What is Neurofeedback training?
During NFB, sensors are placed on the scalp and then connected to electronic amplifiers and computer software that detects and records specific brain activity.
Resulting information is fed back to the trainee with the understanding that changes in the feedback signal indicate whether the trainee’s brain activity is within the desired range. NFB is most commonly done with visual and/or auditory feedback that promotes changes in brain patterns and learning, and results in changes in physical, emotional, and cognitive states.
What equipment is required?
Neurofeedback involves several pieces of equipment, including hardware and software.
Electrodes or Sensors
Sensors or electrodes, such as the example, are stuck to the scalp using a conductive paste. The sensors receive cortical activity and send it through and to an amplifier and then to the computer for processing.
Caps with Multiple Sensors
Electrode placement is based on the established 10-20 International System used in electroencephalography (EEG).
Amplifier
The amplifier receives the signals from the sensors and amplifies them so that the computer can analyze and display them.
Computer Software
There is a wide variety of software available to your neurofeedback provider. The software is responsible for tracing and recording the EEG onto a graph so that the neurofeedback provider can see the brain’s electrical activity, database analysis of the recorded data, and implementation of appropriate treatment protocols.
Neurofeedback Training and Repetition
As the electrical patterns are repeated, they become a habit for the brain, so the pattern holds for longer periods of time. After a while, the feedback is no longer needed for the brain to repeat the state it was taught. Neurofeedback training is a process that shows the brain how to alter its maladaptive habits by replacing them with more stable and energy efficient ones.
Because the feedback the client is getting happens almost as soon as the brain produces the signal, the brain will repeat patterns that produce the reward (usually a sound and/or a video). If feedback repeats enough, the brain learns the pattern and the change becomes long lasting.
