qEEG as a Base to Neurofeedback Treatment: Is it reliable enough?
(An ANSA lecture by Dr. Rivi Sela)
In 2004 a position paper on the standards of use of QEEG in neurofeedback was published by a group of leading therapists in our field (Dr. Hammond, Dr. Walker, Dr. Hoffman, Dr. Lubar, Dr. Trudeau, R. Gurnee, Dr. Hovart). This position paper was accepted by the ISNR board as an official position paper of the ISNR.
The paper states, among other things, that a growing number of clinicians use qEEG to decide on neurofeedback protocols, and that a growing body of peer reviewed research attests to the utility of the qEEG in providing a scientifically objective and clinically practical assessment of a wide range of psychiatric, psychological and medical conditions. The paper also reached the following conclusion: “It is not necessary for a physician to screen raw EEG data as part of a qEEG evaluation for neurofeedback training.” In the last 14 years since that position paper was published, many neurofeedback therapists accepted qEEG as their basis for deciding on training protocols, and they use automatic analysis software for holding spectral analysis and comparison to age norms. By the maps and diagrams that the software produces, they decide where to place the electrodes and which frequencies to train.
The presentation will demonstrate step by step why deep understanding of the raw EEG is crucial to reading the qEEG maps and diagrams accurately, in order to reach the correct neurofeedback protocols.
The 45-minute presentation will use EEG/qEEG examples to show the following:
- Common EEG artifacts that might distort the information presented by qEEG
- Common mistakes in reading the qEEG maps
- What extra information the raw EEG gives us
- Paroxysmal EEG and its effect on the qEEG
An article that summarizes this lecture can be found here:
https://apjnt.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Rivi_Sela_APJNT_Journal_Vol1_No1_2019.pdf