What is brainmapping?

Brain mapping is a complex digital electronic EEG (electroencephalogram) data collection and analysis process that is, along with goals and history, an essential part of developing treatment protocol that is specifically designed for the neurological needs of the individual. 

After the EEG data is collected, a brain map report is prepared. A brain map report consists of a series of the pictures and graphs from the analysis of a computerized EEG (Electroencephalogram) assessment. The EEG signals are usually monitored for a period of 3 minutes.  Many practitioners collect data in one state only or perhaps two; eyes closed, and eyes open or watching a video.  A state refers to what the person is doing.  Most QEEG processing software, the formal name for the brain=mapping program compare results in one (eyes closed) or two (eyes closed and eyes open) states.  I collect data in several states.  This gives me much more information about how your brain is functioning under various conditions. 

Very few people come to my office asking to function better with their eyes open doing nothing or with their eyes closed or even watching a video.  Most people come to see me because they want to function more effectively in demanding states as learning, remembering, reading, doing math, processing social information, interacting with others, and so on. Therefore, I collect data during many different states, including:

1. Eyes closed, relaxed

2. Eyes open, looking at a fixed spot

3. Reading, which involves processing visual, language based information

4. Listening to someone read to you which checks for auditory attention  

    and auditory processing with little demand on the visual system

5. Doing math

6. Watching a silent video that is designed to assess social competence

The reason for the different test conditions is that the results allow us to analyze how the brain performs with increasing and varied demands.  This is important for all disorders.

When we analyze this data we are looking at a number of EEG factors.  We look at the size of the brain waves and the coordination across the brain, called Comodulation. 

What does the size of brain waves tell us?    If brain waves are too large it is an indication of insufficient engagement in that area; kind of a sleepy brain or sleepy locations.  This can also be related to what is called a lack of cortical controls.  This happens in people with impulsivity and other behavior problems as well as in people with problems with executive functions.  Someone with hyperactivity can actually have this kind of brain and, in fact, most people with ADHD or ADD symptoms have large brain waves in certain locations particularly in the front of the brain. 

The front of the brain or the frontal lobe is a very important part of the brain.  It is like the cockpit in an airplane or the conductor in an orchestra.  It runs the show.  If the brain waves are too large in the frontal lobe there can be problems regulating mood, impulsivity, switching from one state to another or one task to another, getting started with tasks or doing tasks independently.  There may be problems with memory especially working memory, planning and organizing, organizing materials, completing tasks and with the individual monitoring their own state, knowing if you are behaving appropriately, or doing a task correctly.  They may have temper tantrums or explosive behavior.  These are all considered "executive functions".  The issues here are control, planning, and cause and effect thinking.

Large brain waves along the midline of the brain can be related to anxiety, compulsive behaviors, obsessive thoughts or irritability. 

Large brain waves in the middle of the brain in the area going across the top from ear to ear can impair attention and be related to problems with hyperactivity.  There may be problems with coordination or sensory integration, with sensory seeking or ultra physical sensitivity.  If these brain waves are large on the left they may be related to problems related to language, speech or reading.  If they are on the right they may be an indication of anxiety. 

Many functions related to vision are located in the posterior regions, the back of the brain.  Large brain waves, or asymmetrical brain waves, that is brain waves that are larger on one side of the back of the brain than the other can be an indication of vision problems.

Large brain waves throughout the brain can be related to developmental delays, autism, depression or slow processing. 

You can see that the size of brain waves in particular locations can tell us a lot about the functioning of the brain. It is important to know in what locations the brain is having trouble "turning on" or "getting into gear" so we can teach these locations to be more effective.

Brain waves can also be too small which means that area is overactive.  If this occurs in the front part of the brain this may be related to anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or sleep problems.  In these cases we train the brain to make these brain waves to be larger.

Interestingly, there is a location in the back right hand side of the brain that is thought to be related to processing social cues, reading facial expressions for instance.  When brain waves are too large in that location the person tends to have difficulty in social situations, something we call social competence.  When the brain waves are too small in that location the person may be over reading social cues, that is, reading things into people's facial expressions.  This leads to anxiety and oversensitivity to rejection.

As you can see, anxiety can show up in a lot of different.  Everyone's brain is different so anxiety in me might be coming from a different location in the brain than anxiety in you or your loved one.  It could also come from small brain waves in one location or large in another location.  This is why a brain map is so important in determining training protocol.

Even more important than size of brain wave is the measure of coordination across the brain called comodulation.  Comodulation maps indicate which locations are working well, or comodulating, with each other and which locations are not working well enough with each other, called hypo-comodulation.  Alternately, some locations may be doing too much of the same thing, telling us that there is not sufficient differentiation between locations.  This is called Hyper-comodulation.  Both of these situations are abnormal. The pattern of comodulation is an important factor we take into consideration when treatment protocol is developed.  It helps us decide which sites to treat simultaneously in a way that will either increase or decrease their coordination with one another.