What's New in Neurofeedback

       A Monthly Summary of News and Events
           Vol. 3 No. 12 - December 2000

      This newsletter is sponsored by EEG Spectrum Intl, Inc.,
a leader in providing clinical service and training professionals.
   Past issues are available at www.eegspectrum.com/newsletter/
Information on how to subscribe or cancel a subscription appear at
the end. The opinions related in this newsletter reflect those of the
author only. Copyright (C) 2000 by EEG Spectrum Intl, Inc. All rights
reserved.

-------------------------------------------------------
   Announcements      - Wired magazine
   In the Spotlight   - 2000 Year in Review
   News & Reviews     - Books, journal papers
   Last Word          - The New Helsinki Declaration
-------------------------------------------------------

            ANNOUNCEMENTS

Wired Magazine (Jan 2001) has a brief article on neurofeedback.
-------------------------------------------------------

                  IN THE SPOTLIGHT

                 2000 Year in Review

                   by David Kaiser


   December is often a time for review. We witness a flurry of top
ten lists in the media, from books to movies to historical
events: what shaped the year that was. In neurofeedback, we can do
one better: here is our top 11 (a la Spinal Tap), a list
of those events from the year 2000 that are helping to pull
neurofeedback into the mainstream, where it belongs.

   11. September, "1,000 Subjects" Mark Breached. Publication of
    multicenter trial with more than 1,000 subjects,
    Kaiser & Othmer (2000) in the Journal of Neurotherapy. Albeit
    its my own study, but large numbers are required in
    the public relations battle currently being won by
    pharmaceutical companies over our mental health. Such undeniable
    numbers should assist neurofeedback in eventually finding its
    audience. (Precursor to paper at
    http://www.eegspectrum.com/tova97/530tova.htm)


   10. January, Neurofeedback at AAAS. Continual presence of
    neurofeedback research at largest scientific
    conference, American Association for the Advancement of
    Science. Reviewed in April's "Clinical Psychiatry News"
    AAAS: EEG Biofeedback Aids Impulse Control -
    http://www.eegspectrum.com/articles/aaas00.htm


   9. September, Neurofeedback and NASA. The NASA name carries
    weight even if association is indirect and
    science may be lacking in this instance. Reviewed in WNIN
    editorial, "NIH and BBWII"


   8. Year Round, Mass Media Momentum. Interest in neurofeedback
    becomes widespread: Articles in New York
    Times Reader's Digest New York Times Book Review Milwaukee
    Journal Sentinel WebMD, Baltimore Sun, and
    Wired magazine, to name a few.


   7. Year-Round, Slouching Towards Neurofeedback. Sudden
    scientific popularity in repetitive transcranial
    magnetic stimulation (rTMS), a hybrid between
    electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and neurofeedback that appeals to
    the Mary Shelley in all of us. A third of all rTMS studies
    were conducted in the last two years. Yet because the
    cortex is being stimulated externally, some concerns about
    its safety endure. Neurofeedback should soon be
    discovered by many as a more benign approach to
    thalamocortical conditioning. (e.g., Transcranial magnetic
    stimulation: applications in neuropsychiatry.)


   6. May and July, News Giants Take Notice. CBS News televises
    and Newsweek publishes positive reports on
    neurofeedback. Reading, Writing, and Ritalin, On The Track
    with Neurofeedback.


   5. September, Journal of Neurotherapy published by Haworth
    Press. New & Improved!


   4. March and beyond, Ritalin under Seige. Perhaps 15% of our
    children should not spend their developing years
    on stimulants. Reviewed in "The Ritalin Controversy". Some
    headlines in chronological order: Program set to cut
    Ritalin, Prozac use on children , First lady cautions against
    Ritalin for preschoolers , Unknown Whether Ritalin's
    Cancerous Effect Extends to Humans , Schools push Ritalin,
    panel told, Ritalin shouldn't be forced on our kids , A
    Diagnosis Excess? A Lawsuit Alleges Attention Deficit
    Disorder Is Over-Diagnosed , Class action lawsuit against
    manufacturers of Ritalin, APA, and CHADD, Among parents,
    backlash builds to Ritalin.


   3. January, NF in Clin EEG: Clinical Electroencephalography
    publishes issue devoted entirely to EEG biofeedback
    (volume 31, number 1). Reviewed in "Din of Rose Petals", May 2000


   2. January (and December 1999), Thalamocortical dysrhythmia
    model feted. Llinas develops model of mental
    and neurological disorder that is extremely
    neurofeedback-friendly. Thalamocortical dysrhythmia: A neurological
    and neuropsychiatric syndrome characterized by
    magnetoencephalography. In Proceedings of Natl Academy of
    Sciences, Dec 21 1999, 96(26):15222-7, Full text;
    DA McCormick's "Are thalamocortical rhythms the rosetta
    stone of a subset of neurological disorders?"


   1. May, A Symphony in the Brain: The Evolution of the New
    Brain Wave Biofeedback by Jim Robbins published. A popular book
    detailing the history and status of neurofeedback.


Links to stories above at
http://www.eegspectrum.com/newsletter/dec2000.htm
-------------------------------------------------------

                 News & Reviews

NEW BOOKS

The Handbook of Autism: A Guide for Parents and Professionals
by Maureen Aarons, Tessa Gittens
      Practical, up-to-date handbook for the parents of autistic
children and professionals. History, causes, and practical
considerations of autism.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0415160359/top100


Early Socialisation: Sociability and Attachment
by Cara Flanagan
      How sociability and attachmentrelate to emotional and cognitive
development. Evaluates deprivation, separation and
privation as well as social and cultural variations.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0415186560/top100


Becoming an Addictions Counselor: A Comprehensive Text
by Peter L. Myers, Norman R. Salt
      Guide for students who wish to become professional counselors.
Sections on ethics, confidentiality, treatment planning
and case management, and much more.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0763707953/top100


Affective Minds
by G. Hatano, H. Tanabe, N. Okado
      Exploration of the significant role emotions play in our
cognitive life. A variety of emotions are examined individually.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0444504184/top100


The Door in the Dream: Conversations With Eminent Women in Science
by Elga Wasserman
      26 eminent women scientists are profiled
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0309065682/top100


Separation: Anxiety and Anger
by John Bowlby
      Bowlby's classic work on attachment: How the experience of
separation and the ensuing susceptibility to anxiety, anger,
and fear reveal the attachment phenomenon.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0465097162/top100


Organic Psychiatry: the Psychological Consequences of Cerebral
Disorder
by William Alwyn Lishman
      Numerous cerebral afflictions that have psychological
consequences are described, from head injuries, cerebral tumors,
epilepsy, and metabolic disorders.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0865428204/top100


Treatment of Addiction: Current Issues for Arts Therapies
by Diane Waller, Jacky Mahony, Jacqueline Mahony
      Argues that arts therapies may be an appropriate and effective
treatment approach.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0415169976/top100


Language and Reading Disabilities
by Alan G. Kamhi, Hugh William Catts
      Identification, assessment, and treatment of reading and
writing disorders.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0205270883/top100


Neuroimaging and the Psychiatry of Late Life
by David Ames, Edmond Chiu
      Neurological correlates of specific psychiatric disorders of
late life, for clinicians and researchers.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0521495059/top100


Brain Plasticity and Epilepsy
by Jerome Engel et al, Jr.
      Recent developments in normal and abnormal neuroplasticity and
epilepsy, covers from molecular neurobiology to behavior.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0122388607/top100

-------------------------------------------------------

                 JOURNAL PAPERS

Sleep disturbances associated with ADHD: psychiatric comorbidity &
pharmacotherapy. : Sleep difficulties are common in ADHD youths,
but these are mostly attributable to anxiety
and behavioral disorder comorbidity and stimulant medication.
Info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=11052412


Improvement/Rehabilitation of Memory Functioning with
Neurotherapy/QEEG Biofeedback. : Remediation of
memory deficits by applying a QEEG database guided biofeedback
protocol is described in a number of cases. Improvements
ranged from 68% to 181% in the group of patients with brain injury
as a result of the interventions.
Info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=11056409


Does cognitive impairment cause poststroke depression? : Poststroke
major depression leads to cognitive impairment & not vice versa.
Info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=11069271


Topographic mapping of brain potentials in the newborn infant :
Quantitative EEG analysis was superior to clinical EEG,
neuroultrasound, and CT in identifying infants with neurological
abnormalities.
Info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=11071093


Inhibitory control in children with TBI or ADHD : Slowing of
information processing speed is often a general consequence
of TBI in childhood, whereas slowing of the stop-processes
(inhibitory deficits) are associated with post-injury hypo- or
hyperactivity.
Info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=11076133


SPECT, MR and quantitative MR imaging in traumatic brain injury. :
Each neuroimaging modality detected brain
abnormalities in a population of 52 traumatically brain injured
patients that the other two did not. QMR and MR abnormalities
correlated with intellectual and memory outcome whereas SPECT did not.
Info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=11076132


Sleep disturbances and psychiatric disorders associated with PTSD :
Sleep disturbances affected 70% of PTSD subjects
including injurious behaviors during sleep, sleep paralysis, sleep
talking, and hypnagogic hallucinations
Info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=11086154


Controlled trial of daily left prefrontal cortex TMS for treating
depression. : In a controlled research design, daily left
prefrontal TMS for 2 weeks was found to reduce depression symptoms
greater than did sham training.
Info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=11082469


Regional cerebral metabolism associated with anxiety symptoms :
Depression ratings correlated with activity in bilateral
medial frontal, right anterior cingulate, and right dorsolateral
prefrontal cortices. Anxiety scores correlated with activity in other
regions entirely.
Info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=11082477
-------------------------------------------------------

               EVENTS & LOCATIONS

           Upcoming 4-Day Beta/SMR Courses

               Los Angeles area
                 January 18-21, 2001
                 February 22-25, 2001
                 March 15-18, 2001

          More info at www.eegspectrum.com/course

         Conferences for Neurofeedback Clinicians & Researchers

The 9th Annual Winter Brain 2001 Neurofeedback and Brain Sciences
Meeting, Feb 2-6, 2001 Miami FL. Lectures on Peak Performance, QEEG,
ADHD, Transpersonal experience,  and more. Selected speakers include
KarlPribram, Thom Hartmann, Jay Gunkelman, Robert Gurnee, Joel &
Judith Lubar, Sig and Sue Othmer, & Barry Sterman.
Includes 30+ workshops and an exhibit hall.
-------------------------------------------------------

                   Last Word

         The New Helsinki Declaration

          by Siegfried Othmer, Ph.D.

The World Medical Association just met in Edinburgh to update the
1964 Declaration of Helsinki on clinical research ethics,
and the new rules are even more specific with respect to placebo
controlled designs. If there are recognized treatments
available for a condition, then any new approach needs to be tested
against the best available treatment rather than against
placebo. This is simply a matter of ethics of patient care. One may
not leave patients worse off for being part of a study.


Actually this "policy" has been in place at the United Nations since
1964, and existing FDA and NIH research procedures were
blatantly inconsistent with it. It was as a result of an attempt by
U.S. researchers to establish a beachhead for placebo-trials in
situations where "they don't cause death or disability" that brought
about the opposite effect, an unambiguous stiffening of the
ethical proscription against placebo trials. In view of the fact
that FDA officials made an impassioned case at the WMA meeting
for the legitimacy of placebo-controlled trials, it is all the more
remarkable that they did not include a placebo cohort in the
"Multi-site Study" of ADHD cited in the above study.

With respect to the new research standards, "we" (in the
neurofeedback community) don't stack up badly. There are already
several studies that compare neurofeedback for ADHD with the best
available treatment, i.e. stimulus medication. These are the
studies by Rossiter and LaVaque and the Ph.D. thesis by Thomas
Fuchs. The latter is available on the EEG Spectrum website.
The former can be found on the SNR-JNT website. A comparison with an
active control, in this case an ordinary video game,
is to be found in the Ph.D. thesis by Cartozzo. Ironically, some
behavioral measures responded favorably to the ordinary video
game control, so much so that there was no significant treatment
interaction for those measures!

One may also consider the published report by Lynda and Michael
Thompson as relevant. The cohort of 36 children that was
on medication at the start of neurofeedback could be considered a
kind of "within-subject" medication control. 30 of these 36
children no longer required medication by the end of training.
Finally, the study at Cal Poly in 1985 undertook neurofeedback
with a cohort in which 85% children were medicated, some 15% with
more than one medication. Yet hyperactivity improved at
the 0.01 level of significance in this group with the neurofeedback
training.

For more information on this topic, see the article "Helsinki's New
Clinical Rules: Fewer Placebos, More Disclosure; Science,
290, 20 October 2000, 418-419. www.sciencemag.org
-----end----------------

What's New in Neurofeedback
        A Monthly Summary of News and Events
            Vol. 3 No. 11 - November 2000

      This newsletter is sponsored by EEG Spectrum, Inc.,
a leader in providing clinical service and training professionals.
    Past issues are available at www.eegspectrum.com/newsletter/
Opinions in this newsletter reflect those of the author only.
Copyright (C) 2000 by EEG Spectrum Intl, Inc. All rights reserved.

-------------------------------------------------------
  Announcements      - Thalamocortical dysrhythmia online
  In the Spotlight   - The Ritalin Controversy
  News & Reviews     - Books, journal papers, of interest
  Events & Locations - Conferences, Courses
  Last Word          - Reflections on a Retraction
-------------------------------------------------------

            ANNOUNCEMENTS

  1. Thalamocortical dysrhythmia: A neurological and
neuropsychiatric syndrome characterized by MEG
(full text of December 1999 paper)
- www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/b.cgi?pubmedid=10611366

2. Rehabilitation of Memory Functioning with QEEG-guided Neurotherapy
-www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=11056409

-------------------------------------------------------

            IN THE SPOTLIGHT

           The Ritalin Controversy

          by Siegfried Othmer, Ph.D.

The Los Angeles Times editorialized recently on the lawsuits against
the Ritalin industry. Titled "Detour for Ritalin Issue"
(October 27, 2000), the editors said:

   "A polarizing debate over the growing use of the drug Ritalin
    to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in children
    has now been thrown to the courts. That is the wrong place to
    address this subtle medical issue. What's needed, for a
    start, is government research that might settle the dispute."

Some comments: It is suggested that taking Ritalin to court, by
analogy to tobacco, is not the right remedy for Ritalin overuse.
Instead, answers should be sought in research. Considerably more
parallelism exists between Ritalin and tobacco than just in
this narrow legal arena. What has usually been left out of the
discussion of tobacco is that it can often serve a medicinal purpose
just like Ritalin. Attention Deficit Disorder takes many forms, and
cigarettes are probably a remedy for some forms of the
condition. "It helps me concentrate," is the common report. Others
find that it helps with their anxiety; and yet others use it to
stave off depression, or to suppress anger. Many report improved
mental acuity. Cigarettes, therefore, are not merely delivery
vehicles for a substance that induces dependency. They manage
arousal and attention, as does Ritalin. If the role of tobacco as
a primary resource for self-medication were recognized, it is
doubtful that we would feel quite so good about taking this drug to
the courtroom either. Of course the tobacco companies cannot claim
this particular "high ground," because they don't wish
nicotine to be considered a drug in the usual sense in any event.

Now when it comes to research, it appears that cigarette companies
significantly under-represented the health hazards of
cigarettes over the years. The same can be said for the Ritalin
industry. How is it that after more than forty years of Ritalin use
no large-scale study as ever been performed to monitor the long-term
effects? How is it that the recently completed "Multi-Site
Study" did not meet the gold standard for research design in such
studies? For example, there were no "no-treatment" controls,
and there was no random assignment. Children who had already been on
medication successfully for some time were
introduced into the medication phase of that program. They were
preselected! In the world of science, this is a scandal. Of
course this biased the outcome of the study in favor of medications.
The U.S. Government sponsored this study. Hence the
NIH was a co-conspirator in this flawed design. In any research that
could threaten Ritalin supremacy, these same researchers
would insist on the gold standard being met

This points up the difficulty in simply asking for more research on
Ritalin. The drug companies control the whole process, even
down to their acolytes within the NIMH. There is the same commercial
interest in the case of the Ritalin industry as there is in
the case of the tobacco industry. If flawed research and the
misrepresentation of legitimate research helped make the case for
taking tobacco companies to court, then the same argument can be
made against the Ritalin industry.

The primary complaint about cigarettes of course relates to its
negative health consequences and associated death rates. Now
we also have reports of deaths on Ritalin, and on combinations of
Ritalin with other drugs. These are children dropping dead
from heart failure. One autopsy showed what is commonly known as a
cocaine addict's heart. These children cannot have been
on the drugs for very long. There is every reason to believe that
there could be long-term negative consequences that should be
investigated. But the drug companies and the FDA are in denial. A
couple of years ago, a prominent child psychiatrist at
UCLA, Professor Dennis Cantwell, lamented this state of affairs. He
said, "ADHD may be a terrible thing, but you don't die
from it, and you shouldn't die from the remedy." He was driven to
look for an alternative. He was about to launch upon a major
study of neurofeedback, a very promising non-medication approach to
ADHD, when he succumbed to a heart attack. Without
his involvement, the study never got underway. The drug mentality
still rules. Research under that mentality will likely only
confirm what is already believed.

One difference between tobacco and Ritalin is that the former
induces dependency in its users, whereas the latter primarily
induces dependency in its providers. In fact, most commercially
successful drugs promote such dependency. Therefore one
cannot depend on the drug industry to police itself. Even the FDA is
ultimately the servant of the drug industry. Certainly the
NIMH is captive. For a breath of fresh air, there must be outside
intervention into this incestuous state of affairs. Hence, in the
grand American tradition, a law suit.

It is likely that good law will make for bad science, here as
elsewhere. Science does not flourish in the adversarial climate of
the
courtroom. However, the courtroom is not a bad venue for shedding
light on what may be a very rotten situation.

According to the Los Angeles Times editorial, "[the plaintiffs]
depict as conspiratorial common practices like drug company
funding of a disease advocacy group." The reference is to CHADD. The
editors agree that this is "somewhat troubling." It is no
surprise that an organization like CHADD supports stimulant
medication as a treatment for ADHD. And it is not blameworthy
for doing so. After all, Ritalin does work for many children, and is
a Godsend for some. Where the organization stepped over
the line, it seems to me, is with the overtly hostile attitude it
adopted to any alternatives to Ritalin, such as neurofeedback
training of the brain. After all, there was no research evidence for
such a position. All the existing research was favorable in its
implications. The only valid criticism of the existing body of
research is that it was not all that might have been wanted for such
"large" claims.

Here is where a case can be made that a conspiracy to suppress
alternatives exists. The vigorous, even strident opposition to
neurofeedback has the smell of intellectual dishonesty about it, not
merely of self-interest. Here is where scientists stopped
acting as scientists should, and were using the scientific method
not to elicit the truth but to club emerging ideas into oblivion.
CHADD was in thrall to its own scientific advisers, and turned out
to be a willing pawn in the larger campaign to turn more and
more of our children into lifelong dependency on the pharmacology
enterprise.

See comments in paper at
www.latimes.com/news/comment/20001107/t000106656.html

-------------------------------------------------------

            News & Reviews

NEW BOOKS

Dreaming Souls: Sleep, Dreams, and the Evolution of Mind
by Owen J. Flanagan
      Why do we dream -- from an evolutionary perspective. Does
dreaming convey any discernible adaptive advantage to
the dreaming species? A review of current research on sleep and
dreams and a new theory about the nature and function of
dreaming.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0195126874/top100/

ADHD in Children and Adults
by Paul H. Wender
      Update of Wender's classic handbook on the subject: more case
histories, expanded section on adults, and new
treatments.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0195113489/top100/

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: An Integrative Approach to Evaluation and
Treatment
by Mark A. Demitrack, Susan E. Abbey, Stephen E. Straus
      The latest scientific findings about chronic fatigue syndrome
from the fields of infectious disease and neuropsychology.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1572300388/top100/

Ethical Conflicts in Psychology
by Donald N. Bersoff
      Chapters focus on substantive issues in ethics such as
confidentiality, privilege, assessment, research, and the business of
practice.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/155798591X/top100/

Pathological Gambling: The Making of a Medical Problem
by Brian Castellani
      More than two thirds of adults gamble on a regular basis and
approx. 1.5% of adults gambles excessively. This book
explains how pathological gambling has turned into a medical
disorder in the US.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0791445224/top100/

Asperger Syndrome and Difficult Moments: Practical Solutions for
Tantrums, Rage, and Meltdowns
by Brenda Smith Myles, Jack Southwick
      Practical solutions to the daily challenges facing individuals
with Asperger Syndrome and their families. Strategies to
promote social skills, self-awareness, and calming.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0967251435/top100/

Storming Heaven: LSD and the American Dream
by Jay Stevens
      The history behind the creation and popularity of LSD: from
Harvard to nirvana.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0802135870/top100/

A Neurodevelopmental Approach to Specific Learning Disorders
by Kingsley Whitmore, Hilary Hart, Guy Willems
      Explains how children are evaluated for learning disabilities
such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, and ADHD. The normal
development of the cognitive functions are described as well as the
psychosocial and biologic underpinnings of these disorders.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1898683115/top100/

Care of the Psyche: A History of Psychological Healing
by Stanley W. Jackson
      A history of psychological healing, written by a psychiatrist
and medical historian. The current trend toward biomedicine
should not obscure the importance of human interaction in treating
patients.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0300076711/top100/

Electroshock: Restoring the Mind
by Max Fink
      Written primarily for patient education. The uses, risks, and
technical issues associated with this treatment. When the
electrical power of the brain is not enough...
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0195119568/top100/

Ten Years That Changed the Face of Mental Illness
By Jean Thuillier
      Was the development of psychotherapeutic drugs such as
chlorpromazine and lithium the key advance in mental health of
the past century? This book explores the history of these
inventions.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1853178861/top100/

Youth Violence: Prevention, Intervention, and Social Policy
by Daniel J. Flannery, C. Ronald Huff
      Should youth violence be viewed as a criminal-justice problem
or a mental health issue? Includes neurobiological and
pharmacological issues in the treatment of violent youth.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0880488093/top100/

Difficult Clinical Problems in Psychiatry
by Malcolm Lader, Dieter Naber
      Thirteen articles discuss treatment of difficult psychiatric
conditions, such as schizophrenia, manic-depression,
treatment-resistant depression, OCD, anorexia nervosa, and CFS.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1853175501/top100/
  -------------------------------------------------------

   JOURNAL PAPERS


Neuroimaging in bipolar disorder: what have we learned? : Besides
possible structural abnormalities associated with
bipolar disorder, decreased activity of the prefrontal cortex is
found for bipolar patients during depression, though it is not clear
if these changes are reversed with mania.
  Info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=11018223


Global processing in high-functioning autism and Asperger's
disorder. : Using a global-local identification task (e.g., a
letter outline consists of smaller letters, same or different) the
autism group made more global errors than controls (indicative of
right-hemisphere dysfunction) whereas the Asperger's group did not.
  Info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=11039689


Structural and functional brain development and its relation to
cognitive development. : Recent pediatric neuroimaging
studies suggest that increasing cognitive capacity during childhood
coincides with a gradual loss rather than formation of new
synapses and presumably a strengthening of remaining synaptic
connections.
  Info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=11035225


History, evolution, and diagnosis of premenstrual dysphoric
disorder. : Premenstrual problems with mood and behavior
have been widely known forever, but has been formally recognized
since 1987. Its history and how it differs from other
conditions are reviewed.
  Info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=11041378


Is asperger syndrome/high-functioning autism necessarily a
disability? : Does Asperger syndrome (AS) or
high-functioning autism (HFA) lead to a disability or merely a
"difference"? Two models summarize how these individuals are
"different": the central coherence model, and the folk
psychology-folk physics model.
  Info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=11014749


Early maternal depression on infant-mother attachment : Infants of
depressed mothers often lack secure attachment and
occasionally exhibit avoidant and disorganised attachment.
  Info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=11039686


Effects of nicotine and caffeine on EEG topography : Nicotine
increases EEG power in some higher frequency bands in
some conditions whereas caffeine decreases EEG power across almost
all conditions.
  Info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=11037035


Neuropsychological consequences of abstinence among older alcoholics
: Memory and executive skills only slowly
recover, if at all, with abstinence.
  Info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=11045859


Evidence of an amygdala hypothesis of autism. : A developmental
malformation of the amygdala may underlie
high-functioning autism. These individuals often show enlarged
amygdalas and characteristics assoc. with amygdala damage
(impaired recognition of fear expressions, perception of eye-gaze).
  Info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=11006968


Discussion of developmental plasticity: factors affecting cognitive
outcome after pediatric traumatic brain injury. :
Discusses current research in the context of a model of the numerous
factors influencing recovery after brain injury in children
including brain plasticity.
  Info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=11001160


Neurologic evaluation of violent juveniles. : Argues for a
systematic, meticulous neurologic evaluation of any juvenile who
has acts violently. This evaluation should include tests of
cerebral-cortical function and waking and sleep EEGs, and other
neuroimaging investigations.
  Info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=11005006


Polysomnographic and spectral sleep EEG in primary alcoholis :
Ethnicity interacts with alcohol dependency in prolonged
sleep latency, loss of delta sleep, and short rapid eye movement
(REM) latency. African-American alcoholic patients show
more severe sleep abnormalities than Euro-American alcoholics.
  Info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=11003203


Interhemispheric asymmetry of motor cortical excitability in major
depression : Major depressive disorder patients
show interhemispheric differences in motor threshold due to lower
excitability on the left hemisphere. Controls do not.
  Info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=11026958

   -------------------------------------------------------

   EVENTS & LOCATIONS

    Upcoming Courses

    Comprehensive
    San Antonio, TX - Nov 16-21, 2000
    Encino, CA - Dec 7-12, 2000

    4-Day Beta/SMR - Los Angeles area
    January 18-21
    February 22-25
    March 15-18
    April 19-22
    May 17-20
    June 14-17

    2-day Alpha/Theta - Los Angeles area
    March 24-25
    June 23-24

    Sue Othmer's 2-day Advanced Practicum
    January 6-7 - Los Angeles area
    May 5-6 - East Coast


      More info at www.eegspectrum.com/course

Conferences for Neurofeedback Clinicians & Researchers

-------------------------------------------------------
       CONFERENCE        LOCATION          DATES
   Winter Brain 2001     Miami, FL        Feb 2-6
-------------------------------------------------------

The 9th Annual Winter Brain 2001 Neurofeedback and Brain Sciences
Meeting, Feb 2-6, 2001 Miami FL
    Lectures on Peak Performance, QEEG, ADDHD, Transpersonal
experience,
and more. Selected speakers include Karl
Pribram, Thom Hartmann, Jay Gunkelman, Robert Gurnee, Joel & Judith
Lubar, Sig and Sue Othmer, & Barry Sterman.
Includes 30+ workshops and an exhibit hall.
-------------------------------------------------------

             LAST WORD

     Reflections on a Retraction

          by Siegfried Othmer

A recent issue of Science Magazine (Volume 289,18 August, 2000,
p1137) reflects on yet another report of research fraud.
The editorial observes "So far, the incidents have been concentrated
in the life sciences, particularly basic biomedical research."
Why should this be so? Perhaps it is because of the proximity of the
life sciences to the end product, which is not so much
scientific knowledge as it is medical practice. And medical practice
tends to lean on science much the way the priesthood relies
on sacred text. In medicine, science is more about truth rather than
process. For example, it has been said that "It is no longer
true that neurons don't regenerate." Of course if it is not true
now, then it was never true. The only way the statement makes
sense is that in medicine we are dealing with a provisional truth,
arrived at by concensus, that has a certain declarative validity
quite independent of any true "scientific" basis.

So, in biomedical research, there may be an undue primacy given to
the collective body of declared "truth," and experimental
science is simply marshaled in the service of this truth. If one can
be more efficient in helping nature along in revealing its secrets,
what's the harm, since we know what the answer is anyhow? The
culpable scientist was surely not trying to rewrite the laws of
nature. He was just being a good acolyte in helping the natural
progression of research along its most efficient path.

It is only on this basis that we can understand the visceral
opposition to the claims of neurofeedback within the anointed (or
self-anointed) scientific priesthood. It is not yet within the scope
of what can be believed. The workhorse that is drafted in
support of such thinking is, of course, the long-suffering placebo
effect. In thinking further about the placebo effect, I realize that
it serves the same function in biomedical research as the stork does
in childhood. That is, it deflects the discussion from what is
really being asked. The stork theory does not really answer the
question of where babies come from. And the placebo model
does not really provide an answer to the question of what might be
going on. Both answers instead close the door on the
intended inquiry. Just to bring this analogy closer, I think we
should in future simply stipulate that all vaunted placebo effects
are probably valid, and brought to us by that famous Spanish tenor,
Placebo Degringo. Then we can get back to the real issue of
what is going on. (A debt of thanks to Mark Steinberg.)

It is time, I think to hold our critics up to ridicule for their
position. In the late sixties, Richard Feynman gave his BBC lectures
at Cornell, and the auditorium was filled with people from the
Physics
Department. After the end of one of the lecture, with the
mikes presumably turned off, Feynman carried on. He said, "Physics
is sex; and mathematics is masturbation." This brought
down the house. Experimental science engages with the real world. To
a man, our critics have distanced themselves from any
experimental verification or contradiction of our claims, even
though this could be trivially done. In this regard, then, they
should be classified with the mathematicians.
-------------------------------------------------------

What's New in Neurofeedback
        A Monthly Summary of News and Events
           Vol. 3 No. 10 - October 2000

      This newsletter is sponsored by EEG Spectrum, Inc.,
a leader in providing clinical service and training professionals.
       Past issues are available at www.eegspectrum.com/newsletter/
Information on how to subscribe or cancel a subscription appear at
the end. The opinions related in this newsletter reflect those of the
author only. Copyright (C) 2000 by EEG Spectrum, Inc. All rights
reserved.
-------------------------------------------------------
   Announcements      - New York Times article
   In the Spotlight   - Avoiding one's medication is a crime
   News & Reviews     - Books, journal papers
   Last Word          - Other People's Words
-------------------------------------------------------

            ANNOUNCEMENTS

Some See Hope in Biofeedback for Attention Disorder -
www.nytimes.com/2000/09/26/science/26FEED.html

Among parents, backlash builds to Ritalin -
www.csmonitor.com:80/durable/2000/10/06/p1s4.htm
-------------------------------------------------------

                  IN THE SPOTLIGHT

     Avoiding one's medication is a crime

A father of young children is reported by authorities to Child
Protective Services for taking his seven-year-old son off a
psychotropic drug. Child welfare officials inform the father that
unless he allows his son to be sedated, he risks losing custody
on grounds of neglect. Against his better wishes the father allows
the State to drug his happy and productive son.

