Brain Mapping or QEEG (Quantitative Electroencephalogram) is a procedure that records neural activities of the brain from at least 19 locations on the scalp. Very similar to the Electrocadiogram or EEG which measures activities of the heart at the surface of the chest, QEEG measures activities of neurons or brain cells at the surface of the scalp simultaneously from at least 19 locations.
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Brain Mapping QEEG is Safe and non-invasive:
Like neurofeedback, QEEG is a safe and non-invasive assessment. Sensors are first placed on the surface of a person's scalp. Then, EEG activity is measured under different states and tasks that a person frequently encounters, such as eyes closed, eyes open, reading, writing, listening, doing arithmetic and etc. We only measure what the brain sends out, nothing is discharged into the brain.A Brain Imaging Technique
The QEEG assessment can be considered as a brain imaging technique. It tells us what the brain is doing. Our brain is so well protected by the skull such that we cannot see or feel what the brain is doing. A QEEG assessment will provide an invaluable picture of the state of our brain and how we are utilizing it. From the QEEG, we can assess:- How one is regulating sensory information
- Areas that are over-active
- Areas that are fatigue or exhausted
- Areas that shut-down while on task
- Which regions of the brain are utilized for a task
- How each brain regions are working together ... And more
At Spectrum Learning, we routinely do a QEEG assessment for our clients. With this information, we can then design a specific brain exercise program using neurofeedback. This leads to a more effective brain exercise. For example, those regions that are exhausted, we can train for recovery. For those areas that are weak, we can train to increase the neural activities. This tends to produce faster results.
Number of electrodes
Studies showed that a minimum of nineteen locations is needed for a reasonably accurate assessment of brain function. Many are using six electrodes or sixteen electrodes QEEG. At Spectrum Learning, we use nineteen electrode locations or thirty-two electrode locations. We are planning to increase our capability to the seventy-one electrodes. This will provide an elaborate map of the brain activities.Spectral Charts
We present our QEEG analysis using spectral charts where we can see the entire EEG spectrum. Other centers present their QEEG using topograhic charts. In topographic charts, the EEGs are banded into groups and averaged. This procedure results in lost of information. For example, from the spectral charts, we can see if the Alpha peaks are aligned and what the peak frequency is. This is not possible with a topographic chart.Multiple Tasks
Almost all other center that provide QEEG do only eyes open and eyes close task. Some may include a reading task. Most of them will only look at the eyes opena dn eyes closed QEEG and attempt to derive neurofeedback protocols from there. We find that this is flawed.In our QEEG, other than eyes open and eyes close, we analyze the brain activities while the subject is doing a variety of tasks such as reading, recall, arithmetic, visual-spatial task, problem solving, music and etc. The type of tasks that we include depends on the needs of our clients. For those with mobility problems, we will include tasks which will allow us to assess the brain activities related to the problem. This multi-task approach allows us to better understand how one is utllizing his/her brain.
