Monthly summary of general news, case histories,
and introductory articles about neurofeedback
for the interested layperson
Vol. 6 No. 7 - July 2003
Past issues are available at start.eegspectrum.com/News/
Copyright (C) 2001 by EEG Spectrum International. All rights reserved.
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All links at: http://news.yahoo.com/fc?tmpl=fc&cid=34&in=science&cat=brain_research
In the past (February 2001 of this newsletter), I've written about how I found slower sleep spindles in two autistic individuals (out of only two tested) plus a past report also showing slow spindle bursts. Having an autistic child increasing the likelihood of having another 10- to 20-fold, so I tested both of my younger sons and found their sleep spindles to be normal (the most recent is pictured, left). Normal sleep spindles are from 12 to 15 Hz; abnormal ones are slower (say, peaking at 10.5 Hz). Although it's not yet certain whether slower sleep spindles indicate autism, they probably do indicate motor system immaturity or some lack of integrity in the various sleep processes, so it should be useful for many conditions. And it has three advantages -- simplicity, early detection, and simplicity! Well, sounds like two but you can never be too simple. (As Einstein said, Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler.) This is not simpler. We can test gross motor function before an infant can roll over. The mechanisms underlying sleep spindle appears to mature rapidly, attaining adult levels by 3 months. In comparison, the alpha rhythm, an electrophysiological measure of sensory processing, takes another decade to reach such heights.
The three advantages (over existent and currently non-existent evaluative techniques):
1. A single-channel EEG system can perform sleep spindle evaluations.
2. An infant can be checked as early as 3 months of age.
3. Sleep spindles are not subtle. They are hard to miss. Quick and distinct bursts. They become the dominant frequency for a sec or two; then that slower nonsense seeps back into the record.
And one good corollary of #2: Perfect sleep subjects! Sleep is the primary function of infants as far as I can tell. Sleep mixed with noise and smell. If an infant isn't asleep when the electrodes go on, wait a minute or three.
And if you cannot capture the raw data or spectral output like I have in figure 1 above, you can analyze sleep spindle frequencies by simply adjusting filters to adjacent bands, 9-12 Hz, 10-13 Hz, 11-14 Hz, and 12-15 Hz and note the magnitude of each filter's output. As you see from my example, my 4 month old son shows maximal amplitude in the 12-15 Hz band -- completely normal, except for that noise and smell... (The two autistic children I mentioned earlier showed maximal amplitude at 9-12 Hz and 10-13 Hz, respectively.)
Simon Baron-Cohen has accumulated a healthy list of theory of mind (TOM) tests, ordered by severity (failing earlier tests indicates generally more severe TOM deficits) which can be used to evaluate the presence of autistic spectral behaviors in (generally older) children:
I must have a neurologist's bent because I prefer very simple diagnostic tests over complex ones, the simpler the better, as long as they reasonably differentiate. The famed Russian neurologist Luria tested motor function in patients using a solitaire version of Rock-Paper-Scissors -- make a fist, then place your palm flat on a surface, now the edge of the hand. Repeat quickly. In seconds he has delved deeply into his patient's motor (and attentional/cognitive) condition.
The EEG sleep spindle assessment is complex, I grant you, but I cannot get my 4 month old to play Rock-Paper-Scissors... not that this would reveal autistic brain organization. The EEG measure might not either, but it does look at gross motor organization, and may indicate autism or a variant. (I'm currently of the opinion that autism is fundamentally a failure of the motor system to mature. The reward systems involved in motoric maturation inhibit development of typical sensory, and thus linguistic/social, processing, perhaps.)
Most of the TOM tests require some verbal ability, but not all. We tried a gaze-direction test on my 4 month old and it worked fine. When an infant is focused on you, turn your head to the left and stare. Does s/he eventually turn to look in that direction as well? Now counterbalance the test and turn to the right. Does s/he eventually follow your look again? If so, the infant realizes how the eyes are a communication device (or the head to be scientifically correct at this level of riger -- but that is a start).
Here is a subset of evaluative tests for TOM deficits:
For more info, see www.autism.net/html/baron-cohen.html
-DK
News & Reviews
NEW BOOKS
Attention, Genes and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
by Florence Levy, DA Hay
Reviews behavior genetic and molecular genetic advances in ADHD, including twin studies, diagnostic approaches, family and genetic influences on speech and language, and comorbidities.
Clinical and Neuropsychological Aspects of Closed Head Injury
by John T. E. Richardson
Reviews the epidemiology, causes, and structural neuropathology of closed head injury and its impact on cognitive function.
