Part 1 of 3. See bottom for PDF version.

Articles on:
Physiology and Clinical
Applications
of
Audio-Visual Entrainment
Technology
by Dave Siever C.E.T.
Page 2
Audio-Visual Entrainment: I. History and Physiological Mechanisms
David Siever¹, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Abstract: Since the discovery of photic driving by Adrian and Matthews in 1934, much has been
discovered about the benefits of brain-wave entrainment (BWE) or audio-visual entrainment
(AVE) as it is commonly known today. Studies are now available on the effectiveness of AVE in
promoting relaxation, hypnotic induction and restoring somatic homeostasis, plus improving
cognition, and for treating ADD, PMS, SAD, migraine headache, chronic pain, anxiety,
depression and hypertension. (more…)

This was the second year in which I presented an all-day seminar on our approach to neurofeedback. The audience grew this year to fill the room, and many others apparently picked up the handout. I presented a lot of theory, but most were waiting for the goods on how we actually do things, which I saved until the end and covered only cursorily. Sue and I are somewhat ambivalent about putting the material out there in this fashion, since the use of the inter-hemispheric protocol is a two-edged sword. The one-day seminar is supposed to be the “appetizer” for the clinical course, but most will probably just take the material I presented and run with it.

My other major pre-occupation at the conference was our Symposium on Migraine. This was preceded the day before by another such symposium, where the emphasis was on conventional biofeedback therapies and pharmacology for migraine. Deb Stokes was attending the AAPB Conference for the first time and was shocked that this conference would be a vehicle for such a preoccupation with drug treatment. The title of the Symposium was “New Frontiers in Migraine Headache,” and appeared to offer nothing new at all. That symposium was led by the incoming president of the AAPB, Steve Baskin. I have talked with him over the years about our migraine work, and never was able to make an impression. Over most of that time, he was of course still tethered to the vascular model of migraines. Over the last few years he has also been drawn into pharmacological studies, and when you get paid $3000 per patient for a drug study, it’s hard to make room for biofeedback. One could even say that his professional well-being is more dependent on drug company success than biofeedback success. (more…)

A quick report on the just-concluded Winter Brain Conference, while memories are still fresh. On this occasion, we offered a two-day Advanced Training Course before the conference, as a convenience to those wanting to conserve on travel costs. But it does add significantly to what is already a long conference, a burden on the attendees and on us. We will probably not do this again. Rae Tattenbaum also offered a two-day course on her Peak Performance program, which was the best attended of the pre-conference courses. A course on QEEG-based training by Jay Gunkelman and Richard Soutar, on the other hand, hardly had more students than faculty. That may be a sign of the times with regard to QEEG-based training, as well as a reflection on who comes to the Winter Brain Conference. Or people are just balking at too long a conference.

On the Foundations Day, Rob kicked off the marathon with a historical review, and I started the technical discussions with 40 minutes of a firehose of data and models. The attendees were in for a long day…. The next day we were on a two-track schedule–left hemisphere on Track A to the left; right hemisphere on Track B to the right, where the Winter Brain Conference shared floor-time with the StoryCon. The audience voted with its feet, sloshing collectively between the two venues. The liveliest action, however, built up in the exhibit area, with increasing crescendo that even intruded upon the lecture halls. (more…)

Author: Len Ochs

All forms of central nervous system dysfunctions include problems
taking in, processing, organizing, and retrieving stimulation. And
all methods of treating such problems — from depression, to the
spectrum of brain injuries, many pain syndromes, movement disorders,
emotional hyper-reactivity (PTSD, etc), hyper-energetic states
(ADD/ADHD), etc., involve stimulation. When, in 1990, I conceived of
feeding back stimulation that was resonant with the EEG — which was
shortly thereafter entertained by Chuck Davis — an entire new field of
neuroscience was opened, one in which there was no experience to draw
upon. In the development of the LENS software, using J&J’s
equipment, there have been many false steps along the way. In
fact, the entire development of the LENS system is grounded in errors
that happened in many dimensions, but which has worked out rather
well — either because of them or in spite of them.

Each stimulation system has its own sets of physiological reactions.
I dropped sound and lights six year ago because all
microprocessor-based systems produce emissions, which, with the
lights, were too intense for patients. When these systems — using
J&J hardware — lessened symptoms with an average average (this is
not a doubling typo, because there are many averages, depending on
the problem treated) treatment duration of 11+ sessions without lights, I never looked
back, and could never see why I would be interested in the
traditional neurofeedback approaches — which I used since 1975. (more…)

Author: Lise’ D. DeLong, Ph.D

As a NeuroCognitive Specialist, I have come to realize many of the common characteristics we attribute to ADHD, ADD, and nonspecific learning disabilities are frequently exacerbated by Auditory Processing concerns. Although most of these disorders interface with one another and share many common elements it is important to determine whether the attention difficulties are particularly associated with cognitive, auditory or visual processing deficits.
Therefore, I have found that by using of a variety of Auditory tests I can discern the attention problems more specifically. Current tests, such as Scan-C for children or Scan-A for adolescents and adults, or The Woodcock Test of Auditory Discrimination, are relatively inexpensive and can help pinpoint whether problems with processing the information exist.
The Woodcock Test for Auditory Discrimination looks at whether the individual can discriminate phonemes in the initial, medial or final position, in a quiet or noisy environment.
The Scan-C or Scan-A determines the processing of information using dichotic listening techniques; isolated words in specific ears, figure-ground, competing words in both ears or competing sentences simultaneously.
Another excellent test for a pre & post measurement for neurofeedback is an out of print test called ITPA (Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities). This test is comprised of several subtests, but there are four which I find extremely useful; Auditory Reception, Auditory Association, Auditory Sequential Memory and Auditory Closure. Each of these subtests measures a separate component of listening and attention skills.
Neurofeedback is an useful tool when working with Auditory Disorders. Through my graduate research, I found that after twenty sessions of neurofeedback–coupled with the neurocognitive activities described below–the experimental group had significant gains in Auditory Discrimination in comparison with the control group (DeLong, 2002). (more…)

The most appropriate theme for the new-year newsletter is probably “synergy,” as we have seen the beginnings of a multiplier effect in which niche products potentiate other product developments, and developments in one domain of biofeedback reinforce those in another. The products at the heart of these developments might be termed “keystone” products. None fit the bill as much as the emerging BioExplorer software. It supports the ROSHI II+ as well as the Pocket Neurobics. In the future, it may also support the J&J C2. The BioExplorer is still largely a developer’s tool at this point, but it is in the process of becoming a versatile software option.

Another kind of synergy is illustrated by the C-2 itself, in that it supports not only EEG and peripheral feedback but Len Ochs’ LENS system and Peter Litchfield’s CO2-monitoring system. A similar situation prevails for the Pocket Neurobics, in that it supports HEG as well as conventional neurofeedback (either autonomously or through the BioExplorer). (more…)