The State controls the mental health of its citizens. In order to
promote peace and prosperity, workers are sedated into a
continual near-stupor. Loudspeakers in the home and at work
constantly remind individuals to take the appropriate amount of
sedatives, reminding them that avoiding one's medication is a crime
against the State. At home, the only entertainment is to
watch mindlessly violent programs on the TV.

One story above is fact, one is fiction. One takes place in New York
in the 21st century, the other in an underground colony in
the 25th century. One stars Robert Duvall and was the directoral
debut of George Lucas, the other gets no stars and is directed
by bureaucrats.

After reading about the young father's plight in The Christian
Science Monitor
(www.csmonitor.com:80/durable/2000/10/06/fp1s4-csm.shtml), I was
reminded of an article I wrote two years ago for this
newsletter, "THX-1138: Coming to a School Near You" (Dec 1998).

While the case of the blackmailed father may be extreme, it is not
so rare. As the Monitor reports, "Parents who question the
use of Ritalin increasingly find themselves at odds with educators,
psychologists, and a medical community". What can be done
to stop this disturbing state of affairs? It is stories like these
which make a parent such as myself believe the school district is my
adversary -- an adversary! -- when it comes to the care and
education of my child.

Let's find alternatives to both these policies and treatments of
ADHD.

Nearly 25 years have passed since the neurofeedback training was
first used to remediate ADHD symptoms (Lubar & Shouse,
1976). That much of this work has escaped the recent notice of
psychiatrists and psychologists is surprising given the ever
increasing research into the neuroanatomical and neurophysiological
origins of ADD/ADHD (and just about every other mental
disorder). The recent issue of Journal of Neurotherapy (Volume 4,
Number 1), published by the Haworth Medical Press,
includes an outcome trial that examines the effect of neurofeedback
training on the largest sample of an ADHD/ADD
population yet investigated for neurotherapy results. A total of
1,089 subjects were tested and retested with the TOVA (Test of
Variables of Attention) before and after 20 or more sessions of
SMR-Beta neurofeedback, 186 of these subjects being
diagnosed with ADD/ADHD. Most subjects exhibited attentional
complaints and no differences were found as a result of
diagnosis in these results. Significant clinical improvement was
found in 85 percent of all subjects on one or more measures of
this test. This work should soon be surpassed, with a near-term goal
of achieving a federally-funded research program that
investigates the effects of neurofeedback on hundreds of ADD and
ADHD patients using multiple functional measures, with
significant followup. In the mean time, here are the relevant papers
on this topic:


A Comparison of EEG Biofeedback and Psychostimulants in Treating
AD/HDs.  Thomas P. Rossiter, and Theodore J. La Vaque.
Journal of Neurotherapy, 1, Summer 1995

EEG Biofeedback in the Schools: The Use of EEG Biofeedback to Treat
ADHD in a School Setting.  William D. Boyd, Susan E. Campbell.
Journal of Neurotherapy, 2 (4)

Gates, States, Rhythms, and Resonances: The Scientific Basis of
Neurofeedback.  Andrew Abarbanel
Journal of Neurotherapy, 1 (2)

Improved Neuronal Regulation in ADHD: An Application of 15 Sessions
of Photic-Driven EEG Neurotherapy.  Graham J. Patrick
Journal of Neurotherapy, 1 (4)

Neurotherapy and Drug Therapy in Combination for Adult ADHD,
Personality Disorder, and Seizure.  Hansen, Trudeau, & Grace
Journal of Neurotherapy, 2 (1)

ADHD: Neurological Basis and Treatment Alternatives
Arreed Barabasz and Marianne Barabasz
Journal of Neurotherapy, 1, Summer 1995

Neurological Basis and Neurofeedback Treatment of ADHD
Joel F. Lubar, & Judith O. Lubar, 1995

Patient-Directed Neurofeedback For AD/HD.
Thomas R. Rossiter, Ph.D.
Journal of Neurotherapy, 2 (4)

Event Related Potentials of Subgroups of Children with ADHD and the
Implications for EEG Biofeedback
Michael Linden, Richard Gevirtz, Robert Isenhart, and Todd Fisher
Journal of Neurotherapy, 1 (3)

ADHD. Pharmacotherapy and beyond
Tan G, Schneider SC
Postgrad Med 101 (5): 201-204 (May 1997)

EEG Biofeedback: A New Treatment Option for ADD/ADHD.
Alhambra, Fowler, and Alhambra.
Journal of Neurotherapy, 1 (2)

A controlled study of the effects of EEG biofeedback on cognition
and behavior of children with attention deficit disorder and
learning disabilities.  Linden M, Habib T, Radojevic V
Biofeedback & Self-Regulation 21 (1): 35-49 (Mar 1996)

Evaluation of the effectiveness of EEG neurofeedback training for
ADHD in a clinical setting as measured by changes in
T.O.V.A. scores, behavioral ratings, and WISC-R performance.
Lubar JF, Swartwood MO, Swartwood JN, O'Donnell PH
Biofeedback & Self-Regulation 20 (1): 83-99 (Mar 1995)

Ten-year stability of EEG biofeedback results for a hyperactive boy
who failed fourth grade perceptually impaired class.  Tansey MA
Biofeedback & Self-Regulation 18 (1): 33-44 (Mar 1993)

Discourse on the development of EEG diagnostics and biofeedback for
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders.  Lubar JF
Biofeedback & Self-Regulation 16 (3): 201-225 (Sep 1991)

Electroencephalographic biofeedback of SMR and beta for treatment
of attention deficit disorders in a clinical setting.  Lubar JO, Lubar
JF. Biofeedback & Self-Regulation 9 (1): 1-23 (Mar 1984)

EMG and EEG biofeedback training in the treatment of a 10-year-old
hyperactive boy with a developmental reading disorder.
Tansey MA, Bruner RL
Biofeedback & Self-Regulation 8 (1): 25-37 (Mar 1983)

Operant conditioning of EEG rhythms and ritalin in the treatment of
hyperkinesis.  Shouse MN, Lubar JF
Biofeedback & Self-Regulation 4 (4): 299-312 (Dec 1979)

EEG and behavioral changes in a hyperkinetic child concurrent with
training of the sensorimotor rhythm (SMR): a preliminary
report.  Lubar JF, Shouse MN
Biofeedback & Self-Regulation 1 (3): 293-306 (Sep 1976)
-------------------------------------------------------

                 News & Reviews

NEW BOOKS

Handbook of Clinical Psychopharmacology for Therapists
by John D. Preston, Mary C. Talaga, John H. O'Neal
      Charts and quick references to a broad number of psychiatric
medications; describes the neurobiology of various
psychiatric medications, presumed mechanisms of action of drugs, and
practical treatment guidelines.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1572240946/top100

Handbook of Epilepsy
by Thomas R. Browne, Gregory L. Holmes
      How to manage the various types of epilepsy in adults and
children by means of surgery and the latest drugs.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0316110531/top100

Handbook of Attachment Interventions
by Terry M. Levy
      Specific techniques for treating attachment disordered children
and their families. How attachment disorders relate to
antisocial behavior patterns and other disorders, as well as general
issues parents may encounter with an attachment disordered
child.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0124458602/top100

Neurodevelopmental Disorders
by Helen Tager-Flusberg
      Integration of molecular genetics with developmental cognitive
neuroscience.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/026220116X/top100

Pocket Guide to Brain Injury, Cognitive, and Neurobehavioral
Rehabilitation
by Thomas J. Guilmette
      Pocket-sized guide to neurocognitive phenomena and
interventions for clinicians.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/156593833X/top100

Alcoholism: A Review of its Characteristics, Etiology, Treatment,
and Controversies
by Irving Maltzman
      State-of-the-art research and treatment effectiveness in the
field of alcoholism.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0792386566/top100

Substance and Shadow : Women and Addiction in the United States
by Stephen R. Kandall
      Historical approach to the problem of women and addiction will
flows through society's changing attitudes toward drugs
over the past 100 years.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/067485361X/top100

Exploring the Spectrum of Autism and Pervasive Developmental
Disorders : Intervention Strategies
by Carolyn Murray-Slutsky, Betty Paris
      Comprehensive explanations of the problems encountered in the
autism spectrum and specific intervention strategies.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/076165500X/top100

Pocket Guide to the Twelve Steps
by Kathleen S.
      Guide to the 12 step process.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0895948648/top100
-------------------------------------------------------

                JOURNAL PAPERS

Diurnal variation in the quantitative EEG in healthy adult
volunteers. : QEEG recordings (eyes open and closed) taken
at 2-hr intervals throughout the day in 18 subjects revealed
circadian rhythms in theta, low alpha, and low beta wavebands.
Time of day confounds QEEG analysis and must be controlled for.
              Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10886113

The EEG consistency index as a measure of ADHD and responsiveness to
medication. : An EEG Consistency Index
during the transition between two easy cognitive tasks
differentiated ADHD from non-ADHD boys.
              Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10999232

Tourette's syndrome in children: neurological, neuropsychological
and psychiatric issues. : Reviews the complex
interplay of clinical features of TS. The high psychiatric
comorbidity (notably OCD and ADHD) is discussed along with the
range of treatments
              Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10965776


Substance dependence, family history of alcohol dependence and
neuropsychological functioning in adolescence. :
Family history of alcohol dependence and adolescent substance use
are separate risk factors for poorer neuropsychological
performance in youth, particularly in language and attentional
functions.
              Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10962769


Autism as a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting communication and
learning in early childhood: prenatal
origins, post-natal course and effective educational support. : The
importance of time, rhythm and temporal processing in
brain function as it relates to autism. He suggests thepotential
importance of empathetic support and music therapy in helping
autistic children.
              Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10970712


The mnemonic effects of kindling. : Kindling can alter performance
on a variety of tasks including those that require spatial
cognition, aversive conditioning, and object-related cognition
              Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10974354


Spontaneous remission from alcohol, tobacco, and other drug abuse :
Health concerns, social pressure, and
extraordinary events often initiate spontaneous remission whereas
social support, non-drug-using friendships, and identity
transformation help maintain the change.
              Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10976668


Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: perspectives from
neuroimaging. : According to recent neuroimaging studies,
dysfunction in arousal, inhibition, and attention may result from
structural abnormalities in frontostriatal regions.
              Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10982499


Chronic pain and neuropsychological functioning. : Chronic pain
often results in neuropsychological impairment,
particularly on measures of attention, processing speed, and
psychomotor speed.
              Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10983898


Autonomic dysregulation in panic disorder and in PTSD : Differences
in autonomic regulation, as measured by heart rate
variability, are reported for PTSD and panic disorder.
              Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10980322


Functional neuroimaging and the neuroanatomy of OCD : Reviews
functional neuroimaging studies of OCD, particularly
of the orbitofrontal-subcortical circuitry. Phenotypic heterogeneity
may underline inconsistencies among past studies.
              Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10986728


Emotional and cognitive components of alexithymia and dependency in
alcoholics. : Alcoholics often possess a
cognitive style characterized by externally oriented thinking,
affirmation of autonomy as denial of emotional dependency, and
field dependence.
              Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10980327


Circadian rhythms: interactions with seizures and epilepsy. :
Seizures are susceptible to circadian modulation, and thus
experimental research must take into account time-of-day effects on
seizure threshold and occurrence.
              Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10996505
-------------------------------------------------------

               EVENTS & LOCATIONS

       Upcoming Comprehensive Courses

           San Antonio, TX - Nov 16-21, 2000
           Encino, CA      - Dec 7-12, 2000

           Calabassas, CA (4-Day Beta/SMR)
                 January 25-28, 2001
                 February 22-25, 2001
                 March 15-18, 2001

          More info at www.eegspectrum.com/course

Conferences for Neurofeedback Clinicians & Researchers

The 9th Annual Winter Brain 2001 Neurofeedback and Brain Sciences
Meeting, Feb 2-6, 2001 Miami FL. Lectures on Peak Performance, QEEG,
ADHD, Transpersonal experience,  and more. Selected speakers include
KarlPribram, Thom Hartmann, Jay Gunkelman, Robert Gurnee, Joel &
Judith Lubar, Sig and Sue Othmer, & Barry Sterman.
Includes 30+ workshops and an exhibit hall.
-------------------------------------------------------

                     Last Word

                Other People's Words

This month other people speak. Thanks, gang.

The more you use your brain, the more brain you will have to use. --
George A. Dorsey

The brain is a wonderful organ. It starts working the moment you get
up in the morning and does not stop until you get into the
office. -- Robert Frost

Estimated amount of glucose used by an adult human brain each day,
expressed in M&Ms: 250 -- Harper's Index, October 1989

Aristotle taught that the brain exists merely to cool the blood and
is not involved in the process of thinking. This is true only of
certain persons. -- Will Cuppy

A mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its original
dimension. --Oliver Wendell Holmes

A scientist will never show any kindness for a theory which he did
not start himself. -- Mark Twain

If little else, the brain is an educational toy. --Tom Robbins

To repeat what others have said, requires education; to challenge
it, requires brains. --Mary Pettibone Poole

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought
without accepting it. Aristotle

Always bear in mind that your own resolution to success is more
important than any other one thing. -- Abraham Lincoln

If confusion is the first step to knowledge, I must be a genius. --
Larry Leissner

Success is more a function of consistent common sense than it is of
genius. -- An Wang

Ideas must work through the brains and arms of men, or they are no
better than dreams. --Ralph Waldo Emerson

If the brain were so simple we could understand it, we would be so
simple we couldn't. --Lyall Watson

I not only use all the brains that I have, but all that I can
borrow. --Woodrow Wilson

The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four Americans is
suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of your
three best friends. If they're okay, then it's you. --Rita Mae Brown

The renown which riches or beauty confer is fleeting and frail;
mental excellence is a splendid and lasting possession. --Sallust
(c.34 BC)

Emancipate yourself from mental slavery/None but ourselves can free
our minds. --Bob Marley

The human mind treats a new idea the same way the body treats a
strange protein; it rejects it. -- P. B. Medawar

There are three kinds of death in this world. There's heart death,
there's brain death, and there's being off the network. --Guy
Almes

Your paradigm is so intrinsic to your mental process that you are
hardly aware of its existence, until you try to communicate
with someone with a different paradigm. --Donella Meadows

Neurosis is the inability to tolerate ambiguity. -- Sigmund Freud
-----end----------------

What's New in Neurofeedback

        A Monthly Summary of News and Events

             Vol. 3 No. 9 - September 2000

      This newsletter is sponsored by EEG Spectrum, Inc.,
a leader in providing clinical service and training professionals.

       Past issues are available at www.eegspectrum.com/newsletter/
Information on how to subscribe or cancel a subscription appear at
the end. The opinions related in this newsletter reflect those of
the author only. Copyright (C) 2000 by EEG Spectrum, Inc. All rights
reserved.

-------------------------------------------------------
   Announcements      - Legal Wranglings over Ritalin
   In the Spotlight   - 8th Annual SNR Conference
   News & Reviews     - Books, journal papers, of interest
   Events & Locations - Conferences, Courses
   Last Word          - NIH and BBWII
-------------------------------------------------------


           Announcements

      A Diagnosis Excess? A Lawsuit Alleges Attention Deficit
Disorder Is Over-Diagnosed -
abcnews.go.com/sections/living/DailyNews/ritalin_lawsuit0808.html

      Class action lawsuit against manufacturers of Ritalin, APA, and
CHADD - www.ritalinfraud.com/

      NF in Reader's Digest -
www.readersdigest.com/rdmagazine/specfeat/archives/altheal2.asp

   -------------------------------------------------------

                            In the Spotlight

            Society for Neuronal Regulation's 8th Annual Conference

I am very disappointed about the upcoming conference of the Society
for Neuronal Regulation (SNR). I am disappointed that I
will NOT be able to attend their eighth annual conference, which
will be held this month in cooling clime of St. Paul, Minnesota.
(I have to hang around Southern California for the birth of my 3rd
child... a pretty good excuse.) SNR conferences usually
include the best this field has to offer: the talks and those giving
the talks are first-rate, making the conferences very productive
but it is the people, the social atmosphere and the beautiful
localities that all together create an unforgettable experience.
It's not
too late to attend! But bring a few sweater as late September lows
hover near 40 degrees.

Past conferences have been held in gorgeous places, including Aspen,
Colorado, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and the
incomparable Austin, Texas.

Much of the research at recent SNR conferences have centered around
the growing role of QEEG assessment in
neurofeedback. Fortunately, those of us who cannot make the trip to
the Land of 10,000 Lakes can still follow the happenings
online at http://www.snr-jnt.org/NewsPlus/2000/2k-index.htm. Since
1995 SNR has published its presentation abstracts online
and they include a wealth of data and information, as you can see:

            ----
Selected Presentations from 1995 to 2000
(links to abstracts  available at
http://www.eegspectrum.com/newsletter/sep2000.htm )

       ADHD/ADD

Electrophysiological Indicators of ADHD and Mood Disorders- Bars,
  Donald R.; F. La Marr Heyrend, C Dene Simpson; James C Munger; &
Tracy McDonald
The Relationship of Adult EEG Characteristics During Cognitive
Performance to Attention Deficit Disorder. (Poster)- Broussard, M
Neurofeedback Training and Attention Disorders in an Elementary
School Setting - Carmody CP, Jose Quintela, Diane C.
Radvanski, Mary Jo Sabo, & Jim Giorgi
Quantitative EEG Profiles of Children with Attention and Learning
Disorders and the Role of QEEG in Predicting Medication
Response and Outcome - Chabot RJ
Quantitative EEG profiles and LORETA imaging of children with
attention deficit and learning disorders. - Chabot RJ, Flavia
Di Michele, E.R. John & P Valdes
The Use of the Tests of Variables of Attention (T.O.V.A.s) in the
Diagnosis and Treatment of Attention Disorders - Lawrence M.
Greenberg
Electrophysiological Assessment of Frontal Lobe Function in ADD/ADHD
with EEG/qEEG and EP. - Gunkelman J
QEEG based subtypes of Adult ADHD and Implications for Treatment-
Gurnee RL
QEEG Based Diagnosis and Treatmentof Normal and Elevated Beta
Subtypes of ADD - Gurnee RL
A Two-Group Study of the Use of Neurofeedback for Remediating ADHDin
a Public Elementary School Setting - Hutchinson J & Julian Isaacs
Attentional synchrony: A novel method to index attention with qEEG -
Kaiser DA
More New QEEG data about ADHD and response to therapy. - Lubar JF
Neurological Basis and Neurofeedback Treatment of ADHD- Lubar JF &
Lubar JO
Findings of ADHD in an Adult PSUD Treatment Population. - Rubin Y &
Trudeau DL
Audio/Visual Stimulation Program For Children With Attention Deficit
Disorder and Reading Difficulties - Siever D & Michael Joyce.
ADD Subtypes in QEEG with Multi-State Analysis - M. Barry Sterman
Neurofeedback Combined with Training in Metacognitive Strategies:
Effectiveness in Students with ADD- Thompson L & Thompson M
How We Get Positive Results with Complex ADD Clients- Thompson L &
Thompson M
QEEG Findings of ADHD and chronic PSUD substance associated
neurotoxicity. - Trudeau DL
Quantitative Electroencephalography and Neuropsychological
Assessment of Adult ADHD - J. Noland White Jr., Joel F. Lubar, &
Teresa A. Hutchens
Electrophysiological Indicators of ADHD and Mood Disorders- Bars,
Donald R.; F. La Marr Heyrend, C Dene Simpson;
James C Munger; & Tracy McDonald

Addiction

Reward Deficiency Syndrome: Electro-Physiological and Biogenetic
Evidence- Blum K
The Case for Alpha-Theta: A dynamic Hemispheric Asymmetry Model -
Budzynski T
Neurofeedback in major depression associated to addictions - a case
study. - Ibric VL
Alpha-theta feedback in groups; new equipment and findings. - Isaacs
J
QEEG-Driven Neurotherapy with a Child Born Crack-Addicted - DeLuca JW
Experiments on Brainwave Therapy for Alcoholism - Kulkosky PJ
Alpha-Theta brainwave biofeedback is not specific to the production
of theta/ alpha crossover. (Poster)- Moore JP, Trudeau DL
Augmenting Chemical Dependency Treatment with Neurofeedback Training
-
Scott W & Kaiser DA
Individualizing EEG Biofeedback in Addictive Disorders - Trudeau DL
QEEG Findings of ADHD and chronic PSUD substance associated
neurotoxicity. - Trudeau DL

Depression & Anxiety

Electrophysiological Indicators of ADHD and Mood Disorders- Bars,
Donald R.; F. La Marr Heyrend, C Dene Simpson;
James C Munger; & Tracy McDonald
10 Hz Elevations as the Core of Eyes Open Alpha in ADD, Chronic
Fatigue, Depression - Brown VW
EEG Based Subtypes of Anxiety (GAD) and Treatment Implications -
Gurnee RL
Roshi Compared with the Rosenfeld Depression Protocol:A Case Report -
Hammond DC
Neurofeedback in major depression associated to addictions - a case
study. - Ibric VL
EEG Asymmetry and Depression Severity:A Comparison of Various
Asymmetry Measures - Lawson R & Tim Barnes
A Comparison of EEG Asymmetry Measures as Predictors of Depression
Severity - Lawson R, Timothy Barnes, Eugenia
Bodenhamer-Davis
Relationship between depression severity and overall EEG
abnormality. - Lawson, Robert & Rogers, Randy.
The magic of bipolar recording. - Sams M
QEEG Relationships With the MMPI-2 Depression Scale and Subscales -
deBeus R

Traumatic Brain Injury, Stroke

Neuro-Neural Rehabilitation (NNR) - Hudspeth WJ
Neurofeedback for the reduction of spastic paralysis in stroke. -
Montgomery, Penny S.,
Binocular Vision and Mild Traumatic Brain Injury - Nash JK
EEG Training on 71 Year Old Female Stroke Patient - Putman J
EEG Changes on TBI Patients with Attention Deficits After Cognitive
Rehabilitation Using Computerized Program for
Attentional Skills - S Stathopoulou, JF Lubar
An EEG Severity Index of Traumatic Brain Injury - Thatcher RW
Biophysical Integration of MRI, EEG and Cognition in Traumatic Brain
Injury - Thatcher RW, C. Biver, R. McAlaster, M. Camacho & A.M.
Salazar
Head Injury - Thornton K
Data on head injury and memory functioning from simultaneous
recording of activation and QEEG - Thornton K
How Brain Injury Disturbs the Communication, and How EEG Biofeedback
Might Normalize Communication in the Injured Brain- Walker JE
EEG Coherence Training Based on QEEG Abnormalities in Patients with
Closed Head Injury (Poster)- Walker JE

QEEG

To Q or Not to Q: Use of a Fibromyalgia Case Study in the Discussion
of the Relative Merits of QEEG-Based and
Behavior-Based Protocols - deBeus M
Electroencephalographic (EEG) Data from and Individual Experiencing
Anomalous Mental Phenomena: A Case Study -Alexander CH
Part I, Comparison of the Reading Tasks to the Eyes Open Baseline -
Efthymios Angelakis
QEEG of College Students During Reading Tasks that Characterize
Subtypes of Dyslexia - E Angelakis, JF Lubar, P
Vanlandingham, S Stathopoulou, J Blackburn, & K Towler
Correlations of IQ, Attentional, Reading, and Calculation
Performance to EEG Coherence During Rest and Reading -
Efthymios Angelakis, Joel F. Lubar, & Jon Frederick
The Use of Pre and Post QEEG Data to Evaluate Therapy Results - Elsa
Baehr
Visual Evoked Potentials and Explosive Behaviors:A Brain Signature
Response - Donald R. Bars; F. LaMarr Heyrend, Dene Simpson
Electrophysiological Indicators of ADHD and Mood Disorders- Bars,
Donald R.; F. La Marr Heyrend, C Dene Simpson;
James C Munger; & Tracy McDonald
The Relationship of Adult EEG Characteristics During Cognitive
Performance to Attention Deficit Disorder. (Poster)-
Broussard, Michael
Identical Twins: One has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - Can QEEG
Discriminate? - Budzynski ,Thomas & Helen Kogan Budzynski,
Quantitative EEG Profiles of Children with Attention and Learning
Disorders and the Role of QEEG in Predicting Medication
Response and Outcome - Chabot RJ
Quantitative EEG profiles and LORETA imaging of children with
attention deficit and learning disorders. - Chabot RJ, Flavia
Di Michele, E.R. John & P Valdes
Abnormal QEEG'S in chronic fatigue syndrome patients. - Crago,Robert
Filterering the EEG; A Matter of Compromise - Deits, Frank.
Abnormal QEEG Patterns Associated with Dissociation and Violence. -
Evans, James R
EEG Coherence Effects of Reading Task Conditions in Young Adults-
Jon Frederick
Effects of Dominant and Twice-Dominant Alpha FrequencyAudiovisual
Stimulation On EEG Coherence - Jon A. Frederick,
Deanna L. Timmermann, JF Lubar, & Jared Blackburn
The Effect of Montage on Apparent Frontal Alpha - Gunkelman J
Electrophysiological Assessment of Frontal Lobe Function in ADD/ADHD
with EEG/qEEG and EP. - Gunkelman J
Lambda EEG activity. - Gunkelman J
QEEG based subtypes of Adult ADHD and Implications for Treatment-
Gurnee RL
EEG Based Subtypes of Anxiety (GAD) and Treatment Implications -
Gurnee RL
QEEG Based Diagnosis and Treatmentof Normal and Elevated Beta
Subtypes of ADD - Gurnee RL
EEG Patterns Associated with High Hypnotizability: Practical
Clinical Implications - Hammond DC
QEEG and the Neurophysiology of Consciousness - John ER, Leslie
Prichep
QEEG-Driven Neurotherapy with a Child Born Crack-Addicted - DeLuca JW
Attentional synchrony: A novel method to index attention with qEEG.
- Kaiser DA
Relative Advantages of the NYU and Thatcher Databasesin Clinical
Decision Making - Lawson R & Eugenia
Bodenhamer-Davis
EEG Asymmetry and Depression Severity:A Comparison of Various
Asymmetry Measures - Lawson R & Tim Barnes
Some Issues in the Development of Standards of Practice for Using
QEEGin Neurotherapy Protocol Selection - Lawson R,
Eugenia Bodenhamer-Davis
A Comparison of EEG Asymmetry Measures as Predictors of Depression
Severity - Lawson R, Timothy Barnes, Eugenia Bodenhamer-Davis
Relationship between depression severity and overall EEG
abnormality. - Lawson, Robert & Rogers, Randy.
More New QEEG data about ADHD and response to therapy. - Lubar JF
Evaluating the Prevalence of the Mu Rhythm in an Adolescent,
Psychiatric Population - McDonald T & Don Bars,
EEG and Executive Processing - Karl H. Pribram
QEEG and Psychiatric Treatment Outcome: The Relationship Between
Quantitative EEG (QEEG)- Prichep LS
QEEG based treatment response prediction in OCD, dementia, and crack
cocaine substance use disorder. - Prichep LS,
Chabot RJ, & John ER
Detection of Deception Using Evoked Potentials - Rosenfeld JP
Part II, Eyes Open Baseline Before Tasks Versus Counterbalanced with
Tasks - Stamatina Stathopoulou
EEG Changes on TBI Patients with Attention Deficits After Cognitive
Rehabilitation Using Computerized Program for
Attentional Skills - S Stathopoulou, JF Lubar
ADD Subtypes in QEEG with Multi-State Analysis - Sterman MB
Operant Conditioning or Conditioned Operation - Sterman MB
Topographic Analysis of Spectral Density Co-Variation:A New Tool for
Clinical Assessment - Sterman MB
EEG: What's Wrong with This Picture? - Sterman MB
Quantitative EEG Research with Precociously Reading Children: The
Importance of Alpha Peak Frequency - Shannon Suldo
An EEG Severity Index of Traumatic Brain Injury - Thatcher RW
How to Do 3-Dimensional EEG Biofeedback Using LORETA - Thatcher RW
The Clinical Significance of EEG Coherence - Thatcher RW
New data on QEEG and QMRI findings in TBI: implications for
neurotherapy. - Thatcher RW
Biophysical Integration of MRI, EEG and Cognition in Traumatic Brain
Injury - R.W. Thatcher, C. Biver, R. McAlaster, M.
Camacho & A.M. Salazar
Data on head injury and memory functioning from simultaneous
recording of activation and QEEG . - Thornton, Kirtley
Psychopathological evaluation of Children and Adolescents: Case
Studies involving QEEG. - Towler K, M Wintersteen, D
Rogers, L Porter, JF Lubar, & R Wahler
QEEG Findings of ADHD and chronic PSUD substance associated
neurotoxicity. - Trudeau DL
QEEG Findings in Reactive Attachment Disorder- Van Bloem L
EEG Coherence Training Based on QEEG Abnormalities in Patients with
Closed Head Injury (Poster)- Walker JE
Quantitative Electroencephalography and Neuropsychological
Assessment of Adult ADHD - J. Noland White Jr., Joel F.
Lubar, & Teresa A. Hutchens
QEEG evaluation doubles the rate of clinical success. Series data
and case studies. - Wright, Colin & Gunkelman J
To Q or Not to Q: Use of a Fibromyalgia Case Study in the Discussion
of the Relative Merits of QEEG-Based and
Behavior-Based Protocols - deBeus, Mary
Implications for Neurofeedback of a QEEG Study with the Wisconsin
Card Sorting Test - deBeus M
QEEG Relationships With the MMPI-2 Depression Scale and Subscales -
deBeus R
The Effects of Music Training on the QEEG of Preschool Children. -
deBeus R

Cognitive Evaluation

Correlations of IQ, Attentional, Reading, and Calculation
Performance to EEG Coherence During Rest and Reading -
Efthymios Angelakis, JF Lubar, & Jon Frederick
Relationship Between Performance on a Continuous Performance Task,
Grade Point Average, and Self-Report Scales of
Cognitive and Neuropsychological Functioning- A Braaten
Impact of SMR/Beta Training on Neurocognitive Performance - Kaiser DA
Specificity of Neurofeedback for Cognitive Deficits - Kaiser DA
Ability to Maintain and Sustain Attentiveness and Impulsive Control
with Neurofeedback. (Poster)- Othmer S, & Kaiser DA
Resonance and Affinity: A New Model to Explain How the Brain
Processes and Executes Cognitive Information - Sams MW
EEG Changes on TBI Patients with Attention Deficits After Cognitive
Rehabilitation Using Computerized Program for
Attentional Skills - S Stathopoulou, JF Lubar
Biophysical Integration of MRI, EEG and Cognition in Traumatic Brain
Injury - R.W. Thatcher, C. Biver, R. McAlaster, M. Camacho & A.M.
Salazar
Neurofeedback Combined with Training in Metacognitive
Strategies:Effectiveness in Students with ADD- Thompson L & Thompson
M
Part III, Correlation of the Eyes Closed Data with IVA, WAIS-III, &
Woodcock-Johnson Tests- P Vanlandingham, J
Frederick, S Stathopoulou, JF Lubar & E Angelakis

Other Interesting papers

Human Potential: The Significance of Brainwave Training- E Green
Neurofeedback in the New Millennium: The Quest for Transformation in
Body, Mind, and Spirit - Kirk L
An Integrated Program for Enhancing Peak Performance- Rae Tattenbaum
Exceptional Results with 'Exceptional Children'- Thompson L &
Thompson
M
QEEG Findings in Reactive Attachment Disorder- Van Bloem L
The work of D.A. Quirk - von Hilsheimer G

-------------------------------------------------------
    News & Reviews

NEW BOOKS


Fisch and Spehlmann's EEG Primer
by Bruce J. Fisch, MD
      The laboratory manual: presents fundamentals of EEG technology
and interpretation; reviews new digital EEG
technology and clinical correlations.

