Portable QEEG Helps Manage Depression Tx

When a depressed person goes for treatment, she doesn't want to wait 8 weeks to learn whether her pills will help her. Because the next pill may not help any better, which means another wasted 8 weeks of suffering. Researchers are learning how to eliminate all the wasted time and unnecessary suffering, using a portable brain analyser called QEEG -- quantitative electroencephalography. The new portable QEEG devices will allow physicians to select the right drug treatment in as little as one week.

Scientists measured brain activity before the patient was on any medication and then again one week after starting the popular antidepressant escitalopram, which targets a chemical messenger called serotonin. The patients were then randomly assigned to one of three groups: one group continued on escitalopram alone; one group was switched to another common antidepressant, bupropion, which acts on the chemical messengers norepinephrine and dopamine; and the third group took both medications.

To predict which patients would respond to escitalopram, the researchers looked for particular changes in brainwave patterns between the first and second QEEG. Using an algorithm that considers various QEEG characteristics, called the antidepressant treatment response (ATR) index, the researchers found that they could accurately predict whether the patient would respond to the escitalopram 74 percent of the time. Leuchter says that's much better than any other method currently available.

Earlier research had shown that the ATR index was relatively accurate at predicting a patient's response to escitalopram. But this study went further, by determining that the biomarker could also be used to determine whether a patient would benefit by switching to another drug. "This is the first study that I am aware of that can predict differential response to two different medications," Leuchter says. The research was published this month in the journal Psychiatry Research. _TechnologyReview

Another added benefit may be the ability to identify patients who may not benefit from drug treatment at all. Such persons could then skip the wasted months of time and expense of unnecessary drug treatment, and go directly to other therapies that are more likely to work.

QEEG and other encephalographic methods have proven invaluable in the diagnosis and neurofeedback treatments of various neurologic diseases, including ADHD and traumatic brain injury. Now, it seems that EEG can be used as an integral part of treatment for depression and some types of schizophrenia.

The portability of the new devices -- such as the one used by the researchers above -- allows for their use in smaller clinics. Traveling therapists will eventually be able to take the equipment with them to remote areas and disaster sites.

Seeing into the brain is a necessary step to allow useful therapeutic intervention.

Smarter Brain Monitoring

In recent years, better sensor technologies and data-processing techniques, as well as more detailed knowledge of the brain, have dramatically improved the information that can be extracted from EEG. For example, scientists now use computationally intense signal processing and pattern-recognition techniques to predict where in the brain a particular signal measured on the surface of the scalp originated or how different parts of the brain are connected. _TechnologyReview_via_ImpactLab

The before and after images on the right demonstrate the effects of two weeks of therapy on the brain of a stroke patient. Evidence of improved brain activity suggests that the therapy is working. Using information from EEG, advanced methods of data analysis can provide clinicians with up to the minute information about functional brain status.

EEG currently has a number of clinical applications--diagnosing sleep disorders or pinpointing the origin of a seizure, for example--but ElMindA and others aim to broaden its clinical use. The company has developed a novel system that calculates a number of different parameters from EEG data, such as the frequency and amplitude of electrical activity in particular brain areas, the origin of specific signals, and the synchronicity in activity in two different brain areas as patients perform specific tests on a computer. "We usually find patterns of activity which are very unique for the specific state of the patient," says Amir Geva, founder of the company and head of the biomedical laboratory at Ben-Gurion University.

The researchers are currently characterizing those patterns in the context of stroke therapy. Intensive rehabilitation after stroke can improve speech and motor problems by helping the brain to rewire, compensating for damaged circuits. At present, choosing the best therapy option for a patient is in part a trial-and-error process that can take weeks. But because healing capacity declines over time, it's imperative to find the most successful treatment as soon as possible after the stroke.

Therapy for stroke, depression, ADHD, etc. can be guided by this new type of "imaging". The equipment is far more portable than MRI scanners and PET scanners and reagents. In fact, using EEG neurofeedback in real time, therapists could actually watch the impact of therapy on brain learning and rehab while it is occurring during therapy.

