The Relation Between Memory Improvement and QEEG Changes in Three Clinical Groups as a Result of EEG Biofeedback Treatment

Auteurs-es

  • Kirtley E. Thornton
  • Dennis P. Carmody

DOI :

https://doi.org/10.1080/10874208.2013.785183

Résumé

It is important to understand the relation between changes in the quantitative EEG (QEEG) variables and memory changes as a result of the EEG biofeedback treatment.With this goal in mind, the senior author reviewed his clinical files from the last 5 years and examined the QEEG data addressing relative power and coherence changes and memory (auditory and reading) improvements. The groups involved included (a) normal individuals wanting to improve their cognitive functioning, (b) traumatic brain injured (TBI) subjects, and (c) þ (d) subjects who can best be classified as having a specific learning disability (SLD). The SLD group was divided between those who are (c) older than 14 (adults) and those who are (d) younger than 14 (children) in order to reference the appropriate age-related normative group values. The analysis revealed
significant improvements in auditory and reading memory across all groups as well as changes on the QEEG variables. All of the groups were performing above the normative reference group on measures of auditory and reading memory in terms of percentage differences (24–97%) and standard deviations (þ1.28–1.85). The average auditory memory SD improvement was þ1.52, whereas the average percentage change was 82%. For the reading task the average memory standard deviation improvement was 1.38, whereas the percentage improvement was 154%. The experimental group was performing 1.66 SD (68%) above the control group on auditory memory and .90 SD (52%) above the control group on reading memory measures. For the QEEG variables, the average raw value of the Spectral Correlation Coefficient (SCC) change for alpha was 6.1 points (2.09 SD), for SCC beta1 (13–32Hz) 6.53 points (1.81 SD), and for beta2 (32–64Hz) 7.5 points (1.77 SD). The changes on the relative power measures were less dramatic, albeit significant. These results underlie the importance of addressing the SCC
values in EEG biofeedback treatment protocols.

Téléchargements

Publié-e

2016-08-23

Numéro

Vol. 17 No. 2 (2013)

Rubrique

SCIENTIFIC FEATURES

Licence

© International Society for Neurofeedback and Research (ISNR), all rights reserved. This article (the “Article”) may be accessed online from ISNR at no charge. The Article may be viewed online, stored in electronic or physical form, or archived for research, teaching, and private study purposes. The Article may be archived in public libraries or university libraries at the direction of said public library or university library. Any other reproduction of the Article for redistribution, sale, resale, loan, sublicensing, systematic supply, or other distribution, including both physical and electronic reproduction for such purposes, is expressly forbidden. Preparing or reproducing derivative works of this article is expressly forbidden. ISNR makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any content in the Article.  From 1995 to 2013 the Journal of Neurotherapy was the official publication of ISNR (www. Isnr.org); on April 27, 2016 ISNR acquired the journal from Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. In 2014, ISNR established its official open-access journal NeuroRegulation (ISSN: 2373-0587; www.neuroregulation.org).