HEG Without (Vulgar) Behaviorism

1
HEG Without (Vulgar) Behaviorism

• Greg Alter, Ph.D.
• September 7, 2005

2
HEG as Interpersonal Communication

• You Cannot Not Communicate
• Content
• Meta-communication
• Brain in the Mind
• Mind in the Person, Mind Interpersonally
• Ericksonian Hypnosis

3
Biofeedback in Primary Care

• Lateralized EEG Studies and Me
• Peripheral 1980
• Parasympathetic Tone
• Stress Management and Psychosomatic Medicine
• Self Regulation Strategies
• (Mindfulness 2005)

4
Neurofeedback Multi Modal

• Electrophrenology vs. QEEG
• Comprehensive 2nd Order Variability Training Val
  Browns Turbulence
• Micro Stimulation Len Ochs and Delta
• Mind Gear vs. Mind Alive and AVE NeuroAdvantage
  in 2005
• Jeff Carmen and pIR HEG Black Box 2000

5
HEG Training First Iteration

• Thresholds ON
• Carmen .3 to 1 degree F manual thresholds
  controlling DVD reward
• Toomim 10 minute focused effort, 10 over
  baseline controlling DVD reward

6
pIR

• ADHD
• IVAs
• Group Setting (2-5 participants, some on EEG)
• 18 months, 24 kids and some adults
• Name a Movie, Any Movie
• Comparable IVA increases and subjective benefits

7
nIR

• ADHD, Autism, Encephalopathy, Anxiety, OCD
• Individual Sessions
• IVA, Microcog
• 1 year, mixed child and adult population
• Comparable IVA increases and subjective
  benefitsone failure, one sensitive

8
Learning, Exercise, Communication

• Reinforcement Schedules in HEG are less important
  than total time in practice
• Exercisepower duration
• Rhythmicity of Practice More Important than
  Exercise programthe Brain is actually not a
  muscle.

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Well Exercised Brain

• Efficiency
• More difficult to get increased blood flow or
  temp than early in practice
• Novelty and prefrontal
• Just train harder?

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The Sensitive Person

• Labile emotions labile blood flow/temp
• Reduced emotional lability corresponds to better
  modulated temperature
• Effective practice leads to emotional resilience
  in everyday life

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Movies Dont Work As Feedback

• Dont fit idealized model of instrumental
  reinforcement
• Activate prefrontal emissions passively
• Dont require enough time making focused efforts
• AND OUTCOMES ARE JUST AS GOOD!!! Is this
  Behaviorism?!

12
With Both pIR and nIR HEG We Train Differently
for Habituated Tasks vs Novel Tasks

• Motivation task person
• Task Valence
• Task Fractionation
• Sympathetic Activation
• Parasympathetic Activation

13
Turbulence Reduction

• 2nd order variability measures create the HEG
  Attention Index
• Turbulence takes into account variations in
  rhythmicity from multiple sources
• HEG practice modulates turbulence
• Modulation Practice fosters both parasympathetic
  tone and executive function
• HRV and Dynamical EEG Correlates Favoring
  Modulation vs Amplitude Increases

14
Attention Index

• History in HEG training primary motive has been
  increase in HEG Ratio
• Attention Index diminishes emphasis on HEG
  amplitude
• Attention Index fosters focus on modulation and
  variability reduction decreased turbulence
• Net effect will be increased perfusion of
  hypoperfused areas and decreased hyperfusion

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Practice Implications

• Threshold unnecessary but has its place
• Interpersonal effects on parasympathetic tone
• Alternate cognitive with affective focus
• Alternate concentration with open focus
• Alternate habituated with novel tasks
• Alternate boring with affectively stimulating
  tasks
• Movies work just fine!

16
Marketing HEG

• Convenience
• Enjoyment
• Self Regulation
• Cost
• Effectiveness
• Story

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Integration of HEG

• Office and Home Practice
• Multiple Modalities Amplify Effects
• Foster Self-regulation Attitudes with Peripheral
  Practice
• Assess both parasympathetic tone and improvements
  in attention, cognition, affect