FAQ
Medication issues need to be addressed by qualified and experienced physicians and psychiatrists. For patients who require medication intervention we can undertake a specialized QEEG and submit it, in a digitized format, to a group called CNS Response. It is then analyzed in a form known as referenced EEG (rEEG). This has the potential of determining very scientifically and without guesswork which medication or combinations of medication and at what statistical probability will work for an individual. Their comparative data took over 16 years to collect and utilizes information from 2500 patients and 10,000 medication trials. By matching brain wave patterns with known medication responses, they are now able to objectively provide a scientific basis for medication choices and drug treatment. Many of my patients come to my practice having had years of unfortunate trial and error experiences with medications that did not work. An rEEG will objectify medication decisions. Although I do not prescribe medications since I have a Ph.D., not an MD, we then can make a referral to a physician who can then base medications decisions on this scientifically based analysis.
Neurofeedback treatment costs about the same as a typical psychotherapy session.
Reimbursement depends entirely on a person’s insurance plan. Many of our patients receive some reimbursement from their insurance for their treatment. We do our best to provide each person with the codes that typically cover QEEG and Neurofeedback. We provide a superbill to all of our patients that they can submit to their insurance. All of the information that is necessary for submission will be provided.
Neurofeedback requires consistency of treatment in order for the brain to hold the corrections and provide a long-term solution. Most people have two sessions per week. Some people who choose to do treatment more aggressively may do 3 or more sessions per week. There is an advantage to having 3 sessions or more in a week in that the brain will learn more quickly and hold the corrections more rapidly. Three sessions a week can be equivalent to 4 ½ sessions spaced over a longer time period.
Treatment is based entirely on the findings on the QEEG brain map. After the results of the QEEG are interpreted, Dr. Blume will explain the findings and suggest recommended treatment options. The number of sessions is based upon the number of issues needing to be addressed. For example, depression may take as few as 20 sessions to resolve. Anxiety also may require approximately 20-25 sessions whereas ADD/HD may require 30-40 sessions. Individual results will vary with some patients requiring fewer sessions and others requiring more sessions.
The exciting thing about this practice that sets us apart from most other clinics is the use of Quantitative Electroencephalograms or QEEG Brain Maps. Treatment is no longer a guessing game since we can accurately evaluate and understand in an objective, scientific fashion how a person’s brain is functioning. This in turn allows us to understand how behaviors are affected by this brain functioning. We compare an individual’s brain wave activity, by age and sex, to FDA approved normative databases to see how the patient’s brain deviates from that of normal populations. EEG Neurofeedback protocols are scientifically based on your specific QEEG brain map. This allows us to be more precise in the treatment and interventions. This results in a better treatment outcome.
Dr. Barbara Paul-Blume, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Inc., offers treatment for the symptoms of a variety of conditions that appear to be associated with irregular brain wave activity. Some of these conditions are hyperactivity and ADD, learning disabilities, conduct problems, sleep disorders, depression, anxiety, mild traumatic brain injuries, post concussion syndrome, seizure disorders, autism spectrum disorders, migraines, chronic pain, addiction among others.
The LORETA Z Score Neurofeedback utilizes a 19 channel EEG Amplifier. Instead of using one or several electrodes on a person’s scalp to record brain activity the LORETA uses a 19 channel (electrode) EEG cap to measure and train the deep brain regions and generators. The LORETA focuses on training the deep brain structures which have abnormal or out-of- range Z Scores. Traditional or surface Neurofeedback focuses on the surface lobes of the brain. Both techniques utilize a QEEG Brain Map to determine normal and abnormal brain functioning and also to guide training. Generally LORETA training requires fewer training sessions than traditional Neurofeedback.
Neurofeedback is a safe non-invasive training technique. Unlike medication, nothing is put into the body or brain. Neurofeedback provides information to the brain in the normal way through the senses in the form of auditory, visual and at our office even tactile/proprioceptive or vibration. The process is very gentle and nothing is forced. The basis of Neurofeedback is self-regulation, teaching the brain to properly regulate itself. Training is a process of undoing limiting mental habits that are no longer useful to the brain, rather than learning a new coping strategy or technique as is often the emphasis in traditional behavioral or psychotherapy. Because nothing is being put into the body or brain, there are no side effects in the traditional sense. However, it can not be emphasized strongly enough that the experience of the therapist can in fact have an impact on the training process in the form of no changes obtained, or transient changes in regards to mood or activity level. Any negative effects of therapy do wear off but it is important that the therapist be aware of the settings that are being used as well as what areas of the brain are being trained according to the symptom profile and standardized data obtained from testing as well as information provided by the Brain Map or QEEG. By choosing a clinician who uses Neurofeedback as a primary treatment tool in their clinical practice, has years of experience, higher level training and on-going professional mentoring one can then use this as a good indicator of whether there will be success in the Neurofeedback process.
Live LORETA Neurofeedback is cutting edge technology that was developed at the Key Institute for Brain Based-Mind Research in Zurich Switzerland by Roberto D. Pascual-Marqui in the mid 1990′s. LORETA ( Low Resolution Electromagnetic Tomography) is an EEG based Neuroimaging technique that is highly correlated with FMRI’s, PET Scans and Spect Scans. The LORETA computes 3 dimensional images of the brain to identify the intracortical and certain subcortical generators of the surface EEG patterns seen in QEEG brain maps. It is considered to be the most accurate of the “inverse solutions”. The LORETA divides the cortical gray matter into 2394 7×7 millimeter 3D voxels. This allows the clinician to see which voxels are most activated during an EEG recording. The images reveal the deep structures or generators of the brain and therefore provide information regarding the generator or structures of the brain which reveal the structures, frequencies or communication issues that correlate with abnormal Z scores and psychological or neurological symptoms. Since 2001, the LORETA has also been used for Neurofeedback. The LORETA Analysis and LORETA Z Score Neurofeedback is now recognized internationally and utilized worldwide. Currently there are hundreds of peer review articles in medical journals on the LORETA.
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