Post-Traumatic Stress Theory: Research and Application
by John Harvey, Brian E. Pauwels
      Current research and theory on PTSD; from rape survivors,
soldiers of war, victims of child abuse, and death of a loved
one.

The Hidden Disorder: A Clinician's Guide to ADHD in Adults
by Robert J. Resnick
      Clinical guidance on etiology, differential diagnosis,
assessment, and treatment.

Intractable Focal Epilepsy
by John Oxbury, Charles E. Polkey, Michael Duchowny
      History, pathology and treatment of the conditions underlying
intractable seizures.

International Perspectives on Child and Adolescent Mental Health
by N. Singh, Jin Pang Leung, A. Singh
      Latest research on treatment outcomes from child-centered,
family-focused service delivery systems, where mental
health services are provided in the context of the child's family
and social environment.

The Neuropsychiatry of Limbic and Subcortical Disorders
by Stephen Salloway, Paul Malloy
      Collection of papers on functional neuroanatomy of limbic and
subcortical systems, including limbic system and
neuropsychiatric syndromes.

The Humanizing Brain: Where Religion and Neuroscience Meet
by James B. Ashbrook, Carol Rausch Albright, Anne Harrington
      Why does the brain's drive to seek meaning, in both reality and
religion; two theologians review modern neuroscience
research for the layperson.

Critical Decisions in Headache Management
by Rose Giammarco MD, John Edmeads MD, David Dodick MD
      Assessing & treating adult and pediatric headache patients,
including management of different types of headaches such as
tension, migraine, cluster, and inflammatory headaches.

Stress, Stress Hormones and the Immune System
by Julia C. Buckingham, Glenda E. Gillies
      The relationship between the brain-neuroendocrine and immune
systems is explored and explained.

-------------------------------------------------------


   JOURNAL PAPERS

Diurnal variation in the quantitative EEG in healthy adult
volunteers. : QEEG recordings (eyes open and closed) taken
at 2-hr intervals throughout the day in 18 subjects revealed
circadian rhythms in theta, low alpha, and low beta wavebands.
Time of day confounds QEEG analysis and must be controlled for.
      Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10886113


Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in adults: an overview. :
The validity of ADHD in adults is still under investigation,
despite an emerging neuroimaging literature that indicates
abnormalities in the same brain regions underlying both child and
adult
forms of the disorder.
      Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10913503


Effect of depression on neuropsychological functioning in head
injury: measurable but minimal. : Regardless of
severity, depression results in a small decline in
neuropsychological functioning, particularly in visual attention and
psychomotor
skills.
      Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10914644


Adult brain neurogenesis and psychiatry: a novel theory of
depression. : The authors hypothesize that neurogenesis
(birth of new neurons) in the hippocampus marks the the
precipitation of and recovery from episodes of clinical depression.
      Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10889528


High frequency waking EEG: reflection of a slow ultradian rhythm in
daytime arousal. : A slow ultradian rhythm (with
a period of 3 to 4 hours) strongly modulates EEG power in all
frequency bands between 1 and 44.5 Hz.
      Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10923675


Predictive power of frontal lobe tests in the diagnosis of ADHD :
Abnormal scores on certain tests of frontal lobe
function may reflect ADHD, but sensitivity was poor, meaning they
should not be used as the sole criteria for diagnostic
classification.
      Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10937644


Virtual lesions and the not-so-modular brain. : Cognitive
neuropsychology has generally posited modularity of brain
function; however a review of 36 functional neuroimaging studies
suggests that functions are distributed over multiple regions;
most brain regions are multifunctional.
      Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10932482


Psychiatric disorders among drug dependent subjects: are they
primary or secondary? : Antisocial personality disorder
and phobias have onsets prior to drug dependence whereas generalized
anxiety disorder onsets after, and depression is evenly
divided between earlier and later onsets relative to drug
dependence.
      Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10934574


Patterns of psychiatric comorbidity with
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. : One-fifth or more of
children with
ADHD also suffer from a learning disorder, one that is independent
of the disorder. Many children with ADHD are also
severely emotionally labile, which may result in serious management
issues for the clinician.
      Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10944655


Correlation of EEG asymmetry and hypnotic susceptibility. : Hypnotic
susceptibility appears to correlat with
parieto-temporal asymmetry.
      Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10943657


Executive processing and ADHD: the supervisory attentional system. :
ADHD group are impaired on tasks that require
the inhibition of a strongly triggered response compared to learning
disabled and normal children.
      Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10955201


Can traumatic brain injury cause psychiatric disorders? : Traumatic
brain injury is strongly associated with mood and
anxiety disorders, but not substance abuse or schizophrenia.
      Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10956565


Neuropsychological function in psychotic and affective disorders. :
Memory deficits may discriminate between
schizophrenia and other psychotic or mood disorders whereas
executive abilities did not differ between psychotic and affective
disorders.
      Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10951607


Reported chronic insomnia is independent of poor sleep as measured
by EEG : Chronic insomnia does not predict poor
EEG sleep, although both are associated independently with
dysphoria, hyperarousal, diminished waking function, and poor
sleep quality. Separate arousal and sleep systems may explain these
similarities.
      Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10949091
  -------------------------------------------------------

Events & Locations

  Weekend Advanced Workshops for Neurofeedback Professionals

  EEG Spectrum Intl is offering a series of workshops addressing
topics of interest to professionals working in
  the field of neurofeedback. Class size is limited to 25 to allow
for informal interaction.
Psychopharmacology, Nutrition, and Neurofeedback
Bruce Goderez, M.D.
Boston, MA     Sep 23-24, 2000

Beta/SMR Skills Enhancement & Case Review
Sue Othmer, BCIA
Encino CA     Oct 7-8, 2000

              -------------------
   For information, call EEG Spectrum Intl at 818-789-3456 x 810 or
email training@...

      PREREQUISITES FOR EITHER PRACTICUM:
      Completion of 1 EEG Spectrum Biofeedback Training Course for
Professionals
      EEG Biofeedback experience using NeuroCybernetics
Instrumentation

  Upcoming Comprehensive Courses
    Calabassas, CA (LA area) - Oct 12-17   San Antonio, TX - Nov
16-21   Encino, CA - Dec 7-12
    More info at www.eegspectrum.com/course
-------------------------------------------------------
      Conferences for Neurofeedback Clinicians & Researchers

CONFERENCE   LOCATION   DATES
SNR     St Paul, MN   Sep 20 - 24

-------------------------------------------------------

      Last Word

     NIH and BBWII

Just a brief observation this month.

Behavioral scientists working with NASA recently adapted a
neurofeedback program so that it could impinge on
the gaming characteristics of mass market video games. The authors
suggest that this technological advance
should prove to be more successful than current systems in use,
primarily because the patients (here, children
with ADHD or ADD) enjoy playing these games and regularly return to
do so. This story, and how the science
media soaked it up, has revealed to me a new principle of science.
That principle is BBWII.

Unlike the principles of BBWII, the principles of conditioning can
be learned from a book. They have been
known for quite some time now. Thanks to people such as Thorndike
and Skinner, we know what works well,
and what doesn't, when it comes to conditioning our neighbors, our
pets, and ourselves. For instance, how best
to make a friend. Performing a favor for another doesn't do it, but
reverse the relationship and get that person to
do you a favor, and you're well on your way. It may not be entirely
obvious what principles of conditioning are
at work in this seemingly counter-intuitive approach to
friend-making, but when we investigate it a bit, it becomes
clear (we rarely put ourselves out for people we dislike, or so we
tell ourselves). Conditioning is a fact of life,
and operant conditioning is a powerful means to an end.

Partly due to its power, the rules of operant conditioning have long
since been discerned to the nth degree.
Sadly, from my perspective, these principles are rarely heeded in
the development of neurofeedback programs.
Conditioning any behavior, including brain waves, can best attained
by following a few procedures: discrete
events, rewarded half a second after response, within the context of
a variable ratio reward schedule and partial
reinforcement. It's rare when a neurofeedback developer invokes even
one of these factors in his or her technology.

The current media darling is no exception, and possibly worse. Yet
what troubles me more is the incredible rapid
attention, national and prominent, which the "NASA" system received
after its PR was released. You may have
heard of the NIH mentality -- "not invented here." Ingroup and
outgroup is a way of life, even in science,
especially when it comes to funding. Not invented here, not to be
funded by us. BBWII is a variant of NIH, and
it appears to be running the show at the moment in this example.
BBWII -- "Better Because We Invented It"

The current level of interest in this feedback system, which
includes a recent mention in the prestigious journal
Science, along with numerous articles in local and national
newspapers, is entirely unfounded in my opinion. No
one is reporting a significant improvement in clinical efficacy
(that might well warrant some attention). Instead the
NASA team has announced that they have, in a sense, upgraded some of
the current technology, using a couple
of cables, some software programming, and a few off-the-shelf
videogames. This they wants us to hail as a
breakthrough. Better than all current systems in use, they argue.
And without a shread of clinical evidence in their
favor. Their research -- excuse me, their feat of engineering, not
research as no clinical study has yet been
completed by this team (has any outcome data even been collected
yet?). Are we to celebrate? The media calls it a success already. The
powers that be strongly support it. And I call it
for what it is: not science reporting, but a decree.

-DK
-------------------------------------------------------

What's New in Neurofeedback
A Monthly Summary of News and Events
    Vol. 3 No. 8 - August 2000

This newsletter is sponsored by EEG Spectrum Intl, Inc.,
a leader in providing clinical service and training professionals.
Past issues are available at www.eegspectrum.com/newsletter/
Information on how to subscribe or cancel a subscription appear at
the end. The opinions related in this newsletter reflect those of the
author only. Copyright (C) 2000 by EEG Spectrum Intl, Inc. All rights
reserved.


---------------------------------------------------------------------
Announcements      - Neurofeedback in the News
In the Spotlight   - Prozac Backlash
News & Reviews     - Books, journal papers, of interest
Events & Locations - Conferences, Courses
Last Word          - Reactive Attachment Disorder
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Announcements

A Symphony in the Brain - NY Times Book Review -
www10.nytimes.com:80/books/00/07/30/bib/000730.rv121314.html

Nonprofit Clinical Trials in ADHD -
www.sciam.com:80/2000/0800issue/0800letters.html

Hartford Advocate NF article -
www.hartfordadvocate.com/articles/mindcontrol.html

---------------------------------------------------------------------

       In the Spotlight

       EEG and the Sun
      (Two years later)

August is a month associated with the Sun, a time for escaping the
heat and taking vacations from work. Not only does the nearby star
dictate our whereabouts this time of year, be it the beach or an
air-conditioned hotel room, it dominates most processes within six
trillion miles or so. And human EEG is no exception.

Because humans evolved on a spinning planet, it shouldn't be
surprising that most of our biological rhythms are synchronized with
the rotation period of terra firma. However some continue to question
whether EEG exhibits circadian effects. Does EEG activity wax and
wane with the positions of the Sun? And if so, what relevance may it
hold for neurofeedback and QEEG evaluations?

The first paper to identify circadian effects in the EEG was
published
during the Nixon administration (Scheich, 1969). More appeared in the
mid-80s. Six years ago I presented ample evidence of the Sun's
influence on a wide range of frequency activity (Kaiser and Sterman,
1994). More than 130 subjects, recorded at various times across the
day, showed prominent ultradian and semi-circadian effects in
multiple
frequency bands. For example, alpha activity at recording site Pz
shows the following:

[Graph located at www.eegspectrum.com/newsletter/aug2000.htm]

Over the years a few scientists have questioned my data and
suspected that any circadian rhythm apparent in the EEG was probably
due to drowsiness or hunger or lunch. One scientist suggested that
if the drowsy epochs were clipped out of my data set, the EEG would
remain relatively flat throughout the entire day. Essentially, this
person, and others before and after him, argued that EEG is about
the only physiological, biochemical, or endocrinological process
unaffected by circadian rhythms.

What biological processes are influenced by a 24 hour priod of light
and darkness? In short, nearly all of them. Thousands of papers
describe circadian rhythms -- in body temperature, heart rate, motor
activity-- you name it; far too many to relate here. A recent paper
on ultradian cycles in event-related potentials (Polich, 1997) found
evidence of ultradian rhythms in the background EEG and in the ERP
signals themselves. So why do a few stubburn neuroscientists and
psychologists deny the existence or importance of circadian or
ultradian rhythms in gross neuroelectric activity? Perhaps the
clearer argument would be that such cycles, if they exist, are not
relevant to neurofeedback assessment or training. Perhaps... But the
following (true) example points to how time of day can be critical
in neurofeedback training:

A woman with epilepsy undergoing neurofeedback kept track of the
amplitudes of her reward band from session to session. She had two
clinicians who supervised her training: her regular clinician, and a
less-experienced clinician who substituted for her regular clinician
whenever he was out of town (which was often). After a few weeks of
training, some by her regular clinician, others by the relative
novice, the client noticed something unusual about her training
sessions. She performed much better when her regular clinician was
unavailable. With her regular clinician, she averaged around 5
microvolts each session in her reward frequency band, but when the
substitute trainer was supervising the session, it was not unusual
to average 7 or 8 microvolts. A 50% improvement over her regular
clinician! Well, it didn't take long before both she was convinced
that her regular clinician's approach was inferior to the sub's. She
was convinced she had uncovered what in psychology is called an
experimenter effect: the person performing an experiment can alter
the results. Was an experimenter effect responsible for her
performance-- yes and no. It was not the sub's clinical approach or
his rapport with her or some other aspect of his person that
motivated her exceptional performance each session. It was his
dislike of rush hour traffic. You see, the woman normally scheduled
her sessions for 5 pm, but the sub hated the drive at this hour so
he always scheduled their sessions later, usually 7 pm. The two-hour
difference in the time of day was responsible for her higher
amplitudes, not any clinical approach.

There's nothing new under the Sun, so the saying goes. The woman and
her new trainer had simply rediscovered what was already known. In
November 1983, Gertz and Lavie published a paper in the journal
Psychophysiology which should have focused attention on the possible
confounding influence of circadian rhythms on EEG biofeedback. The
paper was for titled:   "Biological rhythms in arousal indices: A
potential confounding  effect in EEG biofeedback" Gertz and Lavie
recorded EEG from 11 subjects for about 8 hours each. During this
time, arousal was evaluated (albeit subjectively) and between EEG
recordings subjects underwent a form of EEG biofeedback. They
observed significant ultradian rhythmicity in the EEG (at about 200
min/cycle, the Basic Rest Activity cycle). The rhythmicity was also
apparent in the arousal measure. They also reported a more prominent
circadian rhythm during eyes closed than during eyes open
conditions. They correctly concluded that because "the observed
ultradian and circadian EEG rhythmicities could be spuriously
interpreted as learning curves under a biofeedback paradigm, it
is argued that future designs should  incorporate continuous
baseline controls." Wise advice which has been entirely ignored.

In 1995 we reported that absolute magnitudes in almost every
frequency band were similarly modulated across the day. The Sun had
long ago set a timer or two inside the brain and we rediscovered
this basic fact. For our efforts, our data and conclusions
immediately came under suspicion. Those who should have recognized
the obvious role of the Sun in neurophysiology and neurofeedback,
who encountered it each and every day, were the most obstinate.
Perhaps because they had not discovered the obvious fact on their
own.

In the last year, three papers have been published on the
confounding influence of circadian and ultradian rhythms in human
EEG. Cummings et al (2000) recorded eyes closed and eyes open
conditions across a 24 hour period in 18 subjects. Not particularly
interested in ultradian rhythms, they recorded data every two hours.
They reported notable circadian effects in theta, lower alpha, and
lower beta (and looking over their data, potential those less
prominent effects can be seen in all bands they analyzed).

[Graph located at www.eegspectrum.com/newsletter/aug2000.htm]

They concluded that the circadian effect accounted for a 20-30%
change
in group means; and that any clinical effect that did not control
for time of day must be greater than 20% to be taken seriously. They
argue that such a large effect requires design changes in
pharmaceutical trials -- as it should in any form of QEEG
evaluation.

Aeschbach et al (1999) reported two distinct circadian rhythms and
possible mechanisms. Theta activity peaked one hour after the onset
of melatonin secretion and high alpha activity exhibited a minimum
close to the bode temperature minimum. They conclude that differnces
in the rhythm timing indicated different functional significance of
these EEG activities. They did not analyze for ultradian effects;
however there appears to be indications of ultradian rhythms in the
data they presented.

Chapotot et al. (200) examined ultradian effects in the QEEG in 12
subjects recorded across the day. They reported ultradian rhythms of
180-240 minutes in almost all frequency bands from 1 to 45 Hz.

All in all, circadian and ultradian rhythms may be less a problem in
neurofeedback training than in QEEG evaluation. Most people who see
a clinician regularly do so at about the same time of day each time,
due to work or school schedules. Time of day is more likely to vary
between widely-spaced recording sessions (assessments) than between
shortly-spaced sessions (training). And most clinicians nowadays
work with reinforcement schedules (e.g., 70% above threshold, 80%
above threshold, etc.) more than amplitude values. Assessments,
which are usually widely-spaced sessions, are more vulnerable to
time of day effects. The best solution adopted by many offices is to
test people only at one time during the day, typically around 10:00
am in the morning. But what happens when the client is running late?
When they appear at 11:30 am, are they rescheduled for the next day
or are they re-tested anyway then and there? In other words, do you
let the Sun into your data or not?

by DK

Further Reading:
Chapotot F, Jouny C, Muzet A, Buguet A, Brandenberger G. (2000).
High frequency waking EEG: reflection of a slow ultradian rhythm in
daytime arousal. Neuroreport, 11, 2223-7.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10923675

Aeschbach D, Matthews JR, Postolache TT, Jackson MA, Giesen HA, Wehr
TA. (1999). Two circadian rhythms in the human electroencephalogram
during wakefulness. American Journal of Physiology, 277, R1771-9.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10600925

Cummings L, Dane A, Rhodes J, Lynch P, Hughes AM. (2000). Diurnal
variation in the quantitative EEG in healthy adult volunteers.
British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 50, 21-26.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10886113
--------------------------------------------------------------------

News & Reviews
*** NEW BOOKS

Synopsis of Neuropsychiatry
     by Barry S. Fogel, Stephen M. Rao
Includes chapters on neuropsychiatric assessment and evaluation,
functional brain systems, and syndromes and disorders such as
neurodevelopmental disorders, anxiety, mood disorders, and aggression.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0683306995/top100/


The Scientific American Book of the Brain
     by Antonio R. Damasio
Implications of research research from brain mapping, intelligence,
memory and learning, behavior, disorders. 26 articles by neuroscience
experts
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/155821965X/top100/


Madness on the Couch: Blaming the Victim in the Heyday of
Psychoanalysis
     by Edward Dolnick
Describes the misguided attempts by psychiatry during the 1950s and
60s to attribute mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, autism,
andOCD to cold or contradictory parenting.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0684824973/top100/


Brain Mystery Light and Dark: The Rhythm and Harmony of Consciousness
     by Charles Don Keyes
Combining current neurobiological research with traditional
philosophy, the author examines what we mean by consciousness.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0415180511/top100/


Colleges With Programs for Students With Learning Disabilities or ADD
     Charles T. Mangrum, Stephen S. Strichart
Listings of colleges with programs for LD or ADD
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0768904552/top100/


Critical Decisions in Headache Management
     by Rose Giammarco, John Edmeads, David Dodick
Assessing and treating adult and pediatric headache patients. A
book/CD-ROM package.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1550090291/top100/

Language and the Brain
     by Loraine K. Obler, Kris Gjerlow
Examines how language problems in different types of brain damage;
the
neuroanatomy of language revealed through lesion studies.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0521460956/top100/


The Brain: Degeneration, Damage and Disorder
     by Judith Metcalfe
What happens to the human nervous system during aging and after
damage.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/3540637966/top100/


Neuropsychiatry and Mental Health Services
     by Fred Ovsiew
Examines care of patients with with major psychiatric disorders, such
as schizophrenia and mood disorders. Reviews epidemiology and costs
of
mental health disorders.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0880487305/top100/


Case Studies in Neuropsychological Rehabilitation
     by Barbara A. Wilson
Reviews dozens of case histories of memory, cognitive and language
impairments.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0195065980/top100/


The Neuropsychology of Emotion
     by Joan Borod
Textbook on the newest research
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0195114647/top100/
---------------------------------------------------------------------

            JOURNAL PAPERS

Diurnal variation in the quantitative EEG in healthy adult
volunteers.  QEEG recordings (eyes open and closed) taken at 2-hr
intervals throughout the day in 18 subjects revealed circadian
rhythms in theta, low alpha, and low beta wavebands. Time of day
confounds QEEG analysis and must be controlled for.
    Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10886113

Review of neuroimaging studies of child and adolescent psychiatric
disorders from the past 10 years.  A review of neuroimaging studies
of childhood-onset psychiatric disorders, notably schizophrenia,
autistic disorder, ADHD, and anorexia nervosa, found that although
structural abnormalities were consistently reported, the nature of
these abnormalities differed across studies.
    Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10892223

Neurobiology of addiction. Toward the development of new therapies.
   Drug addiction is a chronic functional dysregulation characterized
by neurobiological changes that result in positive reinforcing
effects of drugs and a vulnerability to relapse and re-entry into
the addiction cycle.
    Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10911930

Abnormal neuropsychological findings are not necessarily a sign of
cerebral impairment   Abnormal test findings in the absence of
neurologic impairment may not be a reliable sign of cerebral
impairment.
    Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10910092

Neuropsychological functioning in nonreferred siblings of children
with ADHD : Neuropsychological functioning of nonreferred siblings
of children with ADHD is often impaired. Siblings with ADHD were
impaired on the Stroop test and on verbal learning and memory.
    Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10895563

Family environment in ADHD, oppositional defiant and conduct
disorders. : Conduct disorder and oppositional defiant disorder, but
not ADHD, are associated with poorer family environments. Improving
the quality of family life, particularly in early childhood, may
prevent the development of conduct problems.
    Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10881969

Ecological Validity of Neuropsychological Assessment in Childhood
Traumatic Brain Injury. : Standardized neuropsychological tests do
not predict everyday functioning of childhood TBI patients very
well.
    Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10876170

Brain mapping of bilateral interactions in ADHD and control boys. :
Brain mapping indicates multilevel deficits in ADHD boys affecting
visuo-attentional and pre-motor processes.
    Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10880787

Neuropsychological Deficits in Psychotic Versus Nonpsychotic Major
Depression and No Mental Illness. : As expected, patients with
psychotic major depression are more impairmed than patients with
nonpsychotic major depression. Psychotic major depression is
associated with impairment in frontal and mediotemporal cortical
function.
    Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10873917

Lesion pattern in patients with multiple sclerosis and depression. :
Depressed multiple sclerosis patients have larger temporal lesion
load than non-depressed MS patients, especially on the right side.
    Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10871826

Task switching and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. :
Executive control processes required for the coordination of
multiple tasks were evaluated using switching tasks. Unmedicated
ADHD children showed substantially larger switch costs than
controls.
    Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10885680
--------------------------------------------------------------------


Events & Locations
Weekend Advanced Workshops for
Neurofeedback Professionals
EEG Spectrum Intl is offering a series of workshops addressing
topics of interest to professionals working in the field of
neurofeedback. Class size is limited to 25 to allow for informal
interaction.

Psychopharmacology, Nutrition, and Neurofeedback
Bruce Goderez, M.D.
Boston, MA     Sep 23-24, 2000
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Beta/SMR Skills Enhancement & Case Review
Sue Othmer, BCIA
Encino CA     Oct 7-8, 2000

For information, call EEG Spectrum Intl at 818-789-3456 x 810 or
email training@...


PREREQUISITES FOR EITHER PRACTICUM:
Completion of 1 EEG Spectrum Biofeedback Training Course for
Professionals
EEG Biofeedback experience using NeuroCybernetics Instrumentation
Upcoming Comprehensive Courses
   Denver CO - Aug 24-29         Groningen, Holland - Sep 11-16
More info at www.eegspectrum.com/course

Conferences for Neurofeedback Clinicians & Researchers
CONFERENCE   LOCATION            DATES
   SNR       Minneapolis, MN    Sep 20 - 24
---------------------------------------------------------------------




Last Word
Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD)
a letter by Sebern Fisher

A reply to a an adoptive father's request for information on RAD and
neurofeedback.
    I have had a therapeutic interest in RAD and the issues of
attachment in general for fifteen years. I developed this interest
after working with a cute blond haired twelve year-old who attempted
to bludgeon his adoptive mother with a 2 by 4 when she refused him a
snack. I was then the Clinical Director of a residential treatment
center for severely disturbed adolescents. He was the youngest child
ever admitted and one of the most recalcitrant. He did not learn.
His relationships, such as they were, were entirely instrumental. He
was explosive and impulsive. He became enraged if food were
restricted in any way. Generally I was successful with the kids who
came to this center. They responded to me. He could not. Nothing we
did helped him. We even took him for intensive treatment with Foster
Cline and colleagues at the Attachment Center in Evergreen. He is
now twenty eight and in jail.
    More came after him, some even worse. These were angry empty
shells
of kids that no therapy, dynamic or behavioral, reached. Two of
these boys have since been charged with assaults on their own
babies, one resulting in severe brain damage, the other in death.
I say all this to establish my credentials in the arena of RAD.
These kids aren't reachable dynamically because there is no
relational template, no 'other' in the psychic system and
unreachable behaviorally because they lack cause and effect thinking
and can not generalize. They are profoundly over aroused at the
level of the CNS and although they do not, actually cannot, talk of
being terrified, they are. Even as children but even more grievously
as adults they brutalized others. They have no capacity for empathy
or remorse.
    RAD is a dangerous condition, probably the most dangerous of all
diagnoses. Only now is it being recognized. Until recently there has
been no effective treatment. It appears, however, that neurofeedback
offers hope. The neurological and psychological theories that
underlie this hope are thoroughly explored in Affect Regulation and
the Origin of Self by Allan Schore. In summary, human infants
require consistent, attuned mothering for brain regulation. Brain
regulation and modulation of state by the mother, over the first two
years particularly, allow for regulation of affect which in turn
allows for the development of a sense of self and other. The
infant's brain regulation depends on the regulated (good enough)
presence of the mother. "The prefrontal lobe of the mother becomes
the prefrontal lobe of the baby". (Schore)
    Neurofeedback obviously does not bring the mother back or provide
the good mother. But it seems, over the course of many trainings, to
establish the regulation that such an early experience would have
provided. As this occurs, the child (or adult) becomes increasingly
relational, easier to soothe, empathy begins to develop and
oppositonal behaviors tend to fade. If they are lucky enough to have
parental figures who still care for them, they will begin to bond.
    I doubt that neurofeedback can help every RAD kid or sociopathic
adult but I think it can help most. The twelve year-old now 28
year-old RAD man that I mentioned at the outset was out of jail
briefly last summer. He committed another petty crime within ten
minutes and possibly a more serious one several days later. Before
he was sent back to jail, he had 60 neurofeedback sessions. He never
missed an appointment and he reported the following to me: "I still
explode but it used to just keep going. Now a half an hour later I'm
calling the person to make it up." He had called me because he was
worried that he had treated someone badly and needed to talk about
it. I was not doing the training, I had known him for over fifteen
years and I'd never heard anything like this from him. He will need
more than neurofeedback, particularly as he begins to feel the
desperate yearnings for attachment that do arise. He needs to stay
away from the bad crowd which, of course, are the only people he
knows. And he has to resist self medication with drugs and alcohol.
(neurofeedback may help here too). So he may not make it. But there
is no question that he was positively effected by neurofeedback.
    I have also overseen another severe RAD case of a four year-old
boy, severely abused and neglected who had to be separated from his
younger brother because he attempted to kill him. He screamed from
five every night until he would drop into an episode of night terror
during which he would crawl on hands and knees crying no, no, no. He
was, by virtue of these behaviors- the sleep disorder alone(and
there was everything else too)- unadoptable. He has had two hundred
sessions of neurofeedback. None of the original symptoms persist. He
is a warm, lovable child. Seven months after the training began he
ran up to me and I held him in my arms. He leaned away a little,
looked at me and said, "Seboin, I can't see your eyes." I had
sunglasses on. He wanted to look in my eyes.

Sebern

---------------------------------------------------------------------

What's New in Neurofeedback
        A Monthly Summary of News and Events
             Vol. 3 No. 7 - July 2000

    This newsletter is sponsored by EEG Spectrum Intl, Inc.,
a leader in providing clinical service and training professionals.
Past issues available at www.eegspectrum.com/newsletter/
To subcribe or cancel a subscription, see info at end.
The opinions related in this newsletter reflect those of the
author only. Copyright (C) 2000 by EEG Spectrum Intl, Inc. All rights
reserved.

