from animal studies and ‘best guess’ theories. Now that we can actually see into the brain with 3-D imaging and other techniques, research is much more accurate.

We now know that while aging brains do get a little smaller, they retain most of their neurons, which just become more densely packed, according to Jarrett.

Here’s what is true about aging and your brain:

  • Ageing naturally leads to the attrition of between 2% and 4% of the 100 billion neurons each of us has.
  • Any memory decline (or other natural – rather than injury-based –aging mental disability) appears to be related to just where those few lost neurons were located.
  • It is the density of neurons in your brain that matters.

“That’s why everything you do to keep your brain challenged, nourished, exercised and rested is so important,” says Leanne O’Neil of INDY Neurofeedback. “Taking excellent care of your brain will increase your brain density, which will help ensure that your brain and memory will keep working well for you right into your 80s, 90s and beyond.”

INDY Neurofeedback can help keep your brain in optimal working order with peak performance training. We can assess your current brain functioning with a non-invasive brain mapping and provide neurofeedback to support your specific needs. We also provide Cognitive Performance Testing that you perform in the privacy of your home at the times that best suit you. We look forward to working with you at our neurofeedback center.