Most Popular Choices
Related Topic(s): Gamma Waves; Neurofeedback; Synchrony Training


Tell A Friend

(AG-P-119) Permalink    CD, DVD, MP3: 
Real-time synchronous gamma training made easy.
View More By tom collura

View Pricing

View Ratings | Rate It

Futurehealth WinterBrain 20 minute plenary presentation by Tom Collura. Gamma waves have been shown to reveal a cohesive, organized state of mind that includes binding of many perceptions into a unified whole. Richard Davidson reported seeing these rhythms in advanced meditators. This presentation will show results and describe methods for the real-time training of fast bihemispherically synchronized 40 Hz ("gamma") activity, through real-time detection and targeting of brief synchronous bursts. This method can capture single brief (e.g. less than ? second) bursts of gamma that occur very rarely (e.g. once per minute), and can clearly discern and feed back individual bursts, for training purposes. This will be related to the cortical dynamics that underly the gamma rhythm, and discussed in the context of gamma training.
A method is introduced that provides specific training for synchronous EEG events, based upon a simple, yet powerful signal processing model. This method reveals activity of the type reported by Freeman et. al. (2003), Schack et. al. (2002), Von Stein and Sarnthein (2000), and Lutz et. al. (2004). Channel recombination (addition and subtraction) is used to differentially emphasize both synchronous, and asynchronous, EEG activity, in different derived signals. This method combines the benefits of differential training with those of synchrony training (Fehmi and Sundor, 1989). Joint Time-Frequency Analysis provides a further method for distinguishing detected events in both time and frequency. It is possible to visualize a single brief transient in any band of interest, including gamma, using this method. Data will be shown illustrating the phase and frequency selectivity of this method, and quantifying its ability to discern synchronous vs. asynchronous activity. This approach is useful for assessment and visualization, as well as for training EEG rhythms. It is immediately applicable for real-time processing, and can be implemented on a wide range of systems. Results will be presented illustrating the ability to graphically depict rare and brief EEG transients, as well as the ability to train such rhythms for neurofeedback applications.

 


Author: tom collura

Dr. Collura has over 30 years experience as a biomedical engineer and neurophysiologist.  He has conducted clinical research and development and system design, in the areas of evoked potentials, microelectronics, human factors, EEG mapping for epilepsy surgery, and neurofeedback.  His graduate work focused on the real-time measurement of visual and auditory evoked potentials, and relationships with selective attention in a vigilance task.  He then spent 8 years with AT&T Bell Laboratories as a technical staff member and supervisor in the areas of integrated circuit technology, computer graphics, networking, and man/machine interfaces.  He then served from 1988 to 1996 on the Staff of the Department of Neurology, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, where he conducted research and development in EEG mapping for epilepsy surgery, long-term EEG monitoring, and DC brain potentials.  As a consultant to industry, he has designed software and hardware for computerized tomography, automated radiometry, and automated imaging.  Since 1995, he has been founder and president of BrainMaster Technologies, Inc.  He has published over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, abstracts, and papers.  He has 2 patents and 3 patents pending, all in the areas of neurofeedback, electrode technology, and evoked potential methods and systems.  His current interests focus on research and development of automated neurofeedback systems, evoked potential neurofeedback, and low-cost quantitative EEG.  He is a licensed Professional Engineer in Ohio and Illinois, is a past board member of the International Society for Neuronal Regulation (ISNR), and is president-elect of the Neurofeedback Division of the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (AAPB).

Other Products by tom collura

1) Neurophysics - A 21st Century Science of the Mind
2) Coherence, Synchrony, and the Rest: Putting it all together with 2-channel training
3) Neurophysics of optimal and psi performance
4) Whole Brain and Couples/Group Training using EEG Connectivity
5) Brain, Mind, and Neurofeedback The Next 100 Years
6) Advanced BrainMaster Workshop

MP3 (20 mins)   $7.00
Currently Unavailable for Download
 

 

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

 

Tell A Friend