-------------------------------------------------------
   Announcements      - Neurofeedback in the News
   In the Spotlight   - Prozac Backlash
   News & Reviews     - Books, journal papers, of interest
   Events & Locations - Conferences, Courses
   Last Word          - Information wants to be free (one year later)
-------------------------------------------------------

            ANNOUNCEMENTS

1.  Alternative Healing: What Really Works -
www.readersdigest.com/rdmagazine/specfeat/archives/altheal2.asp

2. Teaching the brain to retain focus - Baltimore Sun, Jun 11 2000
   (no longer in archive)

3. Preview of upcoming JNT issues -
www.snr-jnt.org/JournalNT/PreV4-1-2.htm

-------------------------------------------------------
                   In the Spotlight

   Prozac Backlash
   by Joseph Glenmullen

Reviewed by Siegfried Othmer

There is a life cycle for the common psychiatric medications that
seems to be regularly repeated, almost like economic cycles.
A new type of medication first appears; it is touted strongly by
advocates; it gains wide acceptance and becomes
"indispensable" to our wellbeing; the story then turns flat as
problems crop up; these "side effects" turn out not to be isolated at
all; people wonder how the problems could have been missed for so
long; regulatory clamps are put on the drugs; they are
often relabeled; the drugs fade from the scene, or the are pushed
off the stage, as another class of drugs moves into the
limelight. With each new kind of drug, the expectation is that the
earlier experiences made us wiser; the new drugs avoid the
shortcomings of the old, and therefore the new claims can be taken
more seriously. We buy in, and then the cycle repeats itself.

Is the class of Prozac-type drugs, the serotonin reuptake inhibitors
(SSRIs), different? Apparently not, according to an
exhaustive treatment by Harvard psychiatrist Joseph Glenmullen in a
book called Prozac Backlash. In chilling recitation from
over 600 technical references, Glenmullen pulls together what
amounts to a broadside indictment of the SSRIs. In a manner
reminiscent of the early paean to cosmetic pharmacology, namely
Listening to Prozac, by Peter Kramer, Glenmullen pieces
together the story out of his own clinical experience, and then digs
into the sometimes obscure clinical literature to gain backup
for his emerging suspicions.

In 1993, Kramer wrote: "There is no unhappy ending to this story."
But hold on. We may find that the SSRI's will recapitulate
the classic life trajectory of earlier classes of psychoactive
drugs. Problems surface about ten years in, and are first vigorously
denied by apologists for the drug companies. The emerging data
become compelling by about twenty years, despite efforts to
suppress publication. Then it takes another ten years for regulatory
efforts to come up to speed and curtail over-prescribing.
"Thus, the cycle from miracle to disaster typically takes thirty
years or more." By then the patent has expired and the
manufacturer is pushing something else.

This pattern has been observed numerous times in the last century.
The first potent antidepressants were cocaine elixirs, which
became the most popular prescription medications. Freud wrote three
papers touting the use of cocaine. Even Coca Cola used
to be a vehicle for its administration, as the name implies. Then
came the bromides, the barbiturates, the amphetamines, the
narcotics, and the tranquilizers. Each class of drugs, in turn, was
hailed as a miracle cure until their dangerous side effects
emerged later. Each reached significant penetration into the
population.

Glenmullen accumulates evidence for the emergence of tic behavior,
the first sign of the development of tardive dyskinesia that
was the downfall of the major tranquilizers. The neurological side
effects of serotonin boosters turned out to include not only
tics but also profound agitation, muscle spasms, and symptoms of
Parkinsonism. These problems are not isolated. Agitation,
which may involve involuntary feet tapping, etc., can occur in up to
25% of patients.

Mercifully, many of these symptoms are largely reversible when drug
treatment is halted. But the similarity of these symptom
clusters to what happened with the earlier tranquilizers is
sobering. Tics are "the dread side effect of psychiatric medications
because no effective treatment exists." Thomas Moore (of the George
Washington University Medical Center) laments the
"illusion of safety" that comes from the fact that the more serious
drug problems tend to be slow and insidious at the outset, and
difficult to see early on.

Along with classic Parkinsonism symptoms, there may be fatigue or
indifference, a blunted feeling or a disinclination to move.
These symptoms are also reminiscent of early Parkinson-type
problems. And even if these remediate upon discontinuation of
the medication, one must be concerned about long-term vulnerability.
The author does not hesitate to use the term brain
damage in describing the deficits.

These motor symptoms are largely traceable to the dopamine system,
where the major tranquilizers achieved a suppression of
dopamine function. The secondary effect of the serotonin boosters
may also suppress dopamine function in a similar fashion.
Direct measurements have documented a 50% drop in dopamine level in
the involuntary motor system with Prozac-like drugs.
There appears to be no free lunch. One cannot expect to impact on
one neurotransmitter system alone. The history with major
tranquilizers may give a clue as to what might be in store.
Initially, it was thought that only vulnerable populations were
susceptible to the tardive dyskinesia. However, as time went on it
became clear that nearly everyone was at risk. Whereas only
a third of patients were affected within the first five years, it
was a majority after fifteen years, and two-thirds by 25 years. If
the SSRI's are recapitulating this history, it will be obvious soon
enough.

Additionally, there are significant problems of sexual
dysfunctions---beyond mere loss of libido. These problems may affect
as many as 60% to 75% of users. They include inhibited sexual arousal;
erectile dysfunction; impotence; vaginal anesthesia;
delayed or inhibited ejaculation; and paradoxical hypersexuality.
The effect on relationships can be larger and more problematic
than those of the mild depression that motivated treatment. As it
happens, these sequelae are similar to what is observed with
the major tranquilizers!

More serious are the reports of suicidality and violence directed
outward. The initial findings were reported by Martin Teicher,
a respected psychiatrist at the Harvard Medical School. Initially,
these reports were dismissed as nothing more than the known
vulnerability to suicide seen with all antidepressants during the
early phase of recovery. Eventually, it became clear that the
suicide risk elicited by the SSRIs was an entirely different
phenomenon, associated not so much with depression as with the
severe agitation and mania induced by SSRIs. The drugs also tip some
patients into paranoia or plain psychosis, both of which
can increase the risk of suicidality and violence. According to
Teicher, patients showed up with intense, violent, suicidal
preoccupations. There was a dramatic change in people, which was out
of character for them. The extraordinary degree of
violence, and the extremely painful, gruesome behavior exhibited by
people on Prozac was atypical of traditional suicidal
patients.

When it comes to such rare but severe side effects, there is a
sample size problem. These problems don't necessarily show up
in formal studies, or they get lost because of poor statistics. Data
have to come in from the field as drug usage mounts. David
Kessler, former Commissioner of the FDA, estimates that only about
1% of serious events [side effects] are reported to the
FDA. With side effects of lesser severity, the reporting incidence
is even lower. So the reported data are probably only the tip
of the iceberg, or rather one tenth of the tip. But because these
data are not gathered systematically, they are attacked by
manufacturers as being unscientific. This is clearly disingenuous,
in that a formal and systematic study (which they show no
inclination to do) could only show up a worse problem.

Glenmullen also describes a variety of withdrawal symptoms. In the
psychological realm, these include anxiety, agitation, crying
spells, and irritability (and these may not be of garden variety
severity). Physical symptoms include disequilibrium,
gastrointestinal symptoms, flu-like symptoms, and sleep
disturbances. Additional withdrawal symptoms frequently reported
include electric shock sensations, dizziness, visual hallucinations,
paradoxical weight gain, and rebound anger and irritability.
There may be aggressiveness and suicidal impulsivity, and
incapacitation for several days is a possibility. Withdrawal symptoms
can even show up in a baby that's being breast-fed.

Withdrawal symptoms are of course classic signs of drug dependence
and addition. There is confirming evidence of drug
dependence of various kinds. Drug effects appear to wear off in
30-40% of patients over time, a phenomenon so well known it
is referred to as Prozac poop-out. This is a manifestation of drug
tolerance, another feature of addictive drugs. Then there is the
phenomenon of sensitization of brain cells by psychiatric drugs,
known as supersensitivity. There is a heightened likelihood of
relapse after withdrawal from the drug, and that may itself be a
consequence of taking the drug. Relapse after successful
psychotherapy for depression is 23% over two years; for the SSRI's,
relapse after successful treatment is 78% over the same
span. Relapse in manic depression comes seven times more quickly
than the cycling pattern before the medication. These are
clearly drug-induced effects on the competence and stability of the
nervous system.

Because of the serious implications of withdrawal symptoms for how
these drugs are regarded, a more benign term has been
adopted by the industry: "Antidepressant discontinuation syndrome."
But dependency it is. Fortunately, there is one unequivocal
answer for withdrawal symptoms, and that is reinstatement of the
drug regimen!

All these phenomena deserve serious investigation. Regarding doing
systematic studies, Donald Klein, professor of psychiatry
at Columbia University says "the industry is not interested; the
NIMH is not interested; and the FDA is not interested." There
can be no doubt that this is a pattern. In over sixty years of
administration of stimulant medication to ADHD children, the
long-term safety of this approach has never been formally evaluated.
Drug company researchers probably already know that
formal research could only render concrete all the concerns that are
now cropping up in the literature. But there is more.

The model of depression under which Prozac and its relatives are
being so liberally administered is no doubt faulty. Sherwin
Newland, historian of medicine at the Yale University School of
Medicine denounced the hypothesis of serotonin deficiencies
and biochemical imbalances as no more than junk science. There is no
restoration of appropriate serotonin level. Barry Jacobs,
professor of neuroscience at Princeton University points out that
most external (drug) manipulation of serotonin levels takes
these "beyond the physiological range achieved under [normal]
environmental/biological conditions." Boosting serotonin to this
degree "might more appropriately be seen as pathologic rather than
reflective of the normal biological role of [serotonin]."

Steven Hyman, former Director of the National Institutes of Health,
avers that such hyperstimulation triggers "compensatory
reactions in the brain in its efforts to achieve "a new adapted
state which may be qualitatively as well as quantitatively different
from the normal state." Such reactions may explain the phenomena of
withdrawal, dependence, tolerance, and supersensitivity.
Says Glenmullen: "The unfortunate irony is that drugs heavily
promoted as correcting unproven biochemical imbalances may, in
fact, be causing imbalances and brain damage." "Future generations
may well look back on the last 150 years of these drugs as
a frightening human experiment."

Glenmullen challenges the very assumptions of biological psychiatry.
To treat all psychiatric symptoms as though they were
exclusively biological he sees as unnacceptable reductionism. What
should properly be regarded as syndromes are fit
inappropriately into the disease model, a model that receives
support from the drugs used to treat them. Nevertheless, the
model rests on three "pseudo-scientific cornerstones": 1)
superficial checklist diagnoses; 2) putative "biochemical
imbalances," and 3) alleged genetic determinism.

It appears that in various ways, the trajectory of Prozac mirrors
what happened with the major tranquilizers. First of all, they
were administered for many of the same conditions as Prozac: mild
depression, anxiety, nervousness, and insomnia. Secondly,
they made major inroads into the population, just as the SSRI's are
doing. Thorazine was administered to some 50M patients in
the US by the ten-year mark, 1965, and eventually an estimated 250M
were served worldwide. By 1973, some 2000 cases of
tic disorder had been identified, and those who raised the issue
were denounced as "uninformed alarmists" and "extremists
among consumer advocates." But once the issue had come into focus,
confirming data accumulated. Nevertheless, "only in
1985, because of intense pressure resulting from media coverage of
side effects, did the FDA finally require manufacturers to
add a warning to the drugs' labels, alerting doctors and patients to
these serious side effects. This was more than thirty years
after the introduction of Thorazine and decades of indiscriminate
use of the popular drugs." Initially called tranquilizers, after the
side effects were documented they were then called major
tranquilizers, and more lately antipsychotics and neuroleptics.

There may soon be a backlash against the new medications, as the
pervasiveness of the negative long-term implications sink in.
Cautions are already being raised. As early as 1992 Van Putten of
UCLA compared the Prozac-induced "restlessness, pacing,
insomnia, and obsessional suicidality" to that seen with major
tranquilizers. Dr. Ronald Pies said in the December 1997 Journal
of Clinical Psychopharmacology that Prozac type drugs "should not be
prescribed to the 'worried well' or for patients with mild
depression." Says Glenmullen: The "behavioral toxicity" of serotonin
boosters is too great for them to be used merely as
"psychoanalgesics," rather than for major depression. He estimates
that 75% of users could radically reduce or even eliminate
the SSRIs. Ironically, the anti-depressants were never really tested
against major depression, and may not be the best choice
there either, vis-Ã -vis the older tricyclics, for example. It was
the larger market of the "worried well" that the drug companies
were targeting all along.

And what of drug company behavior throughout all this? The evidence
Glenmullen pulls together amounts to a major scandal.
The research was not very scientific, and the claims for the
research were overblown. Drug companies seem complicit in the
suppression of adverse data. Entanglements with the FDA leave a
citizen feeling vulnerable. One fears a compounding of
crooked science with devious politics and strident propaganda, all
lubricated with an unseemly concentration of wealth. The
supporting evidence is presented very well in the book, which piles
disagreeable anecdote upon contemptible disclosure. The
analogy to cigarette companies comes readily to mind: Long-term
brain damage doesn't seem to weigh heavily in the scales of
near-term financial returns. When all these biased incentives are
combined with Managed Care, the result is a "Satanic mix,"
according to Leon Eisenberg of the Harvard Medical School.

So how is this bombshell of a book being received in the world at
large? A review by Jane Allen, a medical writer for the Los
Angeles Times, may be indicative. The review finds the science
lacking! Astounding, given the 600+ technical references. Allen
sounded like a pharmaco-religious acolyte defending to the last the
"Church of Prozac." This book is orders of magnitude richer
in data than was Listening to Prozac, for example. The review
indicates how entrenched mainstream thinking has become, and
how difficult it will be to dislodge. Even though we are
recapitulating the earlier history of the neuroleptics, we may have
to learn the lesson all over again, and perhaps at the same rate.

And then there is Neurofeedback.

Siegfried
    --------------
   *** Prozac Backlash is available at
  http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0684860015/top100
    --------------
** Erratum
In the May 2000 Spotlight article,
In the early '70s Elmer Green at the Meninger Clinic developed
alpha-theta training in the context of addiction therapy
      should have read
In the early '70s Elmer Green at the Meninger Clinic developed
alpha-theta training, but not in the context of addiction therapy.
-------------------------------------------------------

                  News & Reviews

NEW BOOKS

Children in Danger: Coping With the Consequences of Community Violence
by James Garbarino, Nancy Dubrow, Kathleen Kostelny, Carole Pardo
  How chronic violence affects a child's growth, exploration, and
psychological development.
-http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0787946540/top100

Mind, Brain, and the Environment: The Linacre Lectures 1995-6
by Bryan Cartledge
  Includes chapters: Emotion and reason in the future of human life
(Antonio R. Damasio), Toxins in the environment and human brain
disease, Mental health and the
urban environment, How the environment helps to build the brain -
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/019854992X/top100

Neuropsychological Evaluation of the Older Adult: A Clinician's
Guidebook
by Joanne Green
  Methods to assess whether an older adult has experienced abnormal
cognitive change, including clinical interview & formal testing. -
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0122981901/top100

Art of the Question: A Guide to Short-Term Question-Centered Therapy
by Marilee C., Ph.D. Goldberg
  Presents a model of therapeutic intervention: Question-Centered
Therapy. For psychologists and counselors. -
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0471123870/top100

Brain Policy: How the New Neuroscience Will Change Our Lives and Our
Politics
by Robert H. Blank
  Social implications of current developments in brain research and
applications are discussed. -
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0878407138/top100

The Brain: Degeneration, Damage and Disorder
by Judith Metcalfe
  Describes what happens to the nervous system in response to injury,
aging, and inherited defects. -
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/3540637966/top100

Psychotherapy in Chemical Dependence Treatment: A Practical &
Integrative Approach
by George Buelow, Sidne A. Buelow
  Problems, techniques, and practical issues regarding chemical
dependence treatment, using an integrative model of change -
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0534261183/top100
-------------------------------------------------------

                   JOURNAL PAPERS

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disordered boys' responses to social
success & failure.: ADHD boys are less socially
effective than controls in their interactions, but are also feel
less frustrated and helpless; they are more likely than controls to
attribute success to external, uncontrollable factors such as task
ease and being lucky
     Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10834475


Motor and cognitive function in CFS and severe depressive illness.:
Chronic fatigue syndrome and major depressive
disorder patients are similarly impaired in motor function, but
cognitive deficits are generally more marked in MDD.
     Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10824663


Event-related brain potentials and Mangina-Test performance in
learning disabled/ADHD children: Integrates brain
potentials, autonomic responses, and neuro-psychometric performances
to discriminate normal from pathological children.
     Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10828376


Effectiveness of the Minnesota Model approach in the treatment of
adolescent drug abusers.: Completing treatment
results in successful outcomes (abstinent or minor relapse) 12
months post-treatment at twice the rate of those who quit
treatment or received no treatment.
     Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10829335


Test-retest reliability of MRI-defined PET measures in subcortical
structures: Six-month test-retest reliability of
resting regional cerebral metabolic rate of glucose was high in both
left and right hippocampus, thalamus, and anterior caudate,
and left amygdala; however the right amygdala showed poor
reliability.
     Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10843513


Parental and self-report of sleep in children with ADHD: Sleep
disturbances, particularly at bedtime, are common in
ADHD children; children with ADHD were more sleep disturbed and
experienced shorter sleep duration than controls
     Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10850500


Right frontal EEG asymmetry and lack of empathy in preschool
children of depressed mothers.: Children of
depressed mothers show greater relative right frontal EEG asymmetry,
a pattern associated with negative affect and less
empathic responses.
     Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10851793


Clients speak: participatory evaluation of a nonconfrontational
addictions treatment program for older adults.:
Allowing clients to choose their level of involvement contributes to
perceived benefits of a drug treatment program.
     Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10848077


Parenting practices as predictors of substance use, delinquency, and
aggression: Parenting factors influenced
adolescent problem behaviors, in a few surprising ways: e.g., Eating
family dinners together was associated with less
aggression, and less delinquency in youth from single-parent
families and in girls.
     Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10860116


Neurodevelopmental Frontostriatal Disorders: Evolutionary
Adaptiveness and Anomalous Lateralization.
Many neurodevelopmental disorders are associated with frontostriatal
dysfunction (e.g., OCD, ADHD, autism, depression), which
makes the authors wonder if these conditions reflect extreme
manifestations of an otherwise occasionally adaptive response.
     Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10856179


Effects of sleep deprivation on performance and EEG spectral
analysis in young adults.: Frontal and temporal theta
activity is altered by sleep deprivation. Also, normal subjects
exhibit decreased absolute powers (all sites, most frequencies)
during morning compared to evening hours.
     Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10857693
  -------------------------------------------------------

                 Events & Locations

      Weekend Advanced Workshops for
          Neurofeedback Professionals

EEG Spectrum Intl is offering a series of workshops addressing
   topics of interest to professionals working in the field of
   neurofeedback. Class size limited to 25.

          Psychopharmacology, Nutrition, and Neurofeedback
          Bruce Goderez, M.D.
          Boston, MA     Sep 23-24, 2000

          Beta/SMR Skills Enhancement & Case Review
          Sue Othmer, BCIA
          Encino CA     Oct 7-8, 2000

  For information, call EEG Spectrum at 818-789-3456 x 810
            or email training@...

      PREREQUISITES FOR EITHER PRACTICUM:
      Completion of 1 EEG Spectrum Biofeedback
      Training Course for Professionals
      EEG Biofeedback experience using
      NeuroCybernetics Instrumentation

            Upcoming Comprehensive Courses
  Denver CO - Aug 24-29    Groningen, Holland - Sep 11-16
        More info at www.eegspectrum.com/course

-------------------------------------------------------
       CONFERENCE    LOCATION         DATES
           SNR    Minneapolis, MN    Sep 20 - 24
-------------------------------------------------------

                      Last Word

    Information wants to be free    (one year later)

The control and distribution of information has been a primary
source of conflict since the dawn of history. The battle rages on
to this day, scarcely unchecked, in the medical, legal, and
religious fields. Entire careers, many prominent, are based on
maintaining the status quo of inequality and inefficiency in these
information distribution systems. But the information itself has
now grown so vast and so powerful that its distribution can no
longer be controlled by a select few. There's a saying on the
Net, "Information wants to be free." Recent volleys against the
bulwarks of the info-cartels:

  CogNet  http://cognet.mit.edu/

CogNet is a central repository of electronic resources in cognitive
and brain sciences sponsored by MIT Press. The entire text
of numerous journals, books, lectures, and even poster sessions are
available online to CogNet members. Fortunately
Membership is free during the development phase (scheduled to be end
by September 2000). CogNet includes a searchable
full-text library, as well as an academic almanac, jobs listings, CV
and bibliography utilities, virtual Poster Sessions, and
Discussion Groups. The full text library contains a growing
collection of browsable, searchable MIT Press titles (currently 150),
by such noted authors as William Calvin, Daniel C. Dennett, and
Steven Pinker. It may not yet be convenient to read an entire
book online, but advances in computer tablets with thin flexible
screens (e-paper) may change this sooner than we can imagine.

  CogPrints    http://cogprints.soton.ac.uk/

CogPrints is an eprint archive of recently published cognitive and
brain science papers. Following the model of the eprint
granddaddy, the Los Alamos Archive for Physics
(http://xxx.lanl.gov/), CogPrints already sports a respectable
collection of
full-text publications, including papers by renown scientists such
as Michael Posner, Nicholas Humphrey, and Daniel C.
Dennett. EEG & Clinical Neurophysiology, Nature, the Proceedings of
the National Academy of Sciences, and other
respected journals are also represented. And joining Cogprints in
the eprint melee is Clinical Medicine Netprints
(http://clinmed.netprints.org/), a new preprint collection started
Dec 1999 which plans to cover psychiatry, clinical psychology,
and related fields.

The E-writing is on the Wall

It seems nowadays that every journal publisher has developed or is
in the process of developing an eprint archive for each of
their journals. Some publishers charge users per use or restrict
access to only those people who already subscribe to the
journal (which doesn't make great sense). Many are currently
undergoing free trial periods, which may end up permanent.
(Information wants to be free, remember.) One of the original
preprint archives, and still the most varied and interesting, comes
from

Behavioral and Brain Sciences    http://www.princeton.edu/~harnad/bbs/


BBS, as its called, is an international interdisciplinary journal of
"open peer commentary." Target articles are interdisciplinary
and by nature controversial, encompassing topics from psychology,
neuroscience, philosophy, and related fields. Prior to
publication, articles are circulated to specialists around the world
for 1000-word commentaries, which appear with the target
article along with the author's response. The preprint archive does
not include the commentaries, though CogPrints often does.
Recent articles include "Toward a Quantitative Description of Large
Scale Neocortical Dynamic Function and EEG" (Paul L.
Nunez) and an entire issue dedicated to "Persistent Pain: Neuronal
Mechanisms and Clinical Implications."

Other full text journals online include:
  Archives of General Psychiatry and JAMA   http://pubs.ama-assn.org/
  New England Journal of Medicine           http://www.nejm.org
  Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience (JOCN)  http://jocn.mitpress.org/


Information will eventually be free. But not to worry. Knowledge,
that will still cost you an arm and a leg.

-David Kaiser
---------------end-----------------

      Past issues are available at www.eegspectrum.com/newsletter/
Information on how to subscribe or cancel a subscription appear at
the end. The opinions related in this newsletter reflect those of the
author only. Copyright (C) 2000 by EEG Spectrum, Inc. All rights reserved.

To unsubscribe, send any message to wnin-unsubscribe@egroups.com

-------------------------------------------------------
  Announcements      - Ritalin under attack
  In the Spotlight   - Who's in Charge of your Health, Anyway?
  News & Reviews     - Books, journal papers, of interest
  Events & Locations - Conferences, Courses; New clinicians/offices
  Last Word          - Journal of Neurotherapy - New & Improved!
-------------------------------------------------------

           ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. On The Track with Neurofeedback - Newsweek article
     http://newsweek.com/nw-srv/issue/21_00a/focus/he/fohe0225_1.htm

2. Schools push Ritalin, panel told -
     http://www.dispatch.com:80/news/newsfea00/may00/282385.html

3. Class action lawsuit against manufacturers of Ritalin, APA, and
     CHADD - http://www.ritalinfraud.com/

4. CBS News: Reading, Writing, and Ritalin -
     http://cbsnews.cbs.com/now/story/0,1597,193590-412,00.shtml

5. AAAS: EEG Biofeedback Aids Impulse Control -
     http://www.eegspectrum.com/articles/aaas00.htm

6. Neurofeedback Gains Attention for ADD Kids -
     http://webmd.lycos.com/content/article/2789.180
-------------------------------------------------------
                  In the Spotlight

 Who's in Charge of your Health, Anyway?

           (Originally appeared Oct 1998)

In a 1998 editorial in the Los Angeles Times, "Health Alternate to Health
Care" (see for related article, Andrew Weil opens with the following
insight: "attacking alternative medicine in general and herbal remedies in
particular [in a recent New England Journal of Medicine editorial] did
little to restore confidence in practitioners of conventional medicine."
Seventy percent of all patients have undergone one or more alternative
therapies; and since 1990 visits to alternative therapy providers has
outnumbered visits to primary care physicians in the U.S. Why is our
confidence in conventional medicine lagging at the very midst of the
biomedical revolution? What is driving this renewed and vigorous interest
in alternative medicine?

First, Weil would like to retire the term "alternative medicine" altogether.
He would prefer the term "integrative medicine," an accurate label, as
practitioners integrate standard and novel methods of treating a patient.
Besides any negative connotations associated with anything "alternative",
as a majority of patients seek out these forms of treatments, can we
rightly call this treatments "alternative" anymore? Was Clinton, the major
vote-getter, the "alternative" candidate in 1996?

What apparently spurred Weil into writing his editorial was the series of
misrepresentations the authors of an NEJM editorial foisted on their
learned audience. First, the authors argued about the "risks of alternative
medicine". To support their claim, they cite three separate and isolated
incidents. These rare reports of toxicity are obviously "anecdotal
evidence", the same kind of evidence they denounced when it does not
serve their purpose. They also neglected to make the obvious
comparison: how much risk is associated with integrative treatments
compared to the risk associated with standard practices. The risk of
using prescription drugs involves as many as 100,000 deaths and 1.5
million hospitalizations yearly, according to Weil. The risk associated with
warfare is often less lethal.

The NEJM authors believe that the increased interest in integrative
treatments, beside being regressive and "irrational", may be due in part to
the "harsh treatments that may be necessary for life-threatening diseases."
Perhaps this is where the 100,000 yearly deaths factor into their
argument. They also surmise that people resort to integrative medicine
practitioners because they are disillusioned with the "often hurried and
impersonal care delivered by conventional physicians." Possibly true for a
handful of people, but I suspect that the manner of clinicians runs the
spectrum from Mengele to Schweitzer in both camps. Perhaps the
reductionism of conventional medicine, the reliance for treating the
symptom and not the disease, which has made conventional so successful
in so many diseases, does not always suit an individual's condition or
state of mind. The increasingly tight relationship between organized
medicine and the pharmaceutical industry may also contribute to a loss of
confidence in the ivyed halls of medicine.

Integrative medicine "has not been scientifically tested and its advocates
largely deny the need for such testing." Obviously they are not members
of the PsyPhy listserver -- where members constantly assert the need for
more evidence, more rigorous testing, more scientific publications. This
misrepresentation irritates Weil the most. As he states, "Give those of us
who support such methods the money and means to conduct research,
and we will do it." National Institutes of Health opened the Office of
Alternative Medicine in 1992 and since then only a single study in
neurofeedback has been funded, to the paltry sum of $30,000 (i.e.,
rounding error in multi-site pharmaceutical studies).

The NEJM authors claim that what distinguishes integrative treatments
from standard medicine is "an ideology that largely ignores biologic
mechanisms, often disparages modern science, and relies on what are
purported to be ancient practices and natural remedies". Operant
conditioning is ancient? (B.F. Skinner attended Plato's Academy, didn't
he?) When did the thalamocortical circuitry enter the "non-biologic"
realm? That neurofeedback is either excluded from their characterization
or unknown to the authors reveals the limits of their research into this
topic.

The NEJM authors conclude that "Alternative treatments should be
subjected to scientific testing no less rigorous than that required for
conventional treatments." One of the most interesting features of this
editorial is that just a few pages away, another author (Avrum Bluming,
M.D.) arrives at the exact same conclusion -- but with greater
objectivity. "We must continue to insist on the painstaking accumulation
of evidence in the scientific testing of each new breakthrough." The same
turf is explored with reason and clarity. Patients want an increasing role in
the decision-making process. Bluming argues that as patients sort through
all the therapeutic options, responsible clinicians must be equipped to
assist them. Patients are consumers -- conventional medicine has ignored
this fact for 400 years. Consumers require inclusion in the selection and
decision process. But ironically, at the one time when patients request
more control over his or her healthcare, other developments (HMOs)
have added another voice to the process, one infinitely removed from the
patient.

- David Kaiser

             FURTHER READING (updated 06/00)
Health Alternate to Health Care
  by Andrew Weil - No longer available online

Hope or Hype?
  www.latimes.com/news/timespoll/stories/19980830/t000078986.html

Alternative Medicine: The Risks of Untested and Unregulated Remedies
  www.nejm.org/content/1998/0339/0012/0839.asp

NEJM reviews of Alternative Medicine books
  www.nejm.org/content/1998/0339/0012/0855.asp
  www.nejm.org/content/1999/0340/0023/1845a.asp

The Alternative Medicine Handbook: The Complete Reference Guide to
  Alternative and Complementary Therapies
  www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0393045668/

Alternative Medicine and Ethics.
  www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0896034402/
-------------------------------------------------------

                 News & Reviews

NEW BOOKS - links at www.eegspectrum.com/newsletter/jun2000.htm

Taming the Troublesome Child: American Families, Child Guidance, and
the Limits of Psychiatric Authority
by Kathleen W. Jones
     History of the American child guidance movement: evolution of
care and concern for delinquent children in America starting from the
early years of the 20th century.

Building Basic Therapeutic Skills : A Practical Guide for Current Mental
Health Practice
by Jeanne Albronda Heaton, Heaton Jeanne
     A psychoanalytic clinician explains fundamental therapy skills such
as as becoming a good observer, establishing rapport, and managing
emergencies.

The Biology of Violence
by Debra Niehoff
     Argues for an interaction model of violence: the biology of
behavior is mediated by environmental experiences.

Assessment of Neuropsychological Functions in Psychiatric Disorders
by Avraham Calev
     Describes latest research on neuropsychology of schizophrenia,
mood disorders, childhood mental disorders, and drug abuse. Includes
the clinical assessment of neurocognitive deficits in these conditions and
various treatments.

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury : A Therapy and Resource Manual
by Betsy S. Green, Kristin M. Stevens, Tracey D. W. Wolfe
     Manual for developing individualized therapy tasks for adolescents
and adults recovering from brain injury.

