What's New in Neurofeedback

A Monthly Summary of News and Events

Vol. 4 No. 7 - July 2001

This newsletter is sponsored by EEG Spectrum International Intl, Inc.,
a leader in providing clinical service and training professionals.

Past issues are available at www.eegspectrum.com/newsletter/
Information on how to subscribe or cancel a subscription appear at the end.
The opinions related in this newsletter reflect those of the author only.
Copyright (C) 2001 by EEG Spectrum International Intl, Inc. All rights reserved.


  • Announcements  - News
  • In the Spotlight   - THX-1138: Vision of The Future?
  • News & Reviews - Books, journal papers, of interest
  • Events & Locations - Conferences, Courses
  • Last Word               - Robert Chabot

    •  

    Announcements


     

    In the Spotlight

    THX-1138: Vision of The Future?

    Anyone who has seen a movie in the last few years is probably familiar with THX, the name of George Lucas' sound system accreditation company. Usually after the previews, the letters THX fills the screen during a crescendo of sound, which is sometimes cut short so an animated flying handyman can fix the problem. But the original THX was not a company but a USC student film, and then George Lucas' first professional film. Robert Duvall played the title role in THX-1138, a 1970 science fiction thriller, a film about lost privacy and suppressive anonymity in a futuristic world. Children are briefly depicted in this film and one has to grant visionary status to Lucas for their portrayal. In 1970 the world had yet to routinely psychiatrized children's behavior, but Lucas spotted a trend somehow and his children look not unlike children of 2001, their behavior controlled through continual administration of drugs.

    THX-1138 takes place not in the 21st century, but 400 years later. At this time the State has taken control of mental health and everyone is drugged into a continual stupor. Loudspeakers in the home and at work constantly remind individuals to take the appropriate amount of sedatives. Avoiding one's "medication" is a crime. Near the end of the film our fate is tied to one of the men who has fought the system and failed. He's about to be arrested and "re-educated." With nowhere else to go or hide, he sits alone in a lobby, calmly awaiting the authorities. Here we see for the first time children in this modern world. A line of children calmly step off a nearby escalator. The children are noticeably subdued, passive, without curiousity. The camera focuses on an IV-tube strapped to each right arm. One of the children appears frightened and confused and approaches our man for help. His IV tube has come loose. Our man, drained of all fight, reattaches the IV tube and with a sweet smile sends the child on his way... Perhaps this way is best for all of us, his weak smile conveys...

    Fortunately we have not given up like our hero.

    The state of Connecticut recently passed a first-in-the-nation law that reflects a growing backlash against what some see as overuse of Ritalin and other behavioral drugs. The law prohibits teachers, counselors and other school officials from recommending psychiatric drugs for any child. It does not prevent school officials from recommending that a child be medically evaluated, but it assures that the first mention of drugs for a behavior or learning problem comes from a doctor, not an educator. In other words, schools should have no business practicing psychiatry.

    "I cannot believe how many young kids are on Prozac, Thorazine, Haldol -- you name it," said the chief sponsor of the law, state Rep. Lenny Winkler, an emergency room nurse. "It's easier to give somebody a pill than to get to the bottom of the problem.''

    Nearly 20 million prescriptions for Ritalin, Adderall and other stimulants were used to treat ADHD last year, a 35 percent increase since 1996, and most were for boys under the age of 12.

    Similar resolutions and laws are in the works or already approved in other states as concern grows over the psychiatrizing of childhood.

    DK

    Related reading:

    Connecticut Approves Ritalin Law. http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010717/us/ritalin_law_3.html
    Federal Court in Texas Rejects ADHD Lawsuit http://politics.yahoo.com/politics/features/us_newswire/20015/0521-133.html
    Parents against Ritalin http://www.p-a-r.org/
    Ritalin Information: Side Effects, Cautions, Alternatives http://www.breggin.com/ritalin.html

     

    News & Reviews NEW BOOKS

    Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder at Home and at School
    by Patricia R. Nelson

    Advice in establishing social, behavioral, and environmental interventions, monitoring treatment, and coping with learning disabilities. level schedule, and a treatment review form. - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0595098347/top100/

    Magnetic Stimulation of the Human Nervous System
    by K. R. Mills
    Discusses the effects of magnetic brain stimulation and RTMS in healthy subjects and clinical populations including psychiatric conditions. - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0192629867/top100

    Special Problems in Counseling the Chemically Dependent Adolescent
    by Eileen Smith Sweet
    Focuses on the effect of chemical dependence on teenagers and their families. - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1560241632/top100

    Behavioral Concerns and Autistic Spectrum Disorders: Explorations and Strategies for Change
    by John Clements
    Practical and comprehensive account of how people who attract autism labels can come to behave in ways that give rise to serious concerns. - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1853027421/top100

    Epileptic Seizures: Pathophysiology and Clinical Semiology
    by Hans Luders
    Typical symptoms of different seizure types depicted in CR-ROM, precipitating factors, etc. - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0443089590/top100