Psychiatric Management in Neurological Disease
by Edward C. Lauterbach
Psychiatric management of neurological conditions.
Psychiatric Management in Neurological Disease
by Edward C. Lauterbach
Psychiatric management of neurological conditions.
Addictions & Substance Abuse: Strategies for Advanced Practice Nursing
by Madeline Naegle
Describes strategies for identification, assessment, and management of dependency problems; includes study questions and case histories.
ADHD in the Schools, Second Edition: Assessment and Intervention Strategies
by George DuPaul, Gary Stoner
Contains information for creating a standard for working with students with ADHD in the school setting.
Pediatric Brain Injury: A Practical Resource
by Carole Wedel Sellars, David Wedel Guard
Practical guide for treating brain injury in children.
Working With Groups to Overcome Panic, Anxiety, and Phobias
by Carol Goldman, Shirley Babior
Written for therapists: state-of- the-art treatment strategies and action-oriented client activities for a variety of anxiety disorders.
Philosophical Foundations of Neuroscience
by MR Bennett, PHacker
Implicatons of state of the art neuroscience research.
Measuring Treatment Progress: An Outcome Study Guide
by Patricia L. Owen
Step-by-step guide for treatment providers interested in designing and conducting outcome studies for their programs.
Children With Traumatic Brain Injury: A Parent's Guide
by Lisa Schoenbrodt
Comprehensive resource for families and professionals working with children who have sustained a traumatic brain injury. Discusses coping and adjustment, effects on cognition, speech, and language, educational needs, and legal concerns.
Transcending Trauma
by Ruth Morris, Ruth Bradley
A personal response to trauma.
Cognitive Neuroscience: Essential Readings
by Marie Banich, Neil Cohen
Introduction to this multi-disciplinary field that draws from neuropsychology, cognitive science, neurophysiology, and computer science.
Addiction and Change: How Addictions Develop and Addicted People Recover
by Carlo DiClemente
Tracking the course of addiction and recovery.
All-in-One Guide to ADD & Hyperactivity
by Dr. Elvis Ali (Editor)
Argues how ADD/ADHD is a complex condition that can't be reduced to a single point of origin - includes alternative approaches to treatment from neurofeedback to acupressure.
The Encyclopedia of Sleep and Sleep Disorders, 2nd Edition
by Michael J. Thorpy, Jan Yager
Encyclopedia with 800+ terms related to sleep and sleep disorders, with introductory essays on the history of sleep and its relationship to psychology.
Treatment-Resistant Mood Disorders
by Jay D. Amsterdam, Mady Hornig, Andrew A. Nierenberg
The clinical problem of treatment-resistant mood disorders, followed by discussion of the biological basis, including psychoneuroendocrine aspects, role of estrogen for women, sleep abnormalities, brain imaging, and immunologic factors.
Handbook of Cognitive Neuropsychology: What Deficits Reveal About the Human Mind
by Brenda Rapp
Reviews cognitive domains that have benefited from the study of deficits, including language, memory, attention, and various cognition.
New Medications for Drug Abuse (Annals of NY Academy of Sci)
by Stanley D. Glick, Isabelle M. Maisonneuve
Proceedings of a conference: includes new treatments for stimulant and opioid addiction, neurobiological mechanisms of drug dependence, and development of treatments for alcoholism and smoking.
Adult AD/HD: A Reader-Friendly Guide to ...Adult ADHD
by Michele Novotni, Thomas A. Whiteman
Easy-to- read format, highlighted summaries, and true stories to illustrate information about adult ADHD.
Epilepsy and the Family: A New Guide
by Richard Lechtenberg
Updated guide addresses personal questions patients with epilepsy may hesitate to ask their doctors (e.g. about sexuality, depression); treatment options, and other concerns.
Bipolar Disorders: A Guide to Helping Children & Adolescents
by Mitzi Waltz
Layperson guide for parents of children with bipolar disorders, explaining diagnosis and common misdiagnoses, medications and responses, therapeutic interventions, and alternative therapies.
Clinical Neuropsychology
by Kenneth Heilman, Edward Valenstein
A definitive text on all major neurobehavioral disorders of adults, including aphasia, alexia, agraphia, agnosia, apraxia, amnesic disorders, dementia, and others. A required reference.
The Addiction-Prone Personality
by Gordon E. Barnes
Investigates to what extent there is a causal link between personality traits and the development of alcohol abuse using longitudinal study.
ARTICLES
Sustained performance and regulation of effort in hyperactive children.