Sleep Disorders Medicine
by Sudhansu Chokroverty
     Information on the more than 80 recognized sleep disorders,
including chapters on dreaming, circadian regulation of sleep,
epidemiology of sleep disorders, and genetics in sleep disorders.

Psychobiology of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
by Rachel Yehuda, Alexander C. McFarlane
     Current research on how trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder
effect mind and body. Applying scientific theory to help traumatized
individuals.

The Clinician's Practical Guide to Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity
Disorder
by Mariannne Mercugliano, Thomas J. Power, Nathan Jon Blum
     Practical guide to ADHD for mental health and education
professionals. Includes evaluation forms, letters, and information
handouts.

Biological Psychology : An Introduction to Behavioral, Cognitive, and
Clinical Neuroscience
by Mark R. Rosenzweig, Arnold L. Leiman, S. Marc Breedlove
     Covers current topics in psychobiology. >From the evolution and
development of the nervous system to emotions, mental disorders, and
cognitive neuroscience. Includes CD-ROM tutorial.
-------------------------------------------------------

                  JOURNAL PAPERS

Differences in resting EEG related to ability. : Most QEEG
parameters recorded during resting eyes open and closed conditions
correlated weakly if at all with creativity and IQ. However coherence
measures showed a strong relationship both with creativity and IQ
scores.
    Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10791685

Are stimulants overprescribed for youths with ADHD? : Practical
and legitimate concerns for stimulant treatment for youths with ADHD
are discussed, including changes within the ADHD diagnosis, infrequent
teacher-physician communications, and conduct disorder comorbidity.
    Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10798827

Cognitive and emotional influences in anterior cingulate cortex. :
Anterior cingulate cortex is involved in the regulation of both cognitive
and emotional processing. Neuroimaging studies are reviewed.How its
different subdivisions may interact with other cortical structures are
discussed.
    Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10827444

Assessment of attention following pre-school traumatic brain
injury : Children with severe injuries exhibit greater attentional
impairments in the acute phase post-injury. Differential recovery rates for
separate components of attention were reported.
    Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10819427

Low novelty-seeking differentiates obsessive-compulsive disorder
from major depression. : Both OCD and depression patients are
abnormal on harm avoidance, self-directedness & co-operativeness
measures, but are distinguish by low novelty-seeking in OCD only.
    Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10823301

The amygdala theory of autism. : Reviews the evidence for a social
function of the amygdala. The amygdala appears to be one of several
neural regions abnormal in autism.
    Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10781695

Psychiatric comorbidity associated with eating disorder
symptomatology among adolescents : Major depression, panic
disorder, OCD, and especially dysthymia are strongly associated with
eating disorders among teens.
    Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10800014

Cognitive functions and epileptic activity. : An EEG is an important
part of the assessment of both developmental and acquired dysphasia,
particularly for children. Also, drugs may not be effective in controlling
the epileptic activity in the EEG.
    Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10775514

Comorbidity of psychiatric disorders and posttraumatic stress
disorder. : Comorbidity in PTSD is very common. There is substantial
symptom overlap between PTSD and other psychiatric diagnoses,
particularly major depressive disorder. PTSD patients may also often
self-medicate, resulting in substance use disorders.
    Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10795606

Substance use, drug selling, and lethal violence in juvenile
murderers. : Teen males involved in the sale of illegal drugs comprised a
large percentage of those incarcerated for murder.
    Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10782954

Baseline prediction of 7-month cocaine abstinence for cocaine
dependence patients. : Baseline data from cocaine dependent patients,
including sociodemographic variables, scores from the Addiction Severity
Index, cocaine urine toxicology, craving, and lifetime psychiatric
diagnoses, does not predict long-term treatment outcomes.
    Further info:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10812282

-------------------------------------------------------

                Events & Locations

     Weekend Advanced Workshops for
         Neurofeedback Professionals

EEG Spectrum is offering a series of workshops addressing
  topics of interest to professionals working in the field of
  neurofeedback. Class size is limited to 25 to allow for
  informal interaction.

         QEEG with Neurofeedback
         Jack Johnstone, Ph.D.
         Encino CA     July 8-9, 2000

         Psychopharmacology, Nutrition, and Neurofeedback
         Bruce Goderez, M.D.
         Boston, MA     Sep 23-24, 2000

         Beta/SMR Skills Enhancement & Case Review
         Sue Othmer, BCIA
         Encino CA     Oct 7-8, 2000

 For information, call EEG Spectrum at 818-789-3456 x 810
           or email training@...

     PREREQUISITES FOR EITHER PRACTICUM:
     Completion of 1 EEG Spectrum Biofeedback
     Training Course for Professionals
     EEG Biofeedback experience using
     NeuroCybernetics Instrumentation

           Upcoming Comprehensive Courses
      Philly PA - Jun 15-20         Portland OR - Jul 13-18
  Denver CO - Aug 24-29      Groningen, Holland - Sep 11-16
       More info at www.eegspectrum.com/course

-------------------------------------------------------
      CONFERENCE    LOCATION         DATES
          SNR    Minneapolis, MN    Sep 20 - 24
-------------------------------------------------------
New Neurofeedback Clinicians / New Offices

No list this month

-------------------------------------------------------
                     Last Word

        Journal of Neurotherapy - New & Improved!

Two issues of the Journal of Neurotherapy, now published by Haworth
Press, are due out shortly. A preview of these issues appear
http://www.snr-jnt.org/JournalNT/PreV4-1-2.htm.

 Upcoming articles include:
   Kaiser and Othmer report on the efficacy of fixed protocol
     neurofeedback for ADHD in a large multicenter clinical trial. Using
     T.O.V.A. as an outcome measure, they report data on over 1000
     subjects.

   Putman reports on single lead EEG changes in alpha and beta
     following alpha training in a peak performance paradigm with
     Army reservists. These changes are associated with increased
     relaxation, and are associated with improved performance.

   Moore and colleagues report on a controlled study of alpha-theta
     feedback compared to other relaxing training conditions, and find
     that theta/alpha crossover and the production of imagery are
     similar for all three conditions studied.

   Clinical Corner: Experts including Barry Sterman and Joel Lubar
     discuss protocols that employ inhibition only vs. protocols that
     employ both inhibit and reward. And Hammond reviews the
     literature regarding What we know about 40 Hz.

   Current Concepts in Neurotherapy: Kaiser reviews and critiques
     the literature on spectral analysis of human EEG and discusses
     methodology issues inherent in these studies, proposing standards
     for neurofeedback use of QEEG.
--------------------------end----------------------------

What's New in Neurofeedback

        A Monthly Summary of News and Events

             Vol. 3 No. 5 - May 2000

      This newsletter is sponsored by EEG Spectrum, Inc.,
a leader in providing clinical service and training professionals.

       Past issues are available at www.eegspectrum.com/newsletter/
Information on how to subscribe or cancel a subscription appear at
the end. The opinions related in this newsletter reflect those of the
author only. Copyright (C) 2000 by EEG Spectrum, Inc. All rights
reserved.

-------------------------------------------------------
   Announcements      - Neurobiology of ADHD
   In the Spotlight   - The Din of Rose Petals
   News & Reviews     - Books, journal papers, of interest
   Events & Locations - Conferences, Courses; New clinicians/offices
   Last Word          - "A Symphony in the Brain"
-------------------------------------------------------

            ANNOUNCEMENTS

  1. Neurobiology of ADHD (entire journal paper)
      http://www.bioscience.org/2000/v5/d/himelste/fulltext.htm

  2. Brain-wave workout may help attention troubles
      http://www.jsonline.com:80/alive/news/jan00/brain24012300.asp

  3. Ritalin shouldn't be forced on our kids
archives.seattletimes.com/cgi-bin/texis/web/vortex/display?slug=hoel
&date=20000308&query=ritalin
-------------------------------------------------------

            IN THE SPOTLIGHT

        The Din of Rose Petals

According to the early 20th century poet Don Marquis: "Publishing a
volume of verse is like dropping a rose petal down the
Grand Canyon and waiting for the echo." Sometimes publishing
scientific work feels the same. Depending upon the receptivity
of one's audience, the unconventionality of one's work, the career
entrenchment of one's peers, a response when it comes, if it
ever does, is underwhelming. For instance, 30 years ago Barry
Sterman discovered that SMR biofeedback was effective in
reducing the incidence and severity of seizures in epileptics, but
instead of training the gray matter that malfunctions, or its
neighbors, neurologists and neurosurgeons continue to cut it away.
Temporal lobectomies and other costly remedies, in both dollars
and flesh, remain on the rise. They have yet to hear the echo.

Two recent publications should make some noise for neurofeedback.
This month Jim Robbins, a free lance reporter, publishes a
popular book on the history and current state of this field (see
Last Word, below). Although this petal is meant for the general
public, it may resound a bit with mental health professionals as
their clients ask about and request the new therapy they've read
about. But a rose petal can only be so heavy, and likewise a
popular book's impact on the professional domain. Fortunately a
weighter object was hurled into the abyss this January. The January
2000 issue of the journal Clinical EEG was entirely
dedicated to neurofeedback research. Sixty slendor pages, not very
heavy to lift, but it should make a thump when it strikes the
base.

The issue consists of a brief editorial followed by seven review
articles. Each review focuses on a single disorder or syndrome
treated by neurofeedback. The editorial, written by Frank Duffy,
MD, a highly respected scientist and director of the
Developmental Neurophysiology Laboratory at Harvard's Childrens
Hospital in Boston, may prove to have the greatest impact of
all the ink splashed onto these pages. It may lure eyes and minds
into the issue, helping to get this thin volume into the hands of
those scientists and clinicians who remain ignorant of this
promising technique.

"In my opinion, if any medication had demonstrated such a wide
spectrum of efficacy it would be universally accepted and widely
used" (Duffy, 2000).

That says it all, doesn't it? Why neurofeedback is not "universally
accepted and widely used" is probably due partly to the mottled
history of biofeedback, a lack of major financial incentives and
patentable ideas in the field, and competition from highly
profitable (read pharmaceutical) establishments. Yet the greatest
hurdle may be mental -- a mental block in the minds of practitioners
and the public. Science is replete with similar mental blocks -- an
idea is implausible until it is inevitable and obvious. Paradigms
do not slouch towards Harvard (or Bethesda) to be born; they are
tsunamis that build to insufferable heights before crashing down on
everyone's heads. So don't look up. Can we accept an exercise model
over a surgical model for remediating neurological and psychiatric
dysfunction? Soon, perhaps, but not today....

Regardless of obstacles, the review articles in this issue are
highly recommended for anyone remotely interested in treating mental
illness. In the remainder of this essay I'll recount one of the
papers (another was detailed in the December 1999 issue of this
newsletter).

David Trudeau presents the history and effectiveness of alpha-theta
neurofeedback in treating substance abuse and dependence.
In the early '70s Elmer Green at the Meninger Clinic developed
alpha-theta training in the context of addiction therapy. By
reinforcing the pattern of alpha and theta activity produced by
experienced meditators during meditation, he hoped to induce a
similar state in addicts, an altered state of reverie and
relaxation during which the addicted patient might be susceptible
to the therapist's suggestions. The use of an altered state was
thought to  augment psychotherapy as well as to promote individual
insight into his or her condition.

This was not the first attempt to use an altered state for
psychotherapeutic purposes. Twenty years earlier Timothy Leary
administered a series of experiments which soon became notorious
and resulted from his expulsion from Harvard. In the late 50s
Leary began to approach seminary students around Boston, requesting
that they ingest an unknown (to them) psychotropic
substance while secluded in a room, often listening to music and
other evocative stimuli. (At least one seminary student at Boston
University declined to participate in this experiment -- my father.
Later it came out that LSD was the substance used in this early
research.) Although both alpha-theta training and the Harvard
Psychedelic Project, as Leary called it, share certain similarities
including the production of deeply emotional or mystical
experiences in some users, the resemblence ends at the mechanism
involved. To augment the psychodynamic process, participants in the
LSD experiments ingested "consciousness-expanding"
chemicals, usually unaware of the inherent dangers and cautions
involved with synthetic substances. Once ingested, the
mechanisms were no longer under conscious control by the
individual, unlike alpha-theta training, which can be stopped by the
patient at any time, usually by opening the eyes. Compared to
reinforcing endogeneous rhythms, as what happens in alpha-theta
training, the LSD (and later psilocybin) experiments involved a
very unnatural mechanism for inducing emotional dissociation. Not
unlike the surgical and pharmaceutical techniques still in wide use
today.

In the 80s Eugene Peniston developed an elaborate alpha-theta
protocol which he used to treat V.A. patients suffering from
posttraumatic stress disorder, alcoholism, or both. In conjunction
with traditional psychotherapeutic techniques, he reported
remarkable results, particularly in terms of remission rates
(nearly 0% in some studies, almost unheard of in addiction
research). More impressive, these results persisted over lengthy
follow-up  periods. Since then, other researchers have reported
similar successes (Kelly, 1997; Scott & Kaiser, 1998), making the
development of alpha-theta training perhaps the most promising
addition to substance abuse treatment since Bill W's development of
the 12-step process.

The success stories of neurofeedback, as reviewed in this issue of
Clinical EEG, are just as numerous outside of addiction
treatment and should amount for more than a few rose petals. Here
are the other papers:

      Barry Sterman reviews the origin of SMR biofeedback and its
effectiveness in controlling seizures

      John Nash reviews the effectiveness of neurofeedback training
on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD/ADD).

      John Gruzelier reviews the promise of using neurofeedback for
schizophrenia and schizotypy

      Norman Moore reviews neurofeedback treatment of anxiety
disorders.

      Peter Rosenfeld reviews neurofeedback treatment of affective
disorders.

      Robert Thatcher reviews its use for traumatic brain injury.

Copies of the journal issue can be purchased for about $22. Contact
clinicaleeg@... for more information.

- David Kaiser

Further Reading

   Duffy FH. The state of EEG biofeedback therapy (EEG operant
conditioning) in 2000: an editor's opinion.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10638345

   Gruzelier J. Self regulation of electrocortical activity in
schizophrenia and schizotypy: a review.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10638349

  Moore NC. A review of EEG biofeedback treatment of anxiety
disorders.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10638346

  Nash JK. Treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
with neurotherapy.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10638350

  Rosenfeld JP. An EEG biofeedback protocol for affective disorders.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10638347

  Sterman MB. Basic concepts and clinical findings in the treatment of
seizure disorders with EEG operant conditioning.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10638352

  Thatcher RW. EEG operant conditioning (biofeedback) and traumatic
brain injury.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10638351

  Trudeau DL. The treatment of addictive disorders by brain wave
biofeedback: a review and suggestions for future research.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10638348

-------------------------------------------------------

            News & Reviews

NEW BOOKS


A Symphony in the Brain: The Evolution of the New Brain Wave
Biofeedback
by Jim Robbins
      Development of neurofeedback from its discovery by a small
corps of research scientists to its growing
application across the country and its present battle for
acceptance in the medical & psychological community.

Attachment and Psychopathology
by Leslie Atkinson, Kenneth J. Zucker
      General considerations, risk and prediction, and clinical
findings on attachment. Includes attachment networks in
postdivorce families, intergenerational transmission of attachment,
& attachment and childhood behavior problems

Health Resources Online; A Guide for Mental Health and Addiction
Specialists
by Laurie Sheerer, Colette Kimball, Brian Zevnik
      Guide for professionals.

Attention Deficit Disorder : A Different Perception
by Thom Hartmann
     Hartmann has revised his groundbreaking book to include the
latest research along with surprising information on  studies that
link second-hand smoke to disruptive behavior. Also relates the
great promise of neurofeedback training for ADD.

Prozac and the New Antidepressants : What You Need to Know About
Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Luvox, Wellbutrin...
by William S. Appleton
      22 million people currently take Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, and
other "new antidepressants". Harvard Med professor
William Appleton answers basic questions on side effects,
personality changes, drug effects; St. John's Wort.

Alcoholism, the Facts
by Donald W. Goodwin
      Excerpts from the scientific literature along with case
studies provide a thorough description of this debilitating
disorder.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Neuropsychiatry
by M. S. George, Robert H., M.D. Belmaker
      Comprehensive book on a new field. TMS allows researchers to
stimulate the brain to understand how it works. History,
physics, safety, and the recent research and clinical work with TMS.

Anxiety Disorders: Psychological Approaches to Theory and Treatment
by Michelle Genevieve Craske
      Research developments in cognitive psychology, neuroscience,
learning theory, and clinical psychology, as it applies to the
nature and treatment of anxiety disorders.
  -------------------------------------------------------

   JOURNAL PAPERS

A name, what's in a name? The medicalization of hyperactivity,
revisited. : Raising a hyperactive child can provoke a
profound sense of alienation in parents. Medicalization and labeling
helps validate and legitimatize parental experiences. It provided
a sense of control and improved parent-child relationships. However
doctors worried that such medicalization led to scape-goating
the child and to self-fulfilling prophecies.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10749390


A follow-up pilot study of objective measures in children with ADHD
: TOVA impulsivity scores improve in children with
ADHD but inattention, response time, and response variability do not
after a prolonged period of stimulant medication therapy.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10760011


The neurobiology of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. :
Neuropsychology, neuroimaging, neurochemistry, and
molecular genetics evidence supports dysfunction of fronto-striatal
dopaminergic and noradrenergic circuits with resultant
executive deficits in cognitive functioning.(full text available
online)
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10762596


Deficient intracortical inhibition in drug-naive children with ADHD
is enhanced by methylphenidate. : Motor system
excitability was evaluated in ADHD children using transcranial
magnetic stimulation (TMS); ADHD-children had reduced
intracortical inhibition compared to controls.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10771177


Neuropsychological differentiation of depression and anxiety. :
Depression and anxiety were uniquely and jointly associated
with perceptual asymmetry. Depression associated with a relative
decrease and anxiety with a relative increase in right-posterior
activity.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10740930


Functional Neuroimaging and Quantitative Electroencephalography in
Adult Traumatic Head Injury: Clinical
Applications and Interpretive Cautions. : An overview of the use of
procedures such as positron emission tomography, single
photon emission computed tomography, and quantitative
electroencephalogram in adults for accurate differential diagnosis
of mild
head trauma.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10739971


Neuropsychological correlates of domestic violence. : Poor
neuropsychological performance was common among batterers
and was more predictive of batterer status than all clinical
variables measured. Current cognitive status, prior brain injury,
childhood academic problems, as well as psychosocial influences,
contribute to a propensity for domestic violence.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10751047


Psychiatric symptoms among clients seeking treatment for drug
dependence. : Gender, physical health, drug dependence
and personal relationship problems predicted psychiatric symptoms
than substance use. Psychiatric symptoms are more closely
linked to polydrug use.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10755078


Gender differences in regional cerebral activity during sadness.
Cerebral correlates of emotional experience in males and
females indicates a more focal and subcortical processing of sadness
in men.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10770231


Brain morphological changes and early marijuana use: an MRI and PET
study. : Age at which exposure to marijuana
begins is important: those who start before 17 show smaller whole
brain and percent cortical gray matter and larger percent white
matter volumes than those starting after 17.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10772599

   -------------------------------------------------------

   EVENTS & LOCATIONS

      Weekend Advanced Workshops for  Neurofeedback Professionals

EEG Spectrum is offering a series of workshops addressing topics of
interest to professionals working in the field of neurofeedback.
Class size is limited to 25 to allow for informal interaction.

   Working with Learning and Behavior Problems in a School Setting
   John Anderson Instructor
   Minneapolis, MN     Jun 10-11, 2000

   EEG Biofeedback Instrumentation
   Howard Lightstone Instructor
   Encino CA     July 8-9, 2000

   Therapeutic Techniques, Ethics, Research Principles
   Lisa Cavallaro, Psy.D., Instructor
   Encino CA     Aug 12-13, 2000

   Psychopharmacology, Nutrition, and Neurofeedback
   Bruce Goderez, M.D., Instructor
   Boston, MA     Sep 23-24, 2000


For information, call EEG Spectrum at 818-789-3456 x 810 or email
training@...

      PREREQUISITES FOR EITHER PRACTICUM:
Completion of 1 EEG Spectrum Biofeedback Training Course for
Professionals
EEG Biofeedback experience using NeuroCybernetics Instrumentation

Next Comprehensive Course: Philadelphia, PA (4+2) - Jun 15-20
    more info at www.eegspectrum.com/course

  Conferences for Neurofeedback Clinicians & Researchers

-------------------------------------------------------
       CONFERENCE    LOCATION         DATES
           SNR    Minneapolis, MN    Sep 20 - 24
-------------------------------------------------------
New Neurofeedback Clinicians / New Offices

   Angelo Schibeci, PhD
   Josephine Capitani
   Health Plus
   52 Dunmore Street
   Wentworthville NSW Australia 2145
   Phone 612 9631 8944; Fax 612 9631 2984
   shekinah@...

   Wellbeing & Integrated
      Neurotherapy Srvcs
   10 Dyson Place
   Fairfield West, NSW Australia 2165
   Phone 612 9604 6937; Fax 612 9604 1307

   Dr John Criticos
   79 Silver St
   Merrickville, NSW 2204
   Phone: 61 (0)2 9349 7802
   a8761@...

   Dr. Susan Priest
   Healthcare Systems
   Perth WA

   Stephen Dunstone, Psychologist
   33 Dequetteville Terrace
   Kent Town
   South Australia 5067
   Tel 08 83645342
   Fax 08 83313814
   Mob 0418 843 823
   dunstone@...

   Dr Peter Thomas
   48 Carrington Street
   Adelaide SA  5000
   Phone: 61 (0)417 849 458
   ttg@...

   Brian O'Hanlon
   Psychologist, MAPS
   Fellow (Aust College of Clin Psych)
   PO Box 313
   Coorparoo  Qld  4151
   Phone:(07) 3397 8250
         0419302173
   bohanlon@...

   Caroline Grierson, RN BSN CBT CNT
   Train Your Brain
   100 UCLA Medical Plaza, Ste 100
   Los Angeles, CA., 90095
   (310) 478-1961
   (310) 264-7246 ext 104
   GrierEEGBF@...
-------------------------------------------------------

     LAST WORD


A Symphony in the Brain:
   The Evolution of the New Brain Wave Biofeedback
    by Jim Robbins

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0871138077/top100

The fascinating, untold story of the development of neurofeedback,
from its discovery by a small corps of research scientists to its
growing application across the country and around the world, to the
contentious history of biofeedback in the 1970s, to present battles
for acceptance in the medical and psychological community.


Editorial Review:
Imagine a simple procedure versatile enough to treat epilepsy,
autism, attention-deficit disorder, addictions, and
depression with no drugs, surgery, or side effects, and to improve
everything from golf scores to sleep to opera singers' voices.
These are only some of the capabilities of neurofeedback, a
controversial but effective treatment that is growing rapidly in use
around the world and is revolutionizing the way an incredibly
diverse range of medical and psychological conditions are treated.
For more than twenty years a small handful of neurofeedback
practitioners have achieved dramatic results in thousands of cases.
Using computerized biofeedback equipment and capitalizing on recent
scientific research that illustrates the profound plasticity of
the brain, clinicians train patients to function in brain
frequencies they don't usually use. This exercise strengthens the
brain and the
rest of the nervous system, with powerful effects on the entire
body. Yet, because of the unusual nature of the procedure and the
boldness of their claims, proponents of neurofeedback have found it
nearly impossible to convince the medical field to take the
treatment seriously. This situation, however, is changing. In A
Symphony in the Brain, Jim Robbins traces the fascinating, untold
story of the development of neurofeedback, from its discovery by a
small corps of research scientists to its growing application
across the country and around the world, to the contentious history
of biofeedback in the 1970s, to present battles for acceptance
in the medical and psychological community. He builds a compelling
argument for research funding for neurotherapy and shows
how almost anyone can gain from the technique. Offering a wealth of
powerful case studies, accessible scientific explanations,
and dramatic personal accounts, Robbins journeys through a
remarkable field, which he brings to the public eye for the first
time.
-------------------------------------------------------

What's New in Neurofeedback

            A Monthly Summary of News and Events

                  Vol. 3 No. 4 - April 2000

        This newsletter is sponsored by EEG Spectrum, Inc.,
    a leader in providing clinical service and training professionals.

    Past issues are available at www.eegspectrum.com/newsletter/
Information on how to subscribe or cancel a subscription appear at
the end. The opinions related in this newsletter reflect those of the
author only. Copyright (C) 2000 by EEG Spectrum, Inc. All rights
reserved.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Announcements      - Duffy quote; transcripts
In the Spotlight   - EEG and the Sun: Circadian Effects on the QEEG
News & Reviews     - Books, journal papers, of interest
Events & Locations - Conferences, Courses; New clinicians / offices
Last Word          - Eyeballs Wielding Grenades
-------------------------------------------------------------------

    ANNOUNCEMENTS

The literature ... which lacks any negative study of substance,
suggests that EEG Biofeedback Therapy (EBT)
should play a major therapeutic role in many difficult areas. In my
opinion, if any medication had demonstrated
such a wide spectrum of efficacy it would be universally accepted and
widely used.
        - Frank Duffy, M.D., Assoc Editor for "Neurology"

Thalamocortical dysrhythmia: A neurological and neuropsychiatric
syndrome characterized by MEG
Entire text (3 Megs, PDF format) -
www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/picrender.cgi?artid=127&type=5

Neurofeedback articles:
  New York Post  -208.248.87.252/03212000/1932.htm
  CNN website
-www.cnn.com/2000/HEALTH/alternative/02/17/neuro.feedback.wmd/
  FAS Times      -www.eegspectrum.com/articles/fasbene.htm
  Hawaii Parent  -www.eegspectrum.com/affil/armst1.htm
  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel -
www.jsonline.com:80/alive/news/jan00/brain24012300.asp

WebMD chat transcripts:
  Tom Brod discusses NF
-my.webmd.com/content/asset/chat_transcript.526881
  Treating ADD Naturally -my.webmd.com/content/article/1707.50168

---------------------------------------------------------------------


      IN THE SPOTLIGHT

  EEG and the Sun:   Circadian Effects on the QEEG
   ( originally appeared Aug 1998; revised )

As the sun climbs higher into the northern sky each day, the behavior
of the inhabitants of this tiny rock changes in mysterious ways: We
hide colored eggs on the lawn, we sit in ballparks and snatch at foul
balls, the young migrate south to Fort Lauderdale for a week. Not
only
does the Sun dictate vacation plans, it dominates most processes
within a light year of our location. And human EEG is no exception.

About 4.6 billion years ago a not-so-distant star, some 6 to 33 light
years away, exploded and sent a formidable shock wave out in all
directions. In its path lay a slowly rotating cloud of gas
and dust, previously seeded with heavier dust by a blast
two billion years before. The shock wave collided with the large
cloud, compressing it, which started a process that led to a
whole slew of spinning shapes. Local processes soon took over and
forged these bodies into familiar forms. Four gaseous
planets condensed within a billion miles of the newly-formed star,
but as the smaller ones jockeyed with their neighbors, they were
slung
to the farthest reaches. Nearer the center, two planets failed to
miss
each other during a pass. After considerable cooling, an unrivaled
satellite system was formed. Four billion years quickly and violently
passed on the two-rock system. On the rock which did not lose its
spin, electrodes are now commonly placed on various descendants of a
strange experiment in information transmission and storage. That this
experiment evolved on a spinning surface, within the influence of a
nearby celestial fusion reactor, underlies the premise of this essay.

Does our EEG reflect this evolutionary history? Does human EEG
exhibit a circadian rhythm, and if so, what relevance may it hold for
neurofeedback?

Analyzing EEG from more than 150 subjects at various times of day
reveals ample evidence of the Sun's influence on a
wide range of frequency activity (Kaiser & Sterman, 1994 -
www.eegspectrum.com/articles/kaiser94.htm). Some might
questioned my data and suspect that any circadian rhythm apparent in
the EEG are probably due to drowsiness or hunger or
lunch. Now I agree that these factors play a role -- but only a
co-starring one. If the drowsy epochs were clipped out of my
data set, some argued, the EEG would remain relatively flat
throughout
the entire day. Essentially, this argument implies that EEG is the
only physiological, biochemical, or endocrinological process in the
human which evolved unaffected by the Sun.

What biological processes are influenced by a 24 hour day-night
cycle? In short, nearly all of them. A search of the
literature reveals thousands of papers which describe circadian
rhythms in various biologic parameters: body temperature,
heart rate, motor activity -- far too many to relate here. A recent
paper on ultradian cycles in event-related potentials
(Polich, 1997) found evidence of ultradian rhythms in the background
EEG and in the ERP signals themselves. So why do
some neuroscientists and psychologists deny the existence or
importance of circadian or ultradian rhythms in gross
neuroelectric activity? Perhaps the clearer argument would be that
such cycles, if they exist, are not relevant to
neurofeedback assessment or training. Perhaps... But the following
(true) example points to how time of day can be critical
in neurofeedback training:

A woman with epilepsy undergoing neurofeedback learned that whenever
she was supervised by her regular clinician she performed much worse
than when he was out of town and she took her sessions with a
substitute trainer. This effect (sometimes called the experimenter
effect) is not unusual and could be attributed to numerous factors.
With her regular clinician, she averaged around 5 microvolts each
session, but when the  substitute trainer was in the room it wasn't
unusual to record a mean of 7 or 8 microvolts. Well, it didn't take
long before both she was convinced that her regular clinician's
approach was poor and inferior to the sub's. A logical conclusion,
but totally unfounded. You see, the woman met with her
regular clinician at 5 pm but the sub couldn't make it at 5 pm and
always scheduled their sessions for 7. The change in time
of day was altering the EEG baseline from which she worked, not any
clinical approach.

There's nothing new under the Sun, so the saying goes. The woman and
her new trainer had simply rediscovered what was already known. In
November 1983, Gertz and Lavie published a paper in the journal
Psychophysiology which should have focused attention on the possible
confounding influence of circadian rhythms on EEG biofeedback. The
paper was for, some ungodly reason, enigmatically titled:
"Biological rhythms in arousal indices: A potential confounding
effect in EEG biofeedback" The title alone may explain why few people
in EEG biofeedback field seem aware of the problem to this
day... Gertz and Lavie recorded EEG from 11 subjects for about 8
hours each. During this time, arousal was evaluated (albeit
subjectively) and between EEG recordings subjects underwent a
form of EEG biofeedback. They observed significant ultradian
rhythmicity in the EEG (at about 200 min/cycle, the Basic Rest
Activity cycle). The rhythmicity was also apparent in the arousal
measure. They also reported a more prominent circadian rhythm during
eyes closed than during eyes open conditions. They correctly
concluded
that because "the observed ultradian and circadian EEG rhythmicities
could be spuriously interpreted as learning curves under a
biofeedback
paradigm, it is argued that future designs should incorporate
continuous baseline controls." Wise advice which has been almost
entirely ignored.