    What's Going on in There?: How the Brain and Mind Develop in the First Five Years of Life
    by Lise Eliot
    Detailed, scientific account of pediatric brain development. - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0553378252/top100

    Relapse and Recovery in Addictions
    by Frank M. Tims
    Perspectives on addiction, treatment, and recovery are discussed along with current findings of clinical and scientific research. - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0300083831/top100

     

    JOURNAL PAPERS

    CPD - Education and Self-assessment: Functional imaging in epilepsy. : Evaluates how current neuroimaging techniques are used in clinical evaluation and how they further neurobiological understanding of epilepsy. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=11407959

    Treatment of fibromyalgia incorporating EEG-Driven stimulation: A clinical outcomes study. : EEG-driven stimulation appeared to be the prime initiator of therapeutic efficacy for fibromyalgia. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=11406805

    Ethical use of placebo controls in clinical research: the Declaration of Helsinki. : Research involving EEG biofeedback therapy highlights ethical concerns over the requirements of some agencies for placebo controlled research. When a known, effective treatment exists, placebo control is inappropriate. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=11387859

    Neuropsychological function in CFS, multiple sclerosis, and depression. : Chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis, and major depression all show deficits in memory, language, and spatial ability. Cognitive deficits found in CFS cannot be attributed solely to depression. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=11388119

    Neuroanatomical studies on bipolar disorder. : Subtle structural abnormalities in the brain, notably subcortical structures, may contribute to the pathogenesis of mood disorders. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=11388954

    Direct and indirect effects of prenatal alcohol damage on executive function. : Executive function tests such as Stroop, Wisconsin Card Sorting, Ruff's Figural Fluency, and Consonant Trigrams, which are all primarily free of IQ loading, are especially useful in clinical evaluations of persons suspected of fetal alcohol damage. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=11385829

    Neuropsychologic testing predicts long-term productivity outcome from TBI : Early neuropsychologic testing, especially comprehensive evaluations, helps predict long-term productivity. Normal range scores on 10 of the 15 neuropsychologic tests predicted productivity at follow-up. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=11387580

    Sex differences in brain maturation during childhood and adolescence. : In a cross-sectional study, males have age-related gray matter decreases and white matter volume and corpus callosal area increases compared with females. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=11375916

     

     

    Events & Locations

    Upcoming Courses

      Woodland Hills, CA
    • 2-Day Adv. Practicum - Aug 4-5
    • 4-Day Beta/SMR - Aug 16-19
    • 1-Day Systems Admin. Troubleshooting - Aug 20
      Alberta, Canada
    • 4-Day Beta/SMR - Sep 6-9
    • 1-Day Systems Admin. Troubleshooting - Sep 10
      Newport News, VA
    • 4-Day Beta/SMR - Sep 20-23
    • 1-Day Systems Admin. Troubleshooting - Sep 24

    Prerequisites: All Adv. classes require successful completion of the 4 Day Comprehensive Beta/SMR.
    * Advanced Practicum requires 150 hours direct NF clinical experience.


    More info at www.eegspectrum.com/course

    Conferences for Neurofeedback Clinicians & Researchers

    CONFERENCELOCATIONDATES
    SNRMonterey, CA Oct 27-30

     

    Last Word

    Robert Chabot

    Robert Chabot is leading the way in identifying how and to what extent quantitative EEG can be used to evaluate children with attention and learning disorders. His recent publication with Leslie Prichep, E Roy John, and F di Michele continues this effort with a review of more than 30 papers on EEG correlates of attention and learning disorders. Two strengths of QEEG unmatched by behavioral assessment is the identification of neurophysiological subtypes and providing evidence for or against theoretical models of these conditions.
    1. Chabot RJ, di Michele F, Prichep L, John ER. (2001). The clinical role of computerized eeg in the evaluation and treatment of learning and attention disorders in children and adolescents. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2001 Spring;13(2):171-86. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=11449024
    2. Chabot RJ, Orgill AA, Crawford G, Harris MJ, Serfontein G. (1999). Behavioral and electrophysiologic predictors of treatment response to stimulants in children with attention disorders. J Child Neurol. 1999 Jun;14(6):343-51. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10385840
    3. Gugino LD, Chabot RJ, Aglio LS, Aranki S, Dekkers R, Maddi R. (1999). QEEG changes during cardiopulmonary bypass: relationship to postoperative neuropsychological function. Clin Electroencephalogr. 1999 Apr;30(2):53-63. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10358784
    4. Chabot RJ, Serfontein G. (1996). Quantitative electroencephalographic profiles of children with attention deficit disorder. Biol Psychiatry. 1996 Nov 15;40(10):951-63. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=8915554
    5. Chabot RJ, Merkin H, Wood LM, Davenport TL, Serfontein G. (1996). Sensitivity and specificity of QEEG in children with attention deficit or specific developmental learning disorders. Clin Electroencephalogr. 1996 Jan;27(1):26-34. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=8719499