4 Dimensional EEG Mapping

Tognoli and Kelso developed a novel colorimetric technique that simultaneously maps four dimensions of brain data (magnitude, 2D of cortical surface and time) in order to capture true synchronization in electroencephalographic (EEG) signals. Because of the fourth dimension afforded by this colorimetric method, it is possible to observe and interpret oscillatory activity of the entire brain as it evolves in time, millisecond by millisecond. Moreover, the authors’ method applies to continuous non-averaged EEG data thereby de-emphasizing the notion of “an average brain.” The authors demonstrate that only in continuous EEG can real synchronization be sorted from false synchronization – a kind of synchronization that arises from the spread of electrical fields and volume conduction rather than from genuine interactions between brain areas.

Watching the brain work in "real time" just got a bit easier.

For the brain to achieve its intricate functions such as perception, action, attention and decision making, neural regions have to work together yet still retain their specialized roles. Excess or lack of timely coordination between brain areas lies at the core of a number of psychiatric and neurological disorders such as epilepsy, schizophrenia, autism, Parkinson’s disease, sleep disorders and depression. How the brain is coordinated is a complex and difficult problem in need of new theoretical insights as well as new methods of investigation. In groundbreaking research published in the January 2009 issue and featured on the cover of Progress in Neurobiology, researchers at Florida Atlantic University’s Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science propose a theoretical model of the brain’s coordination dynamics and apply a novel 4D colorimetric method to human neurophysiological data collected in the laboratory.

......In addition to shedding insight on the way the brain normally operates, Tognoli and Kelso’s research provides a much-needed framework to understand the coordination dynamics of brain areas in a variety of pathological conditions. Their approach allows a precise parsing of “brain states” and is likely to open up new ways to study therapeutic interventions, in particular the effects of drugs (pharmaco-dynamics). Their approach will also help improve the design of brain computer interfaces used to help people who are paralyzed.

“In the future, it may be possible to fluently read the processes of the brain from the EEG like one reads notes from a musical score,” said Tognoli. “Our technique is already providing a unique view on brain dynamics. It shows how activity grows and dies in individual brain areas and how multiple areas engage in and disengage from working together as a coordinated team.” _Newswise _ via _ Physorg

It has always been the goal of brain scientists to learn the "language of the brain." How different parts of the brain communicate with each other, and coordinate the dynamic processes involved in consciousness and cognition (2 different things). Combining these dynamic brain studies with "connectomics"-- the working out of brain wiring circuits, will allow much deeper insight into normal and abnormal brain activity.

"Lay-On" Electrode Sheets: Neural Prosthetics

Brain electrodes that penetrate cortical tissue can quickly lose function due to scar tissue and "glommed on" bio-debris that collects over time and disrupts the electro-neural connection. If a longer-lasting direct-to-brain connection can be made using electrode sheets that merely "lay on" the surface of the cortex, then the less invasive approach would probably be the way to go.

Schalk and his colleagues studied epilepsy patients undergoing a procedure known as electrocorticography (ECoG), in which a flat array of electrodes is laid over an exposed section of cortex to record electrical activity. Normally, surgeons use this information to pinpoint the source of seizures and to map the location of specific brain functions, which must be avoided during surgery. The technique generates a better spatial resolution than electroencephalography (EEG), a noninvasive approach that records activity through the scalp. ECoG is now being explored for use in brain-computer interfaces. "There's a growing interest in use of ECoG signals because nothing penetrates into the brain, and that appeals to people more than penetrating electrodes," says Marc Schieber, a physician and scientist at the University of Rochester Medical School, who was not involved in the research.

... It's not yet clear that ECoG, which records extracellular electrical activity and thus averages information coming from different cells, will be able to provide the same accuracy as implanted electrodes, which record activity from single cells. "As far as limb control, I think it will be somewhat basic," says Andrew Schwartz, a neuroscientist at the University of Pittsburgh.

However, ECoG possesses some significant advantages. With implanted electrodes, the quality of the recorded signals degrades over time, and the stiff electrodes can sometimes move within the squishy brain, thus requiring recalibration of the system. ECoG devices are less sensitive to movement. And because they lie on the surface of the brain, they may be less susceptible to the immune reaction thought to impair implanted electrodes. "Surface electrodes are more likely to be fit for long-term use," says Schalk.