In 1995 we reported that absolute magnitudes in all frequencies were
similarly modulated across the day. This similar modulation suggested
a common organizing influence on the cortical expression of thalamic
input. In other words, the Sun had long ago set a timer or two inside
the thalamus (as it had everywhere else) and we rediscovered this
basic fact. For our efforts, our data and conclusions immediately
came
under suspicion. Those who should have recognized the obvious role of
the Sun in neurophysiology and neurofeedback, who encountered it each
and every day, were (predictably) the most obstinate. How many times
must America be discovered before it stays discovered? At least five
times.... and this is only round two or three for circadian cycles in
EEG.

All in all, circadian rhythms are probably not a big problem for
neurofeedback training. Most people who see a clinician regularly do
so at about the same time of day each time, due to work or school
schedules. Time of day is more likely to vary between widely-spaced
recording sessions (assessments) than between shortly-spaced sessions
(training). And most clinicians nowadays work with reinforcement
schedules (e.g., 70% above threshold, 80% above threshold, etc.) more
than amplitude values. Assessments (which are usually widely-spaced
sessions) are more vulnerable to time of day effects. The
best solution adopted by many offices is to test people only at one
time during the day, typically around 10:00 am in the morning. But
what happens when the client is running late? When they appear at
11:30 am, are they rescheduled for the next day or are they re-tested
anyway then and there? In other words, do you let the Sun into your
data or not?

-David Kaiser

---------------------------------------------------------------------

   NEWS & REVIEWS


NEW BOOKS

Dual Diagnosis Recovery Sourcebook: A Physical, Mental, and Spiritual
Approach to Addiction with and Emotional Disorder
by Dennis C. Ortman
   Dual diagnoses has emerged as an important issue for substance
abuse recovery as psychiatric conditions commonly subvert recovery
plans.
    http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0737303190/top100


The Developing Mind: Toward a Neurobiology of Interpersonal
Experience
by Daniel J. Siegel
   A compelling new framework for understanding the human mind and its
development, based on anatomical, neurological, and clinical
information. From neurons and  brain circuitry to parent-child
communication, the volume explores how mental functioning emerges
within the context of emotionally-connected relationships.
    http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1572304537/top100


ADHD With Comorbid Disorders: Clinical Assessment and Management
by Steven R. Pliszka, Caryn L. Carlson, Jim M. Swanson
   The authors review the evaluation and treatment of ADHD with major
comorbidities -- mood and anxiety disorders, conduct disorders,
learning disorders, medical illnesses,  and severe developmental
disorders. Includes case examples.
    http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1572304782/top100


Taming the Troublesome Child: American Families, Child Guidance, and
the Limits of Psychiatric Authority
By Kathleen W. Jones
   Twenty general categories of "causative factors" for delinquency
are discussed in a psychodynamic context, including developmental,
physical, environmental, and psychological.
    http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0674868110/top100


Understanding Other Minds : Perspectives from Developmental Cognitive
Neuroscience
by Simon Baron-Cohen
   Scientific research directed toward problems common in various
neurological and psychiatric conditions including autism and
borderline personality disorders.
    http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0198524455/top100


From Thoughts to Obsessions : Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in
Children and Adolescents
by Per Hove Thomsen
   Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by recurring
and involuntary obsessive thoughts or actions. It
is now believed that 1 per cent of all children suffers from serious
obsessive disorders. This volume explains the nature and
treatment of OCD in children and adolescents. An explanation of the
symptoms, assessment procedures and treatment strategies and its
relationship to other psychiatric conditions.
    http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1853027219/top100


Autism : Identification, Education and Treatment
by Dianne E. Berkell Zager
   Summarizes past and current philosophies and current clinical
practices; includes research from genetics,
biochemistry, and psychology
    http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0805820442/top100


Cortical Functions
by John D. Stirling
   How the brain works and its structure: neuropsychology,
lateralisation, sensory and motor function, language function, visual
processing
    http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0415192668/top100

--------

   JOURNAL PAPERS

Test-retest reliability of cognitive EEG: Task-related EEG can be
highly reliable within and between sessions; it should
prove to be useful in assessing clinical changes in cognitive status.
Resting EEG also showed high reliability (though lower
than task-related conditions).

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10699407

Social functioning and emotional regulation in ADHD: ADHD-C (combined
type) children show more aggressive behavior and evidence of
emotional
dysregulation. ADHD-I (inattentive  type) children have normal
emotional regulation but are socially passive.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10693030

Neuropsychological deficits in sober alcoholics: Alcoholics were
impaired on the Shipley Vocabulary and Abstraction
tests and on the Digit Symbol test. Chronicity of alcohol abuse
played
no factor in these deficits.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10698365

Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder and its deceivers: There is
a myriad of disorders that can mimic ADHD.
Children suspected to have ADHD should be approached in a systematic,
scientific, and professional manner to determine
the best treatment for the child.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10702904

An EEG approach to the neurodevelopmental hypothesis of
schizophrenia: Schizophrenics showed lower
delta-theta activity centroid frequencies and higher alpha and beta
activity centroids than controls. Schizophrenics showed
partial similarities in delta-theta and beta reactivity centroids
with
the 11-year olds and in alpha reactivity centroids with the
13-year olds, which supports some aspects of the neurodevelopmental
hypothesis.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10696833

Validity of DSM-IV subtypes of attention-deficit/hyperactivity
disorder : ADHD exhibits genetic components, but
symptom differences among subtypes appear to be due to nonfamilial,
environmental causes.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10714049

Transcranial magnetic stimulation induces 'pseudoabsence seizure'. :
Reports a single case of repetitive transcranial
magnetic stimulation in a depressed individual which, combined with
drugs modulating the norepinephrine turnover, may
have contributed to the occurrence of a complex partial seizure.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10721875

Risk factors for adolescent substance abuse and dependence: data from
a national sample. : Teens have
increased risk for current substance abuse when they have been
physically or sexually assaulted, witnessed violence, or had
family members with alcohol or drug use problems.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10710837

Neurological soft signs and EEG findings in children and adolescents
with Gilles de la Tourette syndrome. :
Non-specific EEG abnormalities and neurological soft signs were
detected in 57.5 percent of cases of Tourette's syndrome.
These findings were associated with low-performance IQ.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10731871

Orbitofrontal cortex and human drug abuse: functional imaging. :
Activity in the orbitofrontal cortex and its
connections plays a role in the maladaptive behavior of substance
abuse, including expectancy, craving and impaired judgment.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&db=m&uid=10731228
----------------------------------------------------------------


Events & Locations

  Weekend Advanced Workshops for Neurofeedback Professionals

EEG Spectrum is offering a series of workshops addressing topics of
interest to professionals working in the
field of neurofeedback. Class size is limited to 25 to allow for
informal interaction.
Working with Learning and Behavior Problems in a School Setting
John Anderson Instructor
Minneapolis, MNJun 10-11, 2000

EEG Biofeedback Instrumentation
Howard Lightstone Instructor
Encino CAJuly 8-9, 2000

Therapeutic Techniques, Ethics, Research Principles
Lisa Cavallaro, Psy.D., Instructor
Encino CAAug 12-13, 2000

Psychopharmacology, Nutrition, and Neurofeedback
Bruce Goderez, M.D., Instructor
Boston, MASep 23-24, 2000

  For information, telephone EEG Spectrum at 818-891-6789 x 810 or
email training@...

PREREQUISITES FOR EITHER PRACTICUM:
Completion of 1 EEG Spectrum Biofeedback Training Course for
Professionals
EEG Biofeedback experience using NeuroCybernetics Instrumentation

--------
Conferences for Neurofeedback Clinicians & Researchers

CONFERENCE   LOCATION           DATES
    SNR     Minneapolis, MN   Sep 20 - 24
----------------------------------------------------------------

New Neurofeedback Clinicians / New Offices

   Sandy Talbott
   854 E. Main Street
   Santa Paula, CA  93060
   (805)701-8884
   (805)647-0072 fax
   talbott@...

   Success Unlimited Center
   Scott Kambak, M.A.
   1235 N. Harbor Blvd., Suite 100
   Fullerton, CA 92632
   (714) 447-4422
   www.successunlimitedcenter.com  (new website)
----------------------------------------------------------------

     LAST WORD

   Eyeballs Wielding Grenades
      by David Kaiser
   (Originally appeared Feb 1999)

The other day I was playing an online first-person perspective
shoot'em-up game with 10 other players. The game's landscape
consisted
of a series of interconnected hallways and each player appeared in
the
game as an eyeball that scamped around on tiny feet and sported
grenades. When  you spotted another player, you tossed a grenade and
ran for cover. Part of the fun of the game was that you could not run
backwards, so you had to toss the grenade at your target, run past it
and the intended victim, and escape down a side corridor before the
grenade blew up. The grenade had a two-second delay and would destroy
everyone in the hallway. You knew you were a dead man when you saw an
eyeball pass your position on the run and turn sharply out of view. I
spent the majority of that day watching eyeballs rush past me,
ducking
into side corridors, just as everything went black.

Now this game may sound boring to those of us who have played Doom,
Quake, Duke Nukem, or a hundred other first-person PC games, but the
"other day" to which I referred was in 1976, I was in sixth grade,
and  I was playing at MIT on one of the largest computers in the
world
at the time. (Even in those days MIT students knew how to put a
computer to good use -- hunting down friends in cyberspace.)

The eyeball game was played on "dumb" terminals connected to a
central
computer which was located half a building away. The central computer
was the size of a VW van. It was brand new, cost $4 million, and was
cooled by a dozen industrial air conditioners. You had to wear a
sweater to stay in that room for any length of time. Despite the
cold, throughout the day a dozen or so students and staff vainly
tried to keep the damn machine from crashing, which it did every 4
hours like clockwork.  Although the machine had less computing power
than a Furbie does today, it was state-of-the-art at the time and it
intimidated me more than any other creature I've encountered on
this planet, before or since. Yet here were students standing three
feet below floor level, running wires and connecting terminals to the
underbelly of the  beast without a second thought. Hard work, but
they enjoyed it. This was a world, a campus, a small city in itself,
made up entirely of early adopters of computers and technology.

What reminded me of this strange day of computer play, now 23 years
forgotten, was a recent email message I received. It was a message
from an academic psychologist who had been sent a number of papers on
neurofeedback. He replied that until a neurofeedback study was
published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, the General Archives
of Psychiatry, or some other major journal, he would not pay
attention
to any results we found. Regardless of the number of subjects
involved! Unless the AMA or some other austere organization told
him what to accept, and think, he would remain happy with his dated
toolset. (Did Australopithicus think this way? I imagined him
crouched
over a waning fire, poking his meal with a stick or bone, where off
in
the distance claypots and spearheads are being fashioned.)

The brain, once thought to be nothing more than a cooling organ, has
now grabbed center stage in the world of science. Everyone in
psychology and the mental health disciplines should agree on this.
And this growing focus on the 3-pound universe cannot help but
contribute daily to greater acceptance of technologies that assess and
alter the brain's functions such as neurofeedback. As spiritual
explanations (demonic possession) were superseded by psychological
explanations (id disorders) in the early part of this century,
psychological explanations will themselves be superseded by
biological and psychophysiological explanations in the early part of
the next century (e.g, neural dysfunction). Yet today the world is
still populated with stone tool users and the various gods and
superstitions they heed. Some days I wonder what can ever change
this.

According to some, change will come about in response to public
demand. The public, and not academia, does not have careers or stock
options at stake in determining what treatments work and what
treatments don't. The public seeks out what is best for him or her.
They are ready and eager to adopt the newest technologies as long as
they prove effective. Public demand is creating supply. At one time
it was predicted that the entire world's computational power could be
supplied by 5 computers worldwide. But public demand turned that
prediction into nonsense. Likewise, the arguments we hear today for
eliminating abnormal brain function through rampant medication and
surgery, instead of training, will be met by the same derision. We
are all early adopters in this field. Early adopters work harder than
the rest -- but they also reap the greatest rewards. Early adopters
are the explorers and conquerors, institutions are the homesteaders.
Early adopters are like all those eyeballs that raced ahead of me in
the hallway that day, having already dropped a bomb at my feet. I was
stuck in place, and all went quickly black, just as they were turning
the corner.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

What's New in Neurofeedback
    A Monthly Summary of News and Events
           Vol. 3 No. 3 - March 2000

   This newsletter is sponsored by EEG Spectrum, Inc.,
a leader in providing clinical service and training professionals.

Past issues are available at www.eegspectrum.com/newsletter/
Information on how to subscribe or cancel a subscription appear at the
end.
The opinions related in this newsletter reflect those of the author
only.
Copyright (C) 2000 by EEG Spectrum, Inc. All rights reserved.


       Announcements  - Ritalin woes
       In the Spotlight   - QEEG: State of the Art, or State of
Confusion
       News & Reviews - Books, journal papers, of interest
       Events & Locations - Conferences, Courses; New clinicians /
offices
       Last Word               - Rhythmic activation impacts
neurological function, according to British law
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
---


        Announcements

      Program set to cut Ritalin, Prozac use on children
-http://www.seattlep-i.com:80/national/drug20.shtml

      Curbing Use of Psychiatric Drugs for Children
     -http://www10.nytimes.com:80/library/national/science/health/032000
hth-children-drugs.html

      First lady cautions against Ritalin for preschoolers -
      http://www2.nando.net:80/noframes/story/0,2107,500182861-500242461
-501209537-0,00.html
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
---

                  In the Spotlight
           originally appeared Nov 1998

  QEEG: State of the Art, or State of Confusion

      Despite reports of electrical activity in animal brains in the
19th century (Caton, 1875), the existence of electric potentials
in the human brain remained largely unknown and unexplored well into
the 20th century. Hans Berger published his first report
on electrical activity of the human brain in 1929, which he designated
the "Elektenkephalogram", or EEG. Five years passed
before his findings were confirmed in the English- speaking world by
Lord Adrian in 1934. By 1934 about three- quarters of
what we now know about EEG was already known to Berger, especially
about the alpha rhythm. Berger identified and labelled
alpha and beta activity, applied Fourier analysis to these signals,
described alpha blocking (an abrupt suspension of alpha
waves) which he correctly recognized was an information processing
response (in today's terms) and was not dependent upon
respiratory, vascular, or motoric responses as others thought. He
believed that the amount of alpha activity reflected the extent
of mental processing -- what we still believe today. The only thing he
didn't know (or care much) about human EEG were the
brain mechanisms which generated it.
      More than half a century passed and only a few interesting
wrinkles have been added to our knowledge of human EEG.
But now we have another complex electrical apparatus to help us probe
and sift through the original one. The rapid advance of
computer technology has been a great and troublesome boon for EEG and
EEG biofeedback research. Relatively inexpensive
but sophisticated acquisition and analysis technology has created a
surge in EEG applications and users and along with it a
proliferation of incompatible results. Some of the advantages of
quantitative EEG -- reliability, portability, sensitivity, and
cheapness -- has in some ways helped to undermine the incredible power
of this assessment tool. Now everyone and his aunt
can and does investigate the 3-pound universe. Not a week passes when
someone emails me asking how to construct an EEG
acquisition system for their own use, to be built out of parts pilfered
from the local Radio Shack dumpster... From this freedom
emerges greater freedom. And it is the lack of standards in basic areas
of quantitative EEG research (e.g., electrode number,
bandwidth, data transform) that continues to confound the effectiveness
of this tool and limit its acceptance and what should be
routine implementation in many circumstances.
      Quantitative electroencephalography has an undeserved reputation
of being noisy, unreliable, and imprecise in the minds
of psychologists, neuroscientists, and laypersons alike (Nuwer, 1988;
Begley, 1992). That was yesterday, but now it's today...
A lack of methodological standards partly underlies this
characterization. A researcher interested in analyzing behavioral or
mental processes confronts a gauntlet of largely arbitrary
methodological choices about reference electrodes, recording
electrodes, epoch parameters, windowing function, bandwidths, spectral
estimates, and artifact control (see table below).
Different methodological configurations generate incompatible, or
worse, conflicting findings and conclusions from paper to
paper (cf. any work by Ray and Cole).
      To link or not to link, that is the first question... Linking
reference electrodes (between two mastoids or earlobes)
provide a nice non-lateralized reference -- or does it? Ah, here's the
rub: if the electrical resistance at each electrode differs by
even 5K Ohm, a linked-ears montage becomes a lateralized reference, one
that drifts away from the midline plane in proportion
to the difference. Is there a better way? Seven different references
appear in the literature (i.e., 100 important EEG studies
between 1965 and 1997) -- eight, if you count the reference-free
techniques such as common average references or source
derivation (an approach with its own set of problems).
      Onto the next minefield -- frequency bands. If someone reports
that alpha magnitude decreased with neurofeedback
training, say, what part of the frequency range changed exactly? The
literature is replete with varying "alpha" frequency intervals,
e.g., 8-13 Hz, 7-12 Hz, 7.81-14.06 Hz. Nunez (1981) reported that 96%
of peak frequencies fell between 8 and 12 Hz for
135 subjects. Finally someone talking sense - but then again, over what
part of the head were these results drawn? Peak
dominant frequency can vary topographically with higher peak
frequencies typically in posterior cortex (e.g., 10.3-10.6 Hz) and
lower peak frequencies in anterior cortex (e.g., 9.7-10.3 Hz). Lack of
standardization in frequency bands is probably the
second most mischievous source of irreproducibility of results between
labs; the first being task definition and constitution (eyes
open, reading, visual processing).
      Here are some other points of contention and disagreement in EEG
research:

    1.  Acquisition
         a.  Reference method (ipsilateral, linked, etc)
         b.  Montage
         c.  Maximum impedance
         d.  Minimum number of electrodes

    2.  Collection (for spectral analysis)
         a.  Epoch interval
         b.  Epoch overlap  (0 to 99.9%)
         c.  Window function  (Hanning, rectangle, etc)
         d.  Task duration
         e.  Frequency bands
         f.  Artifact control
         g.  Data transform  (absolute power, log magnitude, relative,
etc)
         h.  Spectral parameter (amplitude, coherence, , etc

    3.  Analysis
         a.  Reliability   (test-retest)
         b.  Baseline and control conditions
         c.  Statistical methods (parametric, non-parametric)
         d.  Statistical corrections (nonsphericity correction, multiple
tests)


      A power data transform will produce entirely different results
than a log transform, which explains many of the
incompatible results between studies... It's amazing that EEG
researchers agree on anything at all. The state of EEG science
must be like chemistry before the identification of the periodic table.
Some findings parallel others, but many seem completely
out of place, and none of it makes sense as a whole. EEG biofeedback
research suffers from some of these issues, and as the
numbers of neurofeedback investigators grows, so will the issues. It is
clear that quantitative topographic EEG holds great
potential for the study of higher cognitive functions and assessment of
cognitive and attentional dysfunction, possibly more so
than any other approach in common use today, but where is our
periodicity table?

-David Kaiser
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
---
          News & Reviews

NEW BOOKS



A Neurodevelopmental Approach to Specific Learning Disorders
By Kingsley Whitmore, Hilary Hart, and Guy Willems
     For each major disorder the normal development of the relevant
cognitive functions, classification, and causes and assessment are
described. The psychosocial and biologic underpinnings of specific
learning disorder are explored, including genetics, prenatal and
perinatal precursors, psychosocial factors, and neuroimaging.

Neuropsychological Assessment in Clinical Practice : A Practical Guide
to Test Interpretation and Integration
by Gary Groth-Marnat
      Introduction to neuropsychological assessment and specific test
batteries such as the WISC, Halstead Reitan, and Luria
Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery.

Attachment in Adults : Clinical and Developmental Perspectives
by Michael B. Sperling, William H. Berman, Robert S. Weiss
      Recent research on the structure and function of adult attachment
from a variety of perspectives.

ADD & ADHD: Complementary Medicine Solutions
by Charles Gant
    What complementary medicine has to offer to ADHD patients and their
parents Dr. Gant asks: Are ADHD     and ADD biochemically-based or not?
Can nutrients and diet be used to treat ADD & ADHD or not? Is
medication dangerous or not? His answers are: They are, they can, and
it is.

Attachment in Adults : Clinical and Developmental Perspectives
by Michael B. Sperling, William H. Berman, Robert S. Weiss
      Recent research on the structure and function of adult attachment
from a variety of perspectives.

Anxiety & Depression : The Best Resources to Help You Cope
by Richard Theodore Wemhoff
      Guide for patients and healthcare professionals.

Concise Text of Neuroscience
by Robert E. Kingsley
      Concise presentation of brain anatomy and function, integrating
aspects of neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, and
neurology that are relevant to clinical practice.

Handbook of Psychological Assessment
by Gary Groth-Marnat
     Step-by-step guide to the classic psychological assessment tests,
including Wechsler Intelligence Scales,  Bender-Gestalt, Rorschach,
MMPI, and projective drawings.

Attachment Parenting: Instinctive Care for Your Baby and Young Child
by Katie Allison Granju, Betsy Kennedy
    Attachment parenting was coined by pediatrician Dr. William Sears,
and refers to a method of child-rearing that focuses on intuitive care
of infants and children: birth bonding, breastfeeding, bedsharing,
babywearing, and belief in the signal value of an infant's cry.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
---

         JOURNAL PAPERS

Clinical psychopharmacology of AD/HD: No long-term remedial effects of
methylphenidate are found for behavior -- i.e.
symptoms return when the drugs are withdrawn.
                                   Further info: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih
.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&uid=10654657

Massage and music therapies attenuate frontal EEG asymmetry in
depressed adolescents, during and after the massage
and music sessions.
                                   Further info: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih
.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&uid=10658860

Neurodevelopmental problems and childhood ADHD may be a precursor for
neurologic compromise in women and men
with chronic PTSD.
                                   Further info: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih
.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&uid=10665621

Developmental dyslexia and attention dysfunction in adults: A distinct
brain organization may characterize dyslexic men
with a history of concomitant deficits in attention.
                                   Further info: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih
.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&uid=10690919

100 years of alcoholism: the 20th century: The past 100 years witnessed
the formation of a disease concept of alcoholism
and a rapid increase in the knowledge of its aetiopathology and
treatment options. Neurobiological research points to a
dispositional factor of monoaminergic dysfunction and indicates that
neuroadaptation and sensitization may play a role in the
maintenance of addictive behaviour.
                                   Further info: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih
.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&uid=10684770

ADD adults often use compensatory mental and neural strategies in
response to a disrupted ability to inhibit attention to
nonrelevant stimuli, and internalized speech to guide behavior.
                                   Further info: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih
.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&uid=10671402

Chronic fatigue syndrome onset peaks from November through January and
ebbed from April through May. Possibly an
infectious illness triggers the onset of CFS.
                                   Further info: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih
.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&uid=10672437

Most psychologists (91% surveyed) are to some degree involved in
clinical practice with substance abusers, although few
have formal education or training in substance abuse.
                                   Further info: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih
.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&uid=10681111


-----------------------------------------------------------------------
---

                  Events & Locations

             Weekend Advanced Workshops for
              Neurofeedback Professionals

        EEG Spectrum is offering a series of workshops addressing topics
of interest to professionals working in the
        field of neurofeedback. Class size is limited to 25 to allow for
informal interaction.

        Working with Attention, Learning, &
        Behavioral Problems in a
        Private-Practice Setting
        Matt Fleischman, Ph.D., Instructor
        San Franciso, CA     Apr 15-16, 2000

        Integrating Psychotherapy and
        Neurofeedback: A Treatment Approach
        for Severe Emotional Disorders in
        Adults in Children
        Sebern Fisher, M.A., Ph.D., Instructor
        Northampton, MA     May 6-7, 2000

  Working with Learning and Behavior Problems in a School Setting
   John Anderson Instructor
   Minneapolis, MN     Jun 10-11, 2000



  For information, telephone EEG Spectrum at 818-891-6789 x 810 or email
training@...

      PREREQUISITES FOR EITHER PRACTICUM:
      Completion of 1 EEG Spectrum Biofeedback Training Course for
Professionals
      EEG Biofeedback experience using NeuroCybernetics Instrumentation
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
---

            Conferences for Neurofeedback Clinicians & Researchers

       CONFERENCE       LOCATION              DATES
       AAPB          Denver, CO              Mar 29-Apr 2
       SNR           Minneapolis, MN         Sep 20 - 24
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
---

New Neurofeedback Clinicians / New Offices

   Lilian Marcus, Ph.D.
   Biofeedback Associates
   825 Oak Grove Ave, C-502
   Menlo Park, CA 94025
   (650) 328-5580; 321-8608
      lilianmarcus@...

   John Finnick, MA, BCIAC
   Center for Human Development
   3080 N Lake Blvd, Suite I  Box 5815
   Tahoe City, CA 96145-5815
   530-581-1506; fax -2878
      biofocus@...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
---


               Last Word
       Originally appeared March 1998

   Rhythmic activation impacts neurological function, according to
British law

Dr. Graham Harding, an expert on photosensitive epilepsy, determined
the TV-induced seizures in Japan
reported in December were caused by rapid color changes and not due to
high-speed flashes of light. Little did
I know that a similar incident had occurred in Britain in 1993 and that
UK lawmakers instituted regulations so
that this incident would not be repeated. I guess the BBC (my shorthand
for UK TV regulatory bodies) became
the first government agency to enact into law the principle that
rhythmic activation impacts neurological function.

The following was written by Siegfried Othmer, Ph.D.

                     Japanese cartoon triggers seizures in hundreds of
children

It is of interest to revisit a news item from last December, in which
it was reported from Japan that the simple
act of viewing a cartoon triggered seizures, vomiting, irritated eyes,
and other symptoms in 618 Japanese
children. More than 100 were still hospitalized one day later. The
trigger was ostensibly five seconds of flashing
red light in the eyes of "Pikachu," a rat- like creature. Other
children were stricken later when the item was aired
on news programs and the segment was replayed.

Here is a compelling demonstration of the importance of rhythmic
activity in brain regulation. When internal
brain rhythms are even slightly redirected, the subject may become
dysfunctional. This can apparently happen
even with brief exposures (5 seconds), and even when only a small
portion of visual cortex is rhythmically
illuminated. This story can be helpful in understanding the mechanisms
underlying EEG biofeedback, or
neurofeedback. In these clinical approaches, the brain is challenged in
terms of its prevailing rhythmicity at
particular frequencies. That is, the brain is asked to increase or
decrease its rhythmicity by operant conditioning
in the moment of training. This can be seen as a challenge to the
regulatory machinery of the brain. If the
challenge is sufficiently subtle, then the effect is to strengthen the
mechanisms by which rhythmicity is managed,
which in turn is deemed to manage such key functions as arousal
regulation, attention, and affect. In a learning
paradigm, such an exercise of fundamental regulatory function is then
deemed to have a long-term beneficial
effect.

Siegfried Othmer
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
---
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
---

What's New in Neurofeedback
                A Monthly Summary of News and Events
                    Vol. 3 No. 2 - February 2000

       This newsletter is sponsored by EEG Spectrum, Inc.,
a leader in providing clinical service and training professionals.
   Past issues are available at www.eegspectrum.com/newsletter/
Opinions related in this newsletter reflect those of the author only.
    Copyright (C) 2000 by EEG Spectrum, Inc. All rights reserved.

------------------------------------------------------------------
Announcements      - Recent neurofeedback news stories
In the Spotlight   - Implementation of Virtual Reality in EEG biofeedback
News & Reviews     - Books, journal papers, of interest
Events & Locations - Conferences, Courses; New clinicians / offices
Last Word          - Winter Brain 2000
------------------------------------------------------------------
                  ANNOUNCEMENTS

Brain-wave workout may help attention troubles - Milw Jr Sentinel, Jan 24 -
      www.jsonline.com:80/alive/news/jan00/brain24012300.asp

NF in "Hawaii Parent" - www.eegspectrum.com/affil/armst1.htm

WebMD chat: Tom Brod discusses NF -
my.webmd.com/content/asset/chat_transcript.526881

Alternatives to Ritalin (radio report) -

http://www.winnipeg.cbc.ca/archives/ritalin/thursday.html

------------------------------------------------------------------
               IN THE SPOTLIGHT

   Implementation of Virtual Reality in EEG biofeedback

         by David Kaiser & Siegfried Othmer
Presented at "Medicine Meets Virtual Reality" Conference, L.A., Jan 2000

Abstract

The value of providing information-rich feedback in an operant
conditioning paradigm is evaluated in a population of children
undergoing EEG conditioning training (neurofeedback, or EEG
biofeedback) for a variety of conditions, including mainly
ADHD, seizures, and mood disorders. Retrospective data analysis
yields the finding that some tests of cognitive function show
better outcomes with more complex, information-rich feedback.
Also, more absorbing feedback yields a larger number of
training sessions. It is therefore likely that additional benefit
may be derived by continuing in the direction of providing more
immersive, information-rich feedback, leading ultimately to full
virtual reality implementations.

Introduction

EEG patterns associated with pathology such as seizures, traumatic
brain injury, and other conditions can be normalized with
operant conditioning techniques1. In such procedures, information
about the EEG signal, typically in the spectral domain, is
presented to the patient, who is rewarded whenever relevant EEG
parameters approach normalcy, or otherwise exceed
particular goals. This challenge, when repeated over the longer
term, can achieve permanent normalization of the EEG along
with remediation of the corresponding dysfunction2. Many patients,
particularly young children, currently have trouble
identifying with, and having visceral appreciation for, the
information in the EEG for which they are being rewarded. This
shortcoming may be overcome by the use of more immersive feedback

techniques that provide rich visual interest and may
appeal to more than one sensory modality (auditory, kinesthetic).
The findings of the present study support that conjecture.

Background

The EEG preferentially reflects the collective activity of neuronal
ensembles. It is increasingly evident that such collective activity
is not simply random noise, but reflects the explicit regulatory
activity of control mechanisms that manage such collectivities3. As
such, the EEG is potentially a sensitive measure of the state of
the brain’s self-regulation in the time domain. Specifically, the
EEG appears to reveal the activation-relaxation dynamics of the
local neuronal populations being monitored. Operant
conditioning on these EEG parameters can then in principle affect
the robustness of the underlying self-regulatory activity. Such
regulatory activity involves the interaction of cortex with
sub-cortical structures, in particular with the thalamocortical
loops4.