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Deficits in sustained performance problems among ADHD children appear when long interstimulus intervals are used, possibly reflecting poor regulation of effort.
Functional status, neuropsychological functioning, and mood in CFS
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Individuals with CFS suffer from profound physical impairment. Also, one's psychiatric history should be considered when attempting to understand factors maintaining CFS.
Mixed lateral preference and parental left-handedness: risk for PTSD?
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118 right-handed male combat veterans were evaluated on PTSD. Right-handed participants with mixed lateral preference and those with a left-handed parent were more likely to have PTSD.
Ecological validity of neurofeedback: modulation of slow wave EEG enhances musical performance.
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An alpha/theta training group displayed musical performance enhancement not found with other neurofeedback training protocols or in alternative interventions, including the widely applied Alexander technique.
Neurodevelopmental liabilities of substance abuse.
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Even elevated levels of estrogens and corticosteroids in the pregnant mother can act as neuroteratogens.
ERPs of methylphenidate in children with and without ADHD.
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P300a amplitudes are lower in non-medicated ADHD patients than in healthy children during a continuous performance task; but not for methylphenidate-treated hyperactive children.
Longitudinal study of cognitive dysfunction in multiple sclerosis
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Mild cognitive impairment in MS patients is consistent with slowing information processing over time. Cognitive dysfunction appears to be related to disease peculiarity and not time course.
Individual differences on neural circuitry underlying sadness.
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Individual differences may be responsible for inconsistent research findings in affective neuroscience.
Metabolic changes after rTMS of the left prefrontal cortex: a sham-control
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Rapid transcranial magnetic stimulation may act via stimulation of glutamatergic prefrontal neurons.
Childhood ADHD and alcohol dependence: 1-year follow-up.
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Four-fifths of childhood-ADHD adults relapsed compared with about half of those without childhood ADHD, with relapse occuring nearly 3 months earlier in the former group.
Autism and auditory brain stem responses.
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Auditory brain stem response abnormalities were found in 58% of a small group of autistic children, with also abnormal left-right differences in 18% of the cases. Brain stem lesion or cochlear dysfunction are probable causes.
Early Cognitive and Affective Sequelae of Traumatic Brain Injury
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TBI patients were best classified by poor performance on measures of affect disturbance and impaired awareness.
Selectively reduced regional cortical volumes in PTSD
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PTSD exhibits decreased pregenual anterior cingulate cortex and subcallosal cortex volumes.
Brain activation in PTSD with hyperarousal and impulsive aggressiveness.
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Some PTSD symptoms, especially impulsive aggression, may be associated with increased regional cerebral blood flow in the projection area of nucleus accumbens.
Sensation-seeking as a moderator of marijuana and cigarette use among adolescents.
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Peer pressure and perceived peer marijuana use influenced high sensation-seekers but not low sensation-seekers. Aspirations inconsistent with marijuana use were protective for high sensation-seekers.
Neural substrates of decision making in adults with ADHD
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Activation in ADHD individuals is less extensive in prefrontal cortex and does not involve the anterior cingulate and hippocampus as it does in normals.
Atypical depression as a secondary symptom in chronic fatigue syndrome.
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Atypical depression may be sickness behavior rather than an affective disorder.
Cerebral blood flow in OCD
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Severity of OCD correlated positively with rCBF in the right thalamus.
Quantitative EEG and the Frye and Daubert standards of admissibility.
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Shows how Quantitative EEG meets all Daubert standards of scientific knowledge and how science and technical aspects of QEEG also match recent Supreme Court standards of "technical" and "other specialized" knowledge.
THC on Behavioral Measures of Impulsivity in Humans.
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THC may increase certain forms (Stop task) of impulsive behavior while not affecting other impulsive behaviors.
Development of pro- and antisaccades in children with ADHD
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Antisaccade task results in ADHD suggests alterations in "executive functions" presumably supported by lateral prefrontal cortex and frontal eye fields.
Coexistence of PTSD AND TBI
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TBI patients experience similar symptoms to PTSD patients, but that there are crucial symptom differences.
Frontal brain hypoactivity in anxiety with panic disorder.
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Patients with panic disorder have greater decrease in activation of a left frontal avoidance-withdrawal system in situations with a negative valence.
Quantitative EEG analysis in obsessive compulsive disorder.
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Relative theta powers were increased and alpha powers were decreased in OCD patients, particularly in the frontotemporal region.
Demographic and clinical correlates of client motivation among substance abusers.
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Neither legal coercion nor self-referral was related to motivation, nor was alcohol and drug use severity six months later.