Miniaturized ECoG devices now under development may make this technology even more appealing. With the current procedure, a surgeon must remove a large piece of skull to insert the electrode array. But Justin Williams, a biological engineer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is developing a miniature ECoG device that could be fed through a small hole in the skull and then unfurl to cover a larger area of the cortical surface. Made of platinum wires embedded in a flexible polymer called polyimide, which is frequently used in electronics, the electrode array is flexible and sticks to the wet brain. That means it moves as the brain moves, capturing a better signal. "It acts like Saran wrap on a Jell-O mold," says Williams. _TechnologyReview

The problem is one of signal to noise, and resolution of complex signals. Penetrating electrodes are better than "lay-on" cortical electrode sheets (ECoG), which in turn are better than scalp electrodes (EEG). The ECoG approach when combined with advanced computational filters and "translators" may be the best approach for short-term to mid-term neural prosthesis research--until better penetrating electrodes are devised.

My preference for penetrating electrodes is using the individual's own neural stem cells to grow connections from an interfacing device fixed to the skull--actually functioning as a replacement for a small area of skull--which contains both living neural tissue and the electro-neural interfacing technology. Such a unit could be easily detached from the skull and serviced without involving major surgery.

For more on this general topic, see Brain Stimulant blog

Can You Hear Me Thinking Now? Thought Helmet

Mind to mind communication has been a staple of science fiction for many decades. But there are situations where being able to silently cue a partner or team member about something occurring outside his range of sight or hearing, might save lives. The US military is studying potential uses of a "thought helmet" in conjunction with its "networked battlefield" approach to combat.

Researchers have been working on other brain-computer interfaces, such as Emotiv Systems´ brain-wave headset for video games, which is expected to be available commercially next summer....The Army's version would of course be more sophisticated and reliable than the gaming headset. To make the thought helmet a feasible piece of equipment for soldiers, scientists need to combine advances in computing power together with our understanding of the human brain.

At the moment, the thought helmet concept consists of 128 sensors buried in a soldier´s helmet. Soldiers would need to think in clear, formulaic ways, which is similar to how they are already trained to talk. The key challenge to making the system work is a software system that can read an electroencephalogram (EEG) generated by the sensor data, and pick out when a soldier is thinking words, and what those words are.

Because the brain is a complex system and generates such large amounts of data, researchers must also make improvements in computing power. Soldiers will also have to be trained to think "loudly" to make it easier for the system to pick out their words from the brain´s background noise. Also, every individual´s EEG signals are a little different, so users and computers will have to be calibrated so that computers recognize each person´s unique mental pattern.

In early versions, recipients will most likely hear messages rendered by a robotic voice in their headphones. But the researchers also think it´s possible to render commands in the speaker´s own voice, as well as indicate the location of the speaker relative to the listener. _PO

Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of implanted brain electrode arrays, with wireless communication directly from brain/comp to brain/comp. The computer/transceiver apparatus would be "melded" to the skull and covered by skin and hair--giving the soldier's head a somewhat exaggerated roundness. Nano-antennae would be indistinguishable from the soldiers' hair, and would interface into protective helmets that would boost the signal for greater distances.

The soldiers' muscles and ligaments/tendons/bones would be augmented with carbon nano-tube reinforcement and strengthening. Sub-integumental conductive nano-sheeting would provide resistance to blunt force/penetrating trauma and would be designed to deflect electrical discharges (taser etc) and microwave weapon energies.

Such augmented soldiers when interfaced in squad-sized units, and provided with weapons such as these, rapid transport to anywhere in the world such as this, and a number of other force multipliers being developed, and a long range reconnaissance (in force) platoon might easily conquer any nation in the world (with the exception of a handful) in less than a day. Holding the place would be a different story, but in most situations simple extraction would probably suffice.

Neurofeedback: Will We Have to Wait for Video Games to Bring it to Us?

Will we have to wait for video games that incorporate neurofeedback, before this useful tool becomes commonplace and readily available?

The imaging company Omneuron wants to bring fMRI neurofeedback to the public, to aid in treating chronic pain.

But Dr. deCharms says that controlling pain is just one of many possible uses for fMRI feedback. Today, Omneuron is also researching treatments for addiction, depression and other psychological illnesses. In addition, he said. the company has contemplated “several dozen applications,” including the treatment of stroke and epilepsy. Brain scanning could even be used to improve athletic performance, he speculated.

Doctors and drug-abuse experts are particularly excited about the idea of treating addiction using fMRI. While scientists have talked about such an application since the technology was invented, Omneuron is the first to work on a real therapy. “We might have a tool to help control the inner sensation of craving,” said Nora D. Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which helped fund Omneuron’s research into addiction.

A growing number of ventures hope to turn fMRI into a business. The most well-publicized is No Lie MRI, which wants to sell brain scanning to law firms and governmental bodies like police departments or security and intelligence agencies as a replacement for the notoriously unreliable polygraph test. No Lie MRI has already begun selling what it calls its truth verification technology for about $10,000 to individuals keen to prove their innocence.

Source

But these companies have to get past government regulatory agencies first. But the government is not the only obstacle to the widespread use of the promising constellation of technologies referred to as neurofeedback. EEG neurofeedback has been around for decades, and the potentials for this therapeutic modality are still being nibbled at around the edges.

It's not unusual to walk into Desney Tan's Microsoft Research office and find him wearing a red and blue electroencephalography (EEG) cap, white wires cascading past his shoulders. Tan spends his days looking at a monitor, inspecting and modifying the mess of squiggles that approximate his brain's electrical activity. He is using algorithms to sort through and make sense of EEG data in hopes of turning electrodes into meaningful input devices for computers, as common as the mouse and keyboard.

The payoff, he says, will be technology that improves productivity in the workplace, enhances video-game play, and simplifies interactions with computers. Ultimately, Tan hopes to develop a mass-market EEG system consisting of a small number of electrodes that, affixed to a person's head, communicate wirelessly with software on a PC.

...Tan expects the technology to be used initially as a controller for video games, since gamers are accustomed to "strapping on new devices," he says. In fact, next year a company called Emotiv Systems, based in San Francisco, plans to offer an EEG product that controls certain aspects of video games. However, the company will not discuss the specifics of its technology, and there isn't widespread consensus on the feasibility and accuracy of the approach.

The true challenge, Tan says, will be to make EEG interfaces simple enough for the masses. He and his team are working on minimizing the number of electrodes, finding a semisolid material as an alternative to the conductive gel, and developing wireless electrodes. A mass-market product could be many years away. But if Tan succeeds, getting a computer to read your thoughts could be as easy as putting on a Bluetooth headset.

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To keep up on some of the latest news on neurofeedback, check this link occasionally.

The EEG Spectrum newsletter comes out fairly regularly, and is another place to check for technology upgrades.

This link is another place for good information on neurofeedback.

Electroencephalography, magnetoencephalography, and real time fMRI, are different technologies that provide fast enough response for feedback purposes. Neurofeedback is vastly underused in Psychiatry, Psychology, Pain Control, recovery from brain injury, and other areas of medicine and mental health. Applications to sports training and personal coaching should be obvious.

A video search on Google Video, etc. will provide a large number of videos dealing with neurofeedback and other biofeedback technologies.

Certainly if you know anyone with disabling migraines, or with a child with ADD/ADHD, you should let them know about neurofeedback.

Sometimes it seems as if videogames and simulated worlds such as Second Life are driving a lot of business and technology in the real world. Neurofeedback may be yet another example of this.

Rhythms of the Brain

All the things that humans have done since the dawn of civilisation have come about because of the rhythmic electro-pulsing inside the cranial vault. Scientific knowledge of the oscillatory language of the brain is accruing rapidly. In Rhythms of the Brain:

Gyorgy Buzsaki guides the reader from the physics of oscillations through neuronal assembly organization to complex cognitive processing and memory storage. His clear, fluid writing accessible to any reader with some scientific knowledge is supplemented by extensive footnotes and references that make it just as gratifying and instructive a read for the specialist. The coherent view of a single author who has been at the forefront of research in this exciting field, this volume is essential reading for anyone interested in our rapidly evolving understanding of the brain.

Source.

Chris at the excellent neuroblog Develintel gives a very favorable review:

"Rhythms of the Brain" begins with the premise that "structure defines function," and then outlines how the architectural principles of neural networks can give rise to neural oscillations. In the process, he meticulously covers topics like the complex, small-world, scale-free connectivity of cortex without resorting to complicated equations - the concepts are carefully grounded in real-world analogies and lay terms.

Buzsáki introduces several other topics that are usually found only in mathematically sophisticated academic works on the brain: for example, how "neural noise" can actually enhance processing through stochastic resonance and the 1/f or "pink noise" signature of EEG, mechanisms of "phase precession" and "phase reset" within nested oscillations, and the difference between relaxation and harmonic oscillators.

Source.

This appears to be a very important book, on a topic that bears on recent discussions in comments here. Although I have not yet read the book, I intend to, and based upon Chris Chatham's recommendation, if you are interested in how the brain works, you should consider reading it as well.