If the EEG is the manifestation of explicit regulatory activity of
the thalamocortical loops, then operant conditioning on these
EEG phenomena represents a subtle challenge to the brain, a
challenge which the brain accepts on the one hand, and to which it
reacts, on the other. Hence, operant conditioning sets up a subtle
action/reaction dynamic on the brain’s internal control
mechanisms. The persistent exercise of such an action/reaction
cycle may lead to a more robust functioning of the brain’s
self-regulatory capacities. This activity fits a learning model,
with the potential of yielding long-term improvements in function5.

The Disregulation Model of Psychopathologies

Work over the last several decades on thalamocortical mechanisms
have yielded an increased appreciation of the generality of
their role in the regulation of cortical-subcortical and
cortical-cortical timing relationships6. Most recently, the
suggestion has
been made that failure modes in such timing mechanisms, termed
"thalamocortical dysrythmias" by Rodolfo Llinas, could
conceivably account for a variety of neurological and psychiatric
pathologies, as well as chronic pain, and some of the sequelae
of traumatic brain injury4. This emerging appreciation on the
theoretical side finally allows a more respectful appraisal of the
finding some 25 years ago of efficacy of EEG conditioning for the
remediation of chemically induced seizures in cats, and of
treatment-refractory cases of epilepsy in man.

The dysrhythmia (or disregulation) model has several virtues.
First of all, it focuses attention on functionally based deficits
rather
than structural models of disorder. Secondly, it potentially
addresses those conditions in which the brain undergoes
significant,
rapid changes in state: seizures, migraines, vertigo, bipolar
disorder, schizophrenia, and Dissociative Identity Disorder7, 8.
Since
these changes take place while the neurochemical milieu remains
relatively unaltered, these state transitions are unlikely to yield
in first order to a neurochemical model. Discontinuities of
function in the time domain should rely primarily on time-domain

analysis. In this regard, a full theory of neuroregulation in the
time domain (i.e., the bioelectrical domain) must in principle
exist, and that such models may have no particular nexus with
neurochemical models of brain function, although mutual consistency
must be satisfied. The emerging hypothesis of thalamocortical
dysrythmias as a key to neurological, psychiatric, and (we would
add) psychological pathologies puts a premium on teasing out the
operative regulatory networks9.

The ubiquitous rhythm nominally occurring at 40-Hz, together with
the principle of time binding, constitutes a viable model for
the coherent mapping and down-stream parallel processing of
retinotopic and somatotopic inputs10. The periodicity of such
primary processing in turn imposes conditions of periodicity (or,
at minimum, temporal coincidence) on regulatory functions that
impinge on, and modulate, sensory system activation, focused
attention, and motor excitability. It is empirically observed that
such regulatory functions---local activation, organismic arousal,
quality of attention, and affect regulation---occurs at lower
frequencies than 40 Hz (possibly at sub-harmonics of 40-60 Hz) and
thus define the terrain for the EEG biofeedback
intervention.

The primary variable on which EEG reinforcement impinges is local
activation, as manifested in EEG spectral amplitudes. Local
activation is in turn coupled to organismic arousal. Organismic
arousal is mapped in the two-dimensional space of frequency
and amplitude. Higher frequency correlates with higher arousal,
and higher EEG amplitude correlates with lower arousal.
Empirically, it is found that arousal regulation in the waking
state is trainable by reinforcement in the frequency range of
nominally 12-18 Hz11,12. Lower frequencies than 12 Hz tend to be
associated with passive, low-arousal, more internally
focused states.

EEG biofeedback is potentially a good truth test for models of
temporal or bio-electrical neuro-regulation6. A variety of
evidence is being gathered in the clinical realm that supports the
generality of the dysrythmia model: its lack of diagnostic
specificity; the dynamic nature of the clinical manifestations;
the functional character of the failure modes; the non-locality of
deficits; the primacy of timing issues in the morphology of mental
disorders7,3. It is not the function of this paper to buttress the
case either for the model or for the intervention.

It must suffice for present purposes to summarize the emerging
synthesis of theory and intervention. Disorder is attributed to
disregulation in key regulatory loops in the brain. These
manifest---either obviously or subtly---in deviations in frequency,
amplitude, and phase (coherence) characteristics of the EEG. When
the amplitude and phase properties of the EEG are
reflected back to the trainee in real time, long-term change in
these properties can be promoted through a learning process via
operant conditioning. The EEG variables that are the operants in
this technique do not need to exhibit overt pathology,
however. Often they don’t, at least by current criteria, because

the EEG phenomenology is intrinsically highly dynamic and
state-dependent. That is to say, the deviation---or
variability---of the EEG attributable to dysfunction need not
dominate all other sources of variability in order for the training
to be effective. It is the on-going regulatory activity of the brain
that is challenged to function more robustly. If that effort is
successful, the brain will have a higher threshold for excursions
into instabilities in the steady state, as one significant outcome. It
may improve in the maintenance of homeostasis, as another.

The EEG Biofeedback Technique

The EEG training technique involves reinforcement of activity in
two sub-bands of the 12-18 Hz spectral band. Typically the left
hemisphere is trained at nominally 15-18 Hz, and the right
hemisphere at 12-15 Hz. Electrode placements are typically on
sensorimotor strip, referential to the ipsilateral ear at C3 and
C4 in the International 10-20 system. Excessive amplitude activity
is inhibited (by means of withholding of positive reward) in the
frequency range of 2-7 Hz and 22-30 Hz. The lower frequency,
or delta/theta band, monitors epileptogenic activity and elevated
amplitudes often found in ADHD or traumatic brain injury. The
higher band is sensitive to anxiety conditions and elevated scalp
muscle tension. The higher frequency band tends to promote
sympathetic arousal, and the lower frequency band in turn promotes
parasympathetic dominance.

Reinforcement is by visual feedback, in which EEG amplitudes are
mapped into geometric figures or into variables such as
brightness or speed of movement/ Visual feedback is typically
augmented by auditory reinforcement when criteria are met, and
by means of continuously tracking tactile feedback, the latter at
the option of the patient.

The Experimental Method

In the present study, 120 children with ADHD, epilepsy, or mood
disorders underwent 20 sessions or more of EEG
biofeedback using Neurocybernetics’ 2-Channel EEG biofeedback
system. The amount and quality of visual interest, and the
complexity of three-dimensional rendering varied across feedback
displays. For each 30-min session, subjects selected one of
five displays: a maze or pacman-like game (2-dimensional display);
stationary boxes which mapped the amplitude in the three
bands in terms of the size of the boxes against a goal (2-d); the
same game with the addition of a casino-game that reinforced
for maintaining continuity of state; line drawings of a receding
highway (simple 3-d); and a spaceship travelling past planets (true
3-d rendering). Patient retention and cognitive performance were
assessed.

The different feedback options appeal variously to different
nervous systems. The maze game involves movement toward a
goal, with the speed of movement encoding the reward amplitude.
The brightness of the pacman-like object also encodes the
reward amplitude. Variations in brightness are appraised more
rapidly than variations in speed, and hence the two variables
accentuate different aspects of the reward dynamic. Inhibits stop
the pacman-like object from moving, but there is no distinguishing

whether the object was stopped by virtue of the high or low frequency
activity.

The Boxes game reflects the amplitudes of all three bands
continuously to the patient, irrespective of whether thresholds are
exceeded. Hence this game downplays the importance of
threshold-crossing. The addition of the casino element adds reward
for maintaining continuity of state above threshold.

The receding Highway game adds the element of history, displaying
the reward amplitude over the last 15-20 seconds between
the foreground and the vanishing point. In other respects, it
resembles the Boxes game, above.

The full 3-d rocket game makes the patient the pilot of a central
rocket in outer space, one which is competing with two
rockets representing the two inhibit bands. There are also casino
game elements that reward continuity of state. Anecdotal data
from clinicians indicate that this more complex game is much more
engaging to the client than the available alternatives.

Findings

Preliminary analysis was limited to 2d and simple 3d displays
only, because of limited data on the complex 3-d display due to
novelty. Because of this limitation, only 46 subjects are
currently included in this analysis. The data revealed greater
improvement on the Symbol-Digit Modality test for subjects who
trained primarily on 3d displays, p<.0513. As shown in
Figures 1 and 2, trends in patient retention, word fluency, and
impulse control were also found, however with only marginal
significance, p=.10. Subjects who trained primarily on simple-3d
displays completed 38.9 sessions compared to 32.3 for 2d
training, p=.10.


See Figures at www.eegspectrum.com/newsletter/feb2000.htm


   Figure 1. Effect of game dimensions in neurofeedback
training on cognitive performance and sessions completed.

    Figure 2. Effect of game dimensions in
neurofeedback training on attentional performance.

Conclusions

Since clients were given the option of training with whatever game
they like, there is an issue of binning of the populations, since
few of them trained exclusively with one game. Moreover, the
better results in cognitive training could be partly accounted for
by the longer training time. On the other hand, the objective is
to achieve results. It is the unambiguous finding of several studies
that more sessions lead to better outcomes, hence a commitment to
a larger number of sessions has a payoff14,15. Whereas the
objective of this study is worthwhile, more data clearly need to
be acquired to firm up the conclusions one is tempted to draw.

The use of 3d displays improved the outcome of EEG biofeedback on
one cognitive test, and possibly others, and increased
patient retention. Patients agreed to 20 percent more sessions
when simple 3d displays were used. As additional subjects and
the effect of complex 3d displays are analyzed, we expect the
trends in retention and cognitive performance on additional
measures to attain statistical significance as well, as there is
consistency in trends throughout. It is therefore reasonable to
project that implementation of more immersive and multi-modal

feedback, leading ultimately to full virtual reality
implementations, including realistic portrayals of physiological
activity, should enhance patient commitment, comprehension,
task engagement, and training efficiency.

References

1. Thatcher RW. EEG operant conditioning (biofeedback) and
traumatic brain injury. Clinical Electroencephalography 2000,
31:38-44.

2. Sterman MB. Basic concepts and clinical findings in the
treatment of seizure disorders with EEG operant conditioning.
Clinical Electroencephalography 2000, 31:45-55.

3. Othmer S, Othmer SF & Kaiser DA (1999a). EEG biofeedback: An
emerging model for its global efficacy. In: James R. Evans. &
Andrew Abarbanel, eds, Introduction to Quantitative EEG and
Neurofeedback. San Diego: Academic Press, pp.244-310.

4. Llinas RR, Ribary U, Jeanmonod D, Kronberg E & Mitra PP.
Thalamocortical dysrhythmia: a neurological and neuropsychiatric
syndrome characterized by magnetoencephalography. Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences 1999, 96:15222-15227.

5. Sterman MB. Physiological origins and functional correlates of
EEG rhythmic activities: implications for self-regulation.
Biofeedback and Self-Regulation 1996, 21:3-33.

6. Steriade M, McCormick PA & Sejnowski TJ. Thalamocortical
oscillations in the sleeping and aroused brain. Science 1993,
262:679-685.

7. Gruzelier, J. Self regulation of electrocortical activity in
schizophrenia and schizotypy: a review. Clinical
Electroencephalography 2000, 31:23-29.

8. Rosenfeld JP. An EEG biofeedback protocol for affective
disorders. Clinical Electroencephalography 2000, 31:7-12.

9. McCormick DA. Are thalamocortical rhythms the rosetta stone of
a subect of neurological disorders? Nature Medicine 1999,
5:1349-1351

10. Sterman MB, Macdonald LR & Stone RK. Biofeedback training of
the sensorimotor EEG rhythm in man: Effects on epilepsy. Epilepsia
1974, 15:395-416.

11. Llinas RR, Ribary U, Contreras D & Pedroarena, C. The neuronal
basis for consciousness. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal
Society, London B 1998, 353:1841-1849.

12. Lubar JF. Discourse on the development of EEG diagnosis and
biofeedback for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders.
Biofeedback and Self-Regulation 1991, 16:201-225.

13. Othmer S Othmer SF & Kaiser DA. (1999b). EEG biofeedback:
Training for AD/HD and related disruptive behavior disorders. In:
James A. Incorvaia, Bonnie S. Mark-Goldstein, & Donald Tessmer, eds.
Understanding, Diagnosing, and Treating AD/HD in Children and
Adolescents. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson Press, pp. 235-295.

14. Kaiser DA & Othmer S. Effect of Neurofeedback on Variables of
Attention in a Large Multi-Center Trial. Journal of Neurotherapy
(in press), 4.

15. Quirk DA. Composite biofeedback conditioning and dangerous
offenders: III. Journal of Neurotherapy 1995, 1:44-54.
------------------------------------------------------------------

           NEWS AND REVIEWS


*** NEW BOOKS ***
(links to books at www.eegspectrum.com/newsletter/feb2000.htm)

Attention Deficit Disorder : A Different Perception
by Thom Hartmann

         Hartmann has revised his groundbreaking book to include
the latest research along with surprising information on studies
that link second-hand smoke to disruptive behavior. Also relates the
great promise of neurofeedback training for ADD.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Neuropsychiatry
by MS George, Robert H. Belmaker, MD
      Newest information on this promising approach to treating a
variety of psychiatry disorders.

Handbook of Psychological Treatment Protocols for Children and Adolescents
By Vincent B. Van Hasselt & Michel Hersen
   Up to date information on treatments of a broad
array of psychological disorders seen in children and adolescents.

Handbook of Psychological Assessment
   by Gary Groth-Marnat
Step-by-step guide to the classic psychological
assessment tests, including Wechsler Intelligence Scales,
Bender-Gestalt, Rorschach, MMPI, and projective drawings.

Handbook of Attachment Interventions
by Terry M. Levy
     Specific techniques for treating attachment
disordered children and their families. How attachment disorders
relate to antisocial behavior patterns and other
disorders, as well as general issues parents may encounter with an
attachment disordered child.

Comparative Treatments of Substance Abuse
by E. Thomas Dowd, Loreen Rugle
      Top professionals address the same case to illuminate the
strengths and weaknesses of different therapeutic approaches
to substance abuse.

Autism and Personality : Findings from the Tavistock Autism Workshop
by Anne Alvarez, Susan Reid
      Describes new developments in therapeutic techniques to treat
autistic children, including the importance of support for
parents and siblings, who are all too often ignored as a factor in
the child's progress.

Alcoholism: A Review of its Characteristics, Etiology, Treatment, &
Controversies
by Irving Maltzman
      State-of-the-art research and treatment effectiveness in the
field of alcoholism.

The Management of Stress and Anxiety in Medical Disorders
by David I. Mostofsky, David H. Barlow
      State-of-the-art procedures for the assessment and management
of stress and anxiety, including both diagnostic and
treatment considerations.

Differential Diagnosis of Chronic Pain : By Body Region
by Stanley L. Wiener
      Complete diagnostic catalog of all pain symptoms encountered
in the office or hospital setting, including full range of
symptoms associated with chronic pain disorders.
           ------------------------------

*** JOURNAL PAPERS ***

Theta activity in ADHD was elevated across all age groups compared
with the normal controls. Decreased beta activity may
be linked to hyperactivity and increased theta activity to
impulsivity.
    Further info:

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10624551

Antidepressant response to rTMS repetitive transcranial magnetic
stimulation might vary as a function of stimulation
frequency and may depend on pretreatment cerebral metabolism.
    Further info:

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10624541


Mood stabilization is a prerequisite for the successful
pharmacologic treatment of ADHD in children with both ADHD and
manic symptoms.
    Further info:

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10630454

Treating depression in chronic fatigue syndrome is unlikely to
diminish reporting of pain and medically unexplained
symptoms but may improve social function.
    Further info:

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10628883

Increased variability of anterior EEG asymmetry (as opposed to
consistent asymmetries) may be a characteristic feature for depression
    Further info:

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10629433

One quarter of US children are exposed to alcohol abuse or alcohol
dependence in the family.
    Further info:

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10630147

Neurotherapy for ADHD offers an effective alternate for patients
whose treatment is limited by side effects, poor medication
response or compliance.
    Further info:

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10638350


Half of patients referred to general neurology outpatient clinics
suffer from anxiety and depressive disorders. These
patients were more disabled, and had more somatic symptoms,
although few received psychiatric treatment.
    Further info:

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10644788

Frontal midline theta activity during performance of a mental task
reflects feelings of relief from anxiety.
    Further info:

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10644932

The presence of thalamocortical dysrhythmia may be responsible for
neurogenic pain, tinnitus, Parkinson's disease, and
depression.
    Further info:

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10611366
------------------------------------------------------------------

     Events & Locations

Weekend Advanced Workshops for Neurofeedback Professionals

EEG Spectrum is offering a series of workshops addressing
topics of interest to professionals working in the
field of neurofeedback. Class size is limited to 25 to
allow for informal interaction.

EEG/QEEG
Jack Johnstone, Ph.D., Instructor
Encino CA     Mar 4-5, 2000

Optimal Performance
Rae Tattenbaum, MSW, Instructor
Encino CA     Mar 18-19, 2000

Working with Attention, Learning, &
Behavioral Problems in a Private-Practice Setting
Matt Fleischman, Ph.D., Instructor
San Franciso, CA     Apr 15-16, 2000

Integrating Psychotherapy and Neurofeedback: A Treatment Approach for
Severe Emotional Disorders in Adults in Children
Sebern Fisher, M.A., Ph.D., Instructor
Northampton, MA     May 6-7, 2000

Working with Learning and Behavior Problems in a School Setting
John Anderson Instructor
Minneapolis, MN    Jun 10-11, 2000

EEG Biofeedback Instrumentation
Howard Lightstone Instructor
Encino CA     July 8-9, 2000

Therapeutic Techniques, Ethics, Research Principles
Lisa Cavallaro, Psy.D., Instructor
Encino CA    Aug 12-13, 2000

Psychopharmacology, Nutrition, and Neurofeedback
Bruce Goderez, M.D., Instructor

Boston, MA   Sep 23-24, 2000

For info, phone EEG Spectrum at 818-891-6789 x 810
or email training@...

      PREREQUISITES FOR EITHER PRACTICUM:
Completion of 1 EEG Spectrum Biofeedback Training Course for Professionals
EEG Biofeedback experience using NeuroCybernetics Instrumentation
---------------------------------------------------------------------

       Conferences for Neurofeedback Clinicians & Researchers

       CONFERENCE    LOCATION          DATES
       AAPB         Denver, CO        Mar 29-Apr 2
       SNR        Minneapolis, MN     Sep 20 - 24
---------------------------------------------------------------------

New Neurofeedback Clinicians / New Offices

Glenn Weiner, Ph.D.
   Dominion Behavioral Healthcare
   703 N. Courthouse Rd, #101
   Richmond, VA 23236
   (804) 794-4482; fax- 379-7578
      glennweiner@...


   Jeannine L. Calaba, Psy. D.
   4820 Gentry Ave
   Valley Village, CA 91607
   (818) 763-3361
   (moved)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
                   LAST WORD

   Winter Brain 2000 Conference
   http://www.futurehealth.org/2000Brain.htm

Congratulations to Rob Kall and everyone who assisted at and
attended this month's Winter Brain 2000, for a
successful conference. The range and quality of talks was very
interesting -- though I missed the QEEG playoff from the previous year.

Some untested rules about successful conferences

1. Keep it part work, part play, and all networking.
     Corollary: For every 2 hours people listen, they need 1 hour to talk.
     Corollary #2: The fuel of discussion is comfortable areas to talk:
       from central areas to nooks and crannies.
      Corollary #3: New faces are as important as familiar ones.
2. Both conferences and sharks need to keep moving to stay alive.
      Corollary #1. Locations increase attendance more than speakers.
3. Like a good story, conferences benefit from a climax.

1. Last year's SNR conference in Austin, Texas, was the best
conference I've attended, partly because of the city.
Austin has a great music scene, an historic downtown within
walking distance of most hotels, and other interesting
sites such as LBJ's presidential library just up the hill -- a
great place to work and play, to meet with colleagues after a
day's work.

1a. Talk time is an absolute necessity. Breaks, meals, and day's
end provide it. Winter Brain 2000 was an exception to
this rule as the meal time was short and the DAY NEVER ENDED.
Talks and workshops wwere scheduled into the
wee morning hours -- or so it seemed. From 7 am to 10 pm, with the
prime hours reserved for workshops. This may
be a sign of success, to be filled to the brim with talks, and no
one particularly likes talks competing with each other,
but it is a necessary evil of successful gatherings. A little more
overlay, a bit of truncation on the schedule would work
fine.

1b. The design of the hotel determines this, of course. The most
balanced hotel I'm aware of for small and large
informal gatherings is at Lake Arrowhead, CA -- not a good
mid-winter site.


1c. An invited speaker slightly outside the field works well.
Inviting individuals who might overlook the conference from
ignorance about the field also helps.

2. The annual Winter Brain conference occurs in February, which
makes it difficult to find a warm yet relatively
inexpensive city to host this group, but I hope another trek to
Palm Springs is not in my near future. Three straight
years in a row (or is it four?) are enough already. Unless one
loves to golf, or slow-moving cars, Palm Springs is
readily absorbed in a single visit.

2a. Cities in warm climes that might fit the bill for next year:
Austin TX, Santa Barbara CA, San Diego CA, Honolulu HI,
Los Angeles (westside only!), or perhaps even Tucsun AZ or
Savannah GA.

3. Easy. A large organized party with cash bar and dancing on
Saturday night solves this problem.

I don't envy anyone who organizes a successful conference -- so
much work, so many minds weighing in. Just getting
a dozen people to show up on time seems unreal to me. So good luck
to all who do this work.
============================end========================

What's New in Neurofeedback
                A Monthly Summary of News and Events
                    Vol. 3 No. 1 - January 2000

       This newsletter is sponsored by EEG Spectrum, Inc.,
a leader in providing clinical service and training professionals.
   Past issues are available at www.eegspectrum.com/newsletter/
Opinions related in this newsletter reflect those of the author only.
    Copyright (C) 1999 by EEG Spectrum, Inc. All rights reserved.

------------------------------------------------------------------
Announcements      - Two-Year Index; NEJM Reviewed books since 1993
In the Spotlight   - The Operating System of the Brain
News & Reviews     - Books, journal papers, of interest
Events & Locations - Conferences, Courses; New clinicians / offices
Last Word          - none this month
------------------------------------------------------------------
                  ANNOUNCEMENTS

Two-Year Index of all In the Spotlight and Last Word articles
   http://www.eegspectrum.com/newsletter/1998rev.htm

Psych & Psychiatry books, reviewed in New England Journal of Medicine 1993-99
   http://www.skiltopo.com/books/nejmbook.htm

The current issue of Clinical Electroencephalography (v.31,#1) is devoted
entirely to reviews of EEG biofeedback
------------------------------------------------------------------
               IN THE SPOTLIGHT

    The Operating System of the Brain

        by Siegfried Othmer, Ph.D.
      Chief Scientist, EEG Spectrum
      Copyright, 2000, EEG Spectrum

      Sometimes the issue in science is more fundamental than
answering certain questions about which we are ignorant.
The more basic issue may be framing the question. One remaining
crucial enigma can be summed up, in the idiom of the day, as
figuring out the brain’s operating system.

      How does the brain accomplish its tasks from moment to
moment? How does it communicate internally?
      How does it combine inputs from sensory modalities into our
coherent experience of the world?
      How does it combine sensory experience with top-level
judgments and intention into motor output?
      How do emotions and feelings get into the act?
      How does the brain organize hierarchies, like the hierarchy
of attention? What in the brain allows us to distinguish figure from ground?

More specifically, one might ask:

      How does the brain use discontinuous events, the action
potentials, to give us the subjective experience of seamless continuity?
      How does the image of our world stay stable and organized
in our heads even as we move our heads, and let our eyes dart around?
      How does the brain organize sequencing, the remembrance of
a sequence of numbers or words?
      How does the brain organize "working memory", where we hold
a thought live in our brain in order to elaborate on it at greater length?
      How does the brain record into memory even a single event
in our lives?
      How does the brain keep track of it all, particularly if it
even remembers what you had for lunch yesterday?
      And how does it access such arcane information at will?


      The importance of timing
      It is now clear that information encoding in the brain
cannot rely simply on the firing rate of neurons, where the brain
listens in on a neuron firing away over time and judges the
level of input on that basis. That process does happen, but it is
insufficient to explain our ability to appraise events quickly
and react to them promptly. To keep us alive, our brain has to
do a lot of parallel computing. This means that information is
encoded not in individual neurons, but rather in what we call
"ensembles." In other words, a nugget of information requires a
whole raft of neurons to represent it. That, in turn, places a
burden of coordination on the brain, which must have a mechanism
for preserving the integrity of that ensemble throughout the
signal processing chain. This problem should not be
underestimated, because a moment later another volley of
information comes down the pike, and it also has to be organized unto
itself. Not only that, it has to be integrated with what came
before, and with what follows.
      Recent discoveries in the neurosciences highlight the
centrality of that process, and postulate that the brain, in some
generality, distinguishes different ensembles, or cohorts, by
subleties of timing. This model is called "time binding."
      Some crucial aspects of neuronal function lead naturally to
such a model, although these things are always much clearer
in retrospect than in prospect. When a neuron is stimulated by
an excitatory input, a single such input is never sufficient by
itself to cause the neuron to generate an action potential and continue
the propagation of the signal. Hence, successful activation of a
neuron is always a conspiracy of events. If a neuron is
considered as a voting machine, there are always at least two
people in the voting booth pulling the levers at the same time in order
for the vote to be counted. Neurons, in other words, are
coincidence detectors. This brings brain timing front and
center.
      We can talk about this economically by saying that the
input of interest, say from some sensory modality, is always
gated, or modulated, at the synaptic junction by another signal,
which we can simply say represents the rest of the nervous
system. So, at every synaptic junction, and in every signal
transfer event, the central nervous system gets a vote! This may
be a subtle modulation, but the effect is go/no-go. This sharpens
contrast down the information processing chain, and it also
sharpens the information in the timing domain. The gating signal
has a very narrow window of opportunity in which it is able to
"pass" the incoming signal.
      What emerges is the realization that one of the key
functions of the brain is to coordinate timing both locally and
globally, in order to facilitate communication between different brain

regions. The implication is that disruption of timing integrity
can wreak either subtle or gross malfunction of the brain.
Unfortunately, such timing is not rendered visible on all of the
fancy brain imaging techniques we have developed over the last few decades.

      A second key problem mentioned above is to understand how
the brain organizes continuity of experience, continuity of
its own state, and working memory, with discrete and transient
events. It apparently does so by organizing repetition. This
repetition is crucial for the organization of sensory
experience. It is also crucial for those functions that the
brain uses to maintain itself from moment to moment, a problem
we may call "state management." Perhaps a kind of economy is
operative in nature, by which the same process operative in
managing sensory information and cognitive events is also
used by the brain to regulate its own affairs in considerable generality.

      The Brain’s Got Rhythm
      The repetition of brain events imposes a requirement for a
kind of strobing or reference signal that serves as a template
by means of which information is shaped in the time domain. This
template may have a local organization, concomitant with the
locality of certain information processing, or it may have a
more global character, when it is governing relationships and
interactions between different brain regions. The analogy to an
orchestra comes to mind, where individual instruments have their
own locality and frequency characteristics, but each has to fit
into an overall pattern of timing and rhythmicity. An overall
harmonic structure must prevail in which the whole ensemble is
coordinated. Something along the same lines must be going on
in the brain, in which case we can assign a major role to what
we may call the "virtual conductor," the self-organizing
functions in the brain that serve to manage and coordinate this overall
timing. If we must localize this virtual conductor somewhere in
the brain, it would be at the thalamus, the grand organizer of brain
timing.
      It is now proposed that high-frequency repetitions organize
the very transient events of sensory experience, nuggets of
cognitive activity, and specific motor acts. And it is surmised
that low frequency repetitions organize those aspects of brain
function which have longer persistence over time, such as states
of activation and arousal, the sleep-wake cycle, and perhaps
even states of our immune system and of the endocrine system.
      This more global role of brain timing is gradually coming
to be realized. In a treatise on how consciousness might be
understood in brain terms, Rodolfo Llinas posited some years
ago:
      " Attempting to understand how the brain, as a whole, might
be organized seems, for the first time, to be a
serious topic of inquiry. One aspect of its neuronal
organization that seems particularly central to global function
is the rich thalamocortical interconnectivity, and most particularly
the reciprocal nature of the thalamocortical neuronal
loop function. Moreover, the interaction between the specific
and nonspecific thalamic loops suggest that rather than a
gate into the brain, the thalamus represents a hub from which
any site in the cortex can communicate with any other
such site or sites". (Llinas, 1998).
      Dissonance

      What happens when brain timing is disturbed? We have
experienced an instructive experiment of nature when Japanese
children suffered seizures, nausea, and unconsciousness
following a mere five-second exposure to a rhythmically flashing
light on a TV screen. About one in 5000 children was affected. On the
one hand, scientists were not seriously shaken. They have
known about "photic epilepsy" for years. But the significance of

this event—of why we are subject to photic epilepsy—received
essentially no attention. This is because the context for that
information was entirely lacking within the field
of clinical neurology. In view of what we have said above, it is
quite clear that in these fragile cases, the rhythmic stimulus
could not be stabilized by the brain, and instead it escalated into
higher and higher amplitudes until a seizure developed or
consciousness was lost.
      This is a clear demonstration of how utterly dependent we
are on the integrity of our own brain rhythms. When that
mechanism fails, it can fail gloriously! Such failures must be a
rare phenomenon, or we would not survive as a species. Subtle
failures of timing can have effects which are somewhat less
dramatic. Antonio Damasio speculated in his book, Descartes’
Error, as follows: "Any malfunction of the timing mechanism
would be likely to create spurious integration and disintegration.
This may indeed be what happens in states of confusion caused by
head injury, or in some symptoms of schizophrenia and
other diseases." (p.95)
      Most recently, David McCormick, who has studied the
interaction between the cortex and the thalamus with his
research group for many years, asserted:
      Recent evidence indicates that "dysrhythmias" cause
alterations in the normal function of the thalamocortical
loop and lead to various types of neurological disorders. Will
decoding this rhythm help us to understand the basis for
movement disorders, chronic pain, and even neuropsychological
dysfunction?

      A New Model for Psychopathologies
      These considerations may be the opening foray into an
entirely new model for psychopathologies, a model based on
deficiencies in the brain as an operating system, and as a
control system. This emerging model has much greater richness
than the present pharmacologically driven model, where the brain is
treated almost like an endocrine gland, and where the failures
are attributed to either too much or too little of one or
another neuromodulator substance. In the future, such
one-dimensional models of brain function, in which something so
complex as Tourette Syndrome or addictions is attributed to a dopamine
deficit, and something so multi-faceted as depression is reduced
to a serotonin deficiency, will be displaced with models that

match the complexity of the phenomenology they are trying to
explain.
      Already it is becoming clear that these one-dimensional
models serve the marketing interests of the pharmaceutical
companies more than they do scientific understanding. One
physiologist said he has given up thinking that a person’s
well-being is determined by the amount of dopamine floating around

in his brain. And a professor of neurophysiology, in trying to
understand the role of Prozac in the brain, said that the best
analogy he can come up with is that of kicking his ancient clock
radio, which had some chance of provoking the radio into a more
functional state. In other words, the role of Prozac is not as a
remedy in its own right, but as a means of provoking the brain
into a more functional state. In order to understand this, we
have to understand more than the neurochemistry of serotonin in the
brain. We have to understand the brain in its timing and
bio-electrical function.

      A Remedy Tailored to the Model
      Even though there is now some recognition of the need to
understand regulatory systems in their temporal properties,
researchers are currently tempted to conclude that this
information will simply allow us to do better pharmacology and
more targeted surgeries. However, there is a technique that precisely
matches the problem of disregulation, and that is simply
training the brain toward improved self-regulation. We take
advantage of the fact that most of the mechanisms underlying the
dysfunctions are typically functioning at some level. We are not
usually talking about an all-or-nothing situation. If there is
function at all, then it can be discerned, and challenged to
function better over the long term. This is what neurofeedback
is all about. We observe the brain in its regulatory activities with
the EEG, and we challenge the brain to change the EEG in
particular ways.
      By rewarding a person whenever the brain chances to move
into a more favorable state, we enhance the probability that
this happenstance will be repeated. This is known as Thorndike’s
"Law of Effect," which has been a staple of biological
psychology for the last century. Over time, the brain learns the
new behavior, and concomitantly we observe more regulated
organismic behavior. Clinical evidence for the effectiveness of
this approach has now been found for over 100 different clinical
categories. The capacity of the brain to respond to EEG-training
challenges seems, therefore, to have a broad reach over the
domain of psychopathology. Such clinical efficacy is the final
link in the chain of argument that it is time to reframe the
discussion of psychopathology as primarily an issue of brain
self-regulation, and to adopt a remedy that is attuned to the
problem.
      On the clinical side, progress has also been made in
understanding psychopathologies in terms of disregulation model.
Surprisingly, this model is even getting support from someone in
the psychoanalytical or psychodynamic tradition (Grotstein,
1986).
      In other words, disregulation may be the primary phenomenon
in psychopathology. Such disregulations may be
induced by environmental and experiential factors, but they may
also take on a life of their own, as appears to be the case in
schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, etc.

Further Reading

Grotstein, J.S. (1986). The psychology of powerlessness.
Disorders of self-regulation and interactional regulation as a
new paradigm for psychopathology. Psychoanalytic Inquiry, 6, 93-118

McCormick DA. Are thalamocortical rhythms the rosetta stone of a
subset of neurological disorders?

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10581069

Llinas R, et al. The neuronal basis for consciousness.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?uid=9854256Dopt=b

------------------------------------------------------------------

           NEWS AND REVIEWS


*** NEW BOOKS ***

Psychiatry in the New Millennium
by Sidney Weissman, Melvin Sabshin, and Harold Eist
      Psychiatry faces revolutionary changes,
particularly from advances in neuroimaging, neurosciences, and
genetics, changes which will affect in the near future
both personnel training and delivery of care.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0880489383/top100

Assessment of Neuropsychological Functions in Psychiatric Disorders
by Edited by Avraham Calev
       A patient's cognitive strengths and weaknesses in
memory, attention, language, visuospatial ability, and
executive functioning can provide valuable clues about
the neurologic underpinnings of the psychiatric disorder, its
prognosis, and its effect on everyday functioning.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/088048912X/top100


The World of the Autistic Child: Understanding and Treating Autistic
Spectrum Disorders
by Bryna Siegel, Bryna Siegal
       The most complete and comprehensive book ever
written for the parents of autistic children. Symptoms,
labels, available treatments.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0195076672/top100

Parenting a Child With Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
by Nancy S. Boyles, Darlene Contadino
       Teaches parents to collaborate with the child and
educators to overcome this disorder.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0737302577/top100

Neurodevelopmental Disorders
   by Helen Tager-Flusberg
Integration of molecular genetics with developmental cognitive
neuroscience.


http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/026220116X/top100

Drug-Free Alternatives for Attention-Deficit Disorders
by Laura J. Stevens
       Offers specific steps parents can take to help
their children, including improving eating habits, determining
food allergies, & increasing vitamin and mineral
supplements.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1583330399/top100

Disorders of Brain, Behavior, and Cognition: The Neurocomputational
Perspective
by James Reggia, Dennis Glanzman
      Models of brain disorders at the neurocomputational level;
includes functional brain imaging and modeling,
thalamocortical mechanisms, and neural network models of attention

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0444501754/top100

Clinician's Guide to Neuropsychological Assessment
by Rodney D. Vanderploeg
      Fundamental elements of the assessment process; special
issues, settings, and populations; and new approaches and
methodologies. An invaluable handbook for interns, postdoctoral
fellows, and experienced neuropsychologists alike.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0444501754/top100

Mechanisms of Stress and Emotion
      Proceedings. Learning, memory and endocrine studies on
stress; psychosomatic disorders; stress and immune system;

neurophysiology of neuroendocrine responses

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0444501185/top100

Communication Disorders Following Traumatic Brain Injury
by Skye E. McDonald, Chris Code
      Comprehensive source of contemporary approaches that
characterize the communication problems of people with TBI
and for planning rehabilitation.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0863777244/top100

           ------------------------------

*** JOURNAL PAPERS ***

Stress early in life may lead to increased stress reactivity in
adulthood and subsequent vulnerability to depression and anxiety disorders.
     Further info:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10599479

Anxious symptoms in children may be predicted by the presence of
certain biological features which can include right
frontal EEG asymmetries and more higher frequency EEG activity range.
     Further info:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10599481

Distinct circadian variations of theta and high-frequency alpha
activity may represent EEG correlates of different
aspects of the circadian rhythm in arousal.
     Further info:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10600925

Psychotherapeutic medication patterns for youths with ADHD
Doctor office visits for ADHD for youths nearly doubled
since 1989. Stimulant therapy rose from 62.6% in 1989 to 76.6%
in 1996.
     Further info:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10591302

Attentional deficits in closed head injury are reviewed in light
of various neuropsychological cognitive models of attention.
     Further info:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10541596

Transcranial magnetic stimulation holds promise for
obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumantic stress disorder
and mania.
     Further info:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10595677

Two different types of alpha rhythms may exist: those with a
point attractor and others with a limit cycle attractor.
     Further info:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10592017

Psychobiological risk factors for vulnerability to
psychostimulants in teens: an animal model
Adolescents were more "protected" from amphetamine-related
aversive properties but more vulnerable to internal reward
states than older
animals.
     Further info:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10580313

ADHD in adolescents. Common pediatric concerns.
ADHD persists into adolescence for 78% of the children diagnosed
with this condition, predisposing teens to many high-risk
behaviors.
     Further info:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10570703

Two weeks of daily left prefrontal TMS.
In depressed adults, 10 days of prefrontal TMS affects
prefrontal and paralimbic activity, which may explain its
antidepressant effects.
     Further info:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10570754
Modern electroencephalography: its role in epilepsy management.
EEG assessments are important for answering specific questions

that commonly arise in the management of seizure disorders
     Further info:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10574283

Event-related EEG/MEG synchronization and desynchronization:
basic principles.
Quantification of ERD/ERS is demonstrated topographically and
temporally on various movement experiments.
     Further info:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10576479


Long-term intra-individual variability across 25 months for most
EEG parameters, esp. total absolute power and alpha mean
frequency, was less than the inter-individual variability in the normal
population.
     Further info:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10574286

Stress, cognitive factors, and coping resources as predictors of
relapse in alcoholics.
Self-efficacy during detoxification and social support following
treatment were the best predictors of a favorable drinking
outcome.
     Further info:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10574307


(*** Note: Some emails delete & after form6 and before uid
   -- add it in browser location field if abstract not found)
------------------------------------------------------------------

        EVENTS AND LOCATIONS
Advanced Training Courses

BETA/SMR Advanced Practicum
    with Sue Othmer
Topics Covered
Evaluating Raw EEGs
Spectral Density
Choosing Inhibit Filters

Coherence Training
New Protocols
Discussion of Difficult Cases
Clinical Strategies/Testing

Alpha-Theta Advanced Practicum
   with Bill Scott
Topics Covered
Guided Imagery
Interpreting Imagery
Working with Addictions
Facilitating Cross-Over
Recognizing Progress
When to bring in BETA/SMR
Alternative Protocols
------------------------------------------------------------------
Los Angeles CA     Jan 24th-25th, 2000
W Palm Beach, FL   Feb 21st-22nd, 2000
Los Angeles CA     Mar 13th-14th, 2000
Kansas City, MO    Apr 10th-11th, 2000
Philadelphia, PA   May 1st- 2nd, 2000
Nashville, TN      Jun 5th- 6th, 2000
Los Angeles CA     Jun 26th-27th, 2000
------------------------------------------------------------------
Beta-SMR Advanced Practicum Limit = 20
Alpha-Theta Advanced Practicum Limit = 15
    DATES*COSTS*LOCATIONS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

PREREQUISITES FOR EITHER PRACTICUM:
Completion of 1 EEG Spectrum Biofeedback Course for Professionals
EEG Biofeedback experience using NeuroCybernetics Instrumentation
---------------------------------------------------------------------
            Conferences for Neurofeedback Clinicians & Researchers

       CONFERENCE    LOCATION                 DATES
    Futurehealth   Palm Springs            Feb 4-8th, 2000
---------------------------------------------------------------------

New Neurofeedback Clinicians / New Offices

   Thea Schulze, MSW, LCSW
   12 1/2 Wall St, Suite E
   Asheville, NC 28801
   828-251-2681

   Dr. Esther Romero Tannenhaus
   Rosario 478 - 2nd floor
   Buenos Aires (1424)
   Argentina
   54 011 4902-1473
   fax: 54 011 4901-8911
     esther@...


   Brislain Learning Center
   P. David Graham, MA; Judy Brislain, Ed.D.
   1550 Humboldt Road, Suite 3
   Chico, CA 95928
   (530) 342-2567; Fax: -2578
      grahampd@...
      JAB_shrink@...

   Georgianne Akers
   643 Haryu Rd
   Longview, WA 98632

   Betty Jarusiewicz, Ph.D., CADC
   Atlantic Counseling Center, Inc
   51 Memorial Parkway (Hwy 36)
   Atlantic Highlands, NJ 08106
   732-872-8700
      bjarus@...

Marcie Glousman, MA
19224 Rosita Street
Tarzana, CA  91356
818-881-7170; fax: -0887
   marcieged@...

Patricia K. Lyons, RN, MS, CS
South Deerfield, MA 01373
(413) 665-4038; Fax -586-6550
    patmikel@...

Mark Darling, B Soc Sc (Hons) (Psych)
Suite 7, 1st floor, Noosaville Plaza
10 Thomas Street
Noosaville
Queensland 4566
Phone: 61 (0)7 5474 4335
Fax:   61 (0)7 5474 2626
     mdarling@...

Avril Carruthers
Psychotherapy, Healing, Neurofeedback.
New Directions Healing Centre
Suite 202 / 75 Archer Street,
Chatswood, NSW, 2032
Ph (02) 9415 2767
Mobile 0412 912 164
     avrilcarruthers@...

---------------------------------------------------------------------
                   LAST WORD

           Catch ya next month
============================end========================

What's New in Neurofeedback
                A Monthly Summary of News and Events
                    Vol. 2 No. 11 - December 1999

       This newsletter is sponsored by EEG Spectrum, Inc.,
a leader in providing clinical service and training professionals.
   Past issues are available at www.eegspectrum.com/newsletter/
Opinions related in this newsletter reflect those of the author only.
    Copyright (C) 1999 by EEG Spectrum, Inc. All rights reserved.

------------------------------------------------------------------
Announcements      - Educators beliefs
In the Spotlight   - History of SMR biofeedback
News & Reviews     - Books, journal papers, of interest
Events & Locations - Conferences, Courses; New clinicians / offices
Last Word          - Ruling out the Null-Hypothesis hypothesis
------------------------------------------------------------------
                  ANNOUNCEMENTS

Colorado educators warn parents of prescribed drug effects
    [http://cnn.com:80/US/9911/25/students.violence.ap/]

Franklin might have had ADD, Harvard educator says
      [http://www.phillynews.com:80/inquirer/99/Nov/22/city/JADD22.htm]

------------------------------------------------------------------
               IN THE SPOTLIGHT

              History of SMR biofeedback

This January the journal "Clinical Electroencephalography" will
published M. Barry Sterman's review of his sensorimotor
(SMR) biofeedback research. The paper, titled "Basic Concepts and
Clinical Findings in the Treatment of Seizure Disorders
with EEG Operant Conditioning," and a clear and highly readable review
of the origin of SMR biofeedback training.

The first paper to investigate the effect SMR training on humans was a
single case study of generalized tonic-clonic seizures
published in 1972. Three months of twice-per-week operant conditioning
of mid-central 11-15 Hz resulted in a cessation of the
patient's seizures. Continued treatment in an expanded multi-subject
study led to this subject becoming seizure free and being
withdrawn from medications.

The first paper to investigate the effect SMR training on non-humans
was four years earlier. Sterman conditioned alert but
motionless cats to increase 11-15 Hz EEG activity in a basic research
study. Along came the US Air Force who wanted
information about the convulsive properties of toxic hydrazine
compounds (used in rocket fuel). As this was a study of toxicity,
the subjects in this experiment (cats) had already undergone various
other non-toxic studies before being entered into this
experiment. Those cats who came from the SMR-augmentation study
blew the dose-response curve. Those cats with prolonged SMR operant
conditioning were resistant to the drug-induced seizures, an
entirely seredipitous finding!

That SMR training might eventually play an important role in the
treatment of epilepsy was obvious. SMR conditioning
apparently raised the seizure threshold. Also documented in
those early studies was the increase in sleep spindle density and
decreased awakenings during non-REM sleep. So from the get-go,
SMR conditioning was also a promising approach to treating certain

sleep disturbances. Sterman labors that point, often
missed by those recent to the field, that SMR training
produces persistent physiological changes. One sees an increase
in sleep spindles and stabilized sleep after training; in fact, the
incidence of SMR activity in stage 2 sleep was negatively correlated
with post-training seizure rate.

Sterman reviewed those reports of SMR training on epilepsy in
peer-reviewed journals since 1972. Any meta-analysis of
clinical studies is fraught with heterogeneities, such as subject,
medication, and training variance. But inspite of these difficulties,
a compilation of the results of SMR training on this large
state-of-the-clinic population is relevant and helpful. Sterman
describes a total of 174 epileptic subjects across 18 studies.
Of these 174, 82% demonstrated significant (>30%) reduction,
with a mean value exceeding 50%. Most if not all of these subjects
sought out SMR training because available seizure medications
were ineffective, making any changes beyond and above what
current medical treatments could achieve. Two-thirds of subjects
also showed EEG changes in response to training (where data was available).

Although other frequency band training was tried, the vast majority
responded only with SMR training. "Training exclusively for
the reduction of paroxysmal events, higher frequencies, or EMG activity,
or for the enhancement of lower frequencies has been
ineffective." By higher frequencies, Sterman refers to activity above
the normal SMR range in humans, which is approximately 12-19 Hz.
(Note: SMR training includes the higher SMR band sometimes
called "beta", 15-18 Hz.)

Later findings that epileptics also exhibit elevated 4-7 Hz activity
in both sleep and waking resulted in an adaptation of standard
training protocols to include reduction training of this frequency band.

The medical community would rather excise than exercise poorly-functioning
gray matter. Perhaps it is a flaw in medical education, an underlying
paradigm that restricts most non-pharmaceutical approaches to healing.
Such a promising approach should have been funded throughout its history,
but it wasn't.

--DK

(Check http://www.eegspectrum.com/newsletter/dec1999.htm for figures)

Further Reading

Sterman MB.
      Physiological origins and functional correlates of EEG rhythmic
      activities: implications for self-regulation.
      Biofeedback Self Regul. 1996 Mar;21(1):3-33. Review.

Lantz DL, et al.
      Neuropsychological assessment of subjects with uncontrolled
      epilepsy: effects of EEG feedback training.
      Epilepsia. 1988 Mar-Apr;29(2):163-71.

Sterman MB, et al.
      Quantitative analysis of training, sleep EEG and clinical response
      to EEG operant conditioning in epileptics.
      EEG Clin Neurophysiol. 1980 Sep;49(5-6):558-76.

Sterman MB, et al.
      Effects of central cortical EEG feedback training on incidence of
      poorly controlled seizures.
      Epilepsia. 1978 Jun;19(3):207-22.

Sterman MB, et al.
      Suppression of seizures in an epileptic following sensorimotor EEG
      feedback training. EEG Clin Neurophysiol. 1972 Jul;33(1):89-95.

------------------------------------------------------------------

           NEWS AND REVIEWS


*** NEW BOOKS ***

The Feeling of What Happens: Body and Emotion in the Making of
Consciousness      by Antonio R. Damasio
-- A neurologist's perspective on the mysteries of human consciousness
and how it exceeds that of the other apes. Examination
of interior life through research, medical cases, philosophical
analysis, and introspection.


http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0151003696/eegspectrum

The Emerging Mind       by Karen Nesbit Shanor
-- Latest scientific findings on the memory, sexual attraction, dreams,
creativity, spirituality. Essays from leading experts on the
mind, including Deepak Chopra, Karl Pribram, John Spencer.
   http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/158063057X/eegspectrum

Memory in the Cerebral Cortex: An Empirical Approach to Neural Networks
in the Human and Nonhuman Primate        by Joaquin M. Fuster
      An excellent introduction to cortical function and memory research
   http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0262561247/eegspectrum

Depression: Practical Ways to Restore Health Using Complementary Medicine
by Edzard Ernst
      When antidepressants don't work, or work too well.
   http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0806970669/eegspectrum

Neuropsychological Differential Diagnosis    by KK Zakzanis, E Kaplan
-- A guide to make a differential diagnoses with commonly employed
neurospsychological tasks and test measures; A
compendium of neuropsychological profiles.
   http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/9026515529/eegspectrum

Patient-Based Approaches to Cognitive Neuroscience   by MJ Farah, TE Feinberg
-- State-of-the-art reviews of the patient-based approach to perception,
attention, memory, language, and higher-order forms
of thought including consciousness.
   http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0262561239/eegspectrum

Hyperactive Children Grown Up: ADHD in Children, Adolescents, and
Adults     by Gabrielle Weiss, Lily Trokenberg Hechtman
      Longitudinal study of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
summarized for mental health professionals.
   http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0898625963/eegspectrum

Handbook of Disruptive Behavior Disorders   by HC Quay, AE Hogan
-- This well-researched handbook provides current information and an
in-depth analysis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity
disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and conduct disorder, which
comprise three quarters of all psychopathological
disorders of childhood and adolescence.
   http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0306459744/eegspectrum

Communication Disorders Following Traumatic Brain Injury
by Skye E. McDonald, Chris Code
      Comprehensive source of contemporary approaches that characterize
the communication problems of people with TBI
and for planning rehabilitation.
   http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0863777244/eegspectrum

Psychological Mechanisms of Pain and Pain Modulation   by DD Price
      A look at the psychological underpinnings of pain perception, both
chronic and acute.

   http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0931092299/eegspectrum

Foundations of Ethical Practice, Research, and Teaching in Psychology
by Karen Strohm Kitchener
      Perhaps excepting medical research, psychological research and
practice holds more ethical issues than any other field,
"landmines" to be avoided.
   http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0805823093/eegspectrum

           ------------------------------

*** JOURNAL PAPERS ***
ADHD in adolescents. Common pediatric concerns.
--ADHD persists into adolescence for 78% of the children diagnosed with
this condition, predisposing teens to many high-risk behaviors.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10570703

Modern electroencephalography: its role in epilepsy management.
--EEG assessments are important for answering specific questions that
commonly arise in the management of seizure disorders


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10574283

Event-related EEG/MEG desynchronization: basic principles.
--Quantification of ERD/ERS is demonstrated topographically and
temporally on various movement experiments.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10576479

Long-term intra-individual variability of the background EEG in normals.
--Long-term intra-individual variability across 25 months for most EEG
parameters, esp. total absolute power and alpha mean frequency, was less
than the inter-individual variability in the normal population.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10574286

Atypical frontal brain activation in ADHD school boys and girls.
--Compared to normals, ADHD boys exhibit less & ADHD girls more
right-lateralization frontally; at both 4 1/2 and 8 years of age.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10560222

Toward a psychobiology of dissociation.
--Glutamate release may be involved in dissociative states. Acute and
long-lasting consequences of traumatic stress exposure
are associated with hyperglutamatergic states.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10553033

Alterations in brain structure and function associated with PTSD.
--PTSD is associated with reduced volume of the hippocampus and
dysfunction of medial and orbital prefrontal cortex, brain
areas important in memory & emotional regulation.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10553030

Costs of alcohol and drug abuse in the United States
--Alcohol and drug abuse was $246 billion in 1992, nearly $1K for every
American; alcohol abuse and alcoholism accounting for 60%.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10553265

Psychotic side effects of psychostimulants: 5-year review.
--Of 98 children who received stimulant treatment, six developed
psychotic or mood-congruent psychotic symptoms during treatment.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10566114

PTSD in injured adults
--PTSD occurred in 42.3% of injured adults 6 months after trauma and was
related to assault, dissociation, female gender,

youth, poor mental health, and prior illness.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10568714


Varieties of impulsivity.
--A series of psychopharmacological studies which measured selectively
different aspects of impulsivity suggest that several
neurochemical mechanisms can influence impulsivity; impulsive behaviour
has no unique neurobiological basis.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10550486

Drug abuse treatment outcome study of adolescents in 3 treatment modalities.
--37 juvenile drug treatment programs in 6 cities surveyed:
recommendations that programs be designed to address specialized
issues such as comorbid substance abuse and psychiatric problems, family
dysfunction, physical and sexual abuse, gender and
ethnic differences, and academic performance.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10548436

Frontal midline theta rhythms and activation of anterior cingulate cortex
--Using magnetoencephalogram (MEG) and EEG, the authors identified that
the appearance of Fz theta during consecutive
mental tasks may reflect alternative activities of the medial prefrontal
cortex and anterior cingulate cortex.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form6uid=10530512

(*** Note: Some emails delete & after form6 and before uid
   -- add it in browser location field if abstract not found)
------------------------------------------------------------------

        EVENTS AND LOCATIONS
Advanced Training Courses

BETA/SMR Advanced Practicum
    with Sue Othmer
Topics Covered
Evaluating Raw EEGs
Spectral Density
Choosing Inhibit Filters
Coherence Training
New Protocols
Discussion of Difficult Cases
Clinical Strategies/Testing

Alpha-Theta Advanced Practicum
   with Bill Scott
Topics Covered
Guided Imagery
Interpreting Imagery
Working with Addictions
Facilitating Cross-Over
Recognizing Progress
When to bring in BETA/SMR
Alternative Protocols
------------------------------------------------------------------
Los Angeles CA     Jan 24th-25th, 2000
W Palm Beach, FL   Feb 21st-22nd, 2000
Los Angeles CA     Mar 13th-14th, 2000
Kansas City, MO    Apr 10th-11th, 2000
Philadelphia, PA   May 1st- 2nd, 2000
Nashville, TN      Jun 5th- 6th, 2000
Los Angeles CA     Jun 26th-27th, 2000
------------------------------------------------------------------
Beta-SMR Advanced Practicum Limit = 20
Alpha-Theta Advanced Practicum Limit = 15
    DATES*COSTS*LOCATIONS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

PREREQUISITES FOR EITHER PRACTICUM:
Completion of 1 EEG Spectrum Biofeedback Course for Professionals
EEG Biofeedback experience using NeuroCybernetics Instrumentation
---------------------------------------------------------------------
            Conferences for Neurofeedback Clinicians & Researchers

       CONFERENCE    LOCATION                 DATES
    Futurehealth   Palm Springs            Feb 4-8th, 2000
---------------------------------------------------------------------

New Neurofeedback Clinicians / New Offices

   Robert McRoberts, Ph.D.
   7315 Frontage Rd, Suite 110

   Shawnee Mission, KS 66204
   (816) 444-4887

   Judy N. Chiswell, Ed.D., OTR
   Brain Matters
   76 Chardon Drive
   Buffalo, New York 14225
   (716) 632 8675
   j.chiswell@...
---------------------------------------------------------------------
                   LAST WORD

       Ruling out the Null-Hypothesis hypothesis
               By Siegfried Othmer, Ph.D.

Sometimes science moves slowly. In fact, most of the time it moves
slowly. Science Magazine just published a "News Focus"
piece on the intrusion of Bayesian analysis into statistical
thinking. Thomas Bayes was a Presbyterian minister in the 18th
century, whose theorem on statistical inferences was unfortunately
soon eclipsed. Bayes may finally be coming into his own,
after more than 200 years.

This is particularly important for us, because if Bayesian analysis
becomes common currency among statisticians, proving
efficacy for neurofeedback will become a lot easier. The problem with
Bayesian analysis is that it is not entirely free of
assumptions. Its statistical inferences therefore always remain
approximations. By contrast, the prevailing method of statistical
proof, term "frequentist" analysis, makes no such assumptions. By
prevailing standards, one must prove efficacy by means of a
chosen group of matched experimental and control subjects, and
one must rule out the "null hypothesis" to a certain level of
assurance, typically p=0.05. This approach obscures two important
considerations, at a minimum. The first is that it is often
easy to establish "statistical significance" with large group sizes,
and the second is that no account is taken of the fact that one
can have a small effect size with high assurance, and yet the game may
not be worth the candle.

The Science article illustrates a Bayesian approach by the following
example: Imagine a precocious baby seeing its first sunset.
The problem is predicting the likelihood of a sunrise to follow.
Absent any knowledge, the baby assigns an equal probability to
the sun rising or not rising. A white marble represents the one event,
a black marble the other. Both are placed in a bag. Every
morning, upon sunrise, another white marble is placed in the bag.
After a while, the white marbles will completely overwhelm
the single black marble, and one may deduce a high probability of
sunrise occurring. The fact that the initial starting condition of
one black marble along with one white one represents a misjudgment of
actual conditions progressively becomes negligible.

This is of course very similar to the process by which we reach
assurance in the clinical world that we are actually
accomplishing something. We are all closet Bayesians. In our minds,
we initially assign a low probability to our ability to help in
a particular condition, say bruxism, or bedwetting. So to start with,
a black marble goes into our virtual bag. If we actually help
the person with his or her bruxism, a white marble goes into our mental
collection bag. After a while, we see the white marbles
outnumbering the black ones. Throughout this process, we have never
focused on bruxism itself, or solicited patients for the

treatment of bruxism. We have simply been data-gathering on cases
where bruxism happened to be an issue along with
whatever we were addressing.

We then face the issue of whether to actually "go public" with the
claim that we are able to help with bruxism. Here again, a
Bayesian analysis is implicitly done. We are really making a

judgment with regard to whether neurofeedback is "worth trying,"
rather than whether it will actually be effective. After all,
we are not dealing with breast surgery. A person can always stop
doing neurofeedback and will only have wasted time and money.
Hence, there is not a large "hurdle" to overcome for someone
to say yes to neurofeedback, and for us to recommend a trial.
There is another factor at play, however, and it is the availability
of alternative approaches. If there are other effective treatments for
bruxism, we must ethically ask whether our expensive and
time-consuming approach is in fact preferable to the alternatives.
Bayesian analysis is once again appropriate here, and we
implicitly make that calculation non-rigorously in our heads.

When there are no other attractive alternatives, such as in cases of
fetal alcohol syndrome, autism, and attachment disorder, the
mental hurdle to overcome is very small. Even if there are alternatives,
they could have high "hurdle factors" on their own, e.g.,
brain surgery for seizures, or electroconvulsive shock therapy for
depression. Here we would also end up with a strong bias
toward trying neurofeedback first, even if the probability of our
success is modest.

In the case of ADHD, where viable alternatives such as stimulant
medication exist, the "hurdle factor" is much higher. Here it is
relevant that sometimes we don't achieve training results
(in TOVA terms, for example) which entirely match what can be
achieved with Ritalin, particularly when it comes to reaction
time and variability. This question can again be subjected to
Bayesian analysis. This is one reason that TOVA data are so very
important here.

This discussion becomes relevant when we consider a reviewer's
response to a recently submitted paper of our latest TOVA
results on over 1000 subjects. The hackneyed criticism was that
the work did not follow the standard experimental design. In
particular, it did not restrict itself to narrowly selected clinical
categories, e.g. those actually diagnosed with ADHD. Again, this
criticism can be answered with a Bayesian argument. Since we
established that there was no statistically significant difference
either in pre-treatment condition or in outcomes between those
who had been formally diagnosed with ADHD and those who
had not, the selection of only ADHD subjects was clearly not
mandated. In fact, this dispenses entirely with one of the
arguments always raised against us, namely whether the subjects
had been well-diagnosed. The fact that the findings hold true
irrespective of subtlety of diagnosis makes them much stronger.
Those for whom current methods of experimental design and
data analysis are sacramental aspects of their scientific
religion will not be impressed by these arguments. That's why an

acceptance of the Bayesian methodology for statistical inferences is so
important.

In fact, the study we submitted can best be thought of as a kind
of epidemiological study, with neurofeedback being the antigen
that attacks the prevailing paradigm of ADHD as a biochemically mediated
disorder that by its very nature can only yield to
pharmacological remedies. The null hypothesis is that this antigen
only purports to improve attentional variables, but does not in
fact do so. This null hypothesis is cleanly ruled out by the results of
the study. As mentioned above, however, we are not merely
contending against a null hypothesis here. The world offers both
stimulant medication and nutritional and other approaches. The
Bayesian analysis of when it is appropriate to recommend neurofeedback
becomes much more complicated in this larger space.

At the moment, critics of neurofeedback training still hold to
the null hypothesis with respect to neurofeedback. They could
readily change their minds on this without yielding the essential
ground that "stimulant medication approaches are preferable." It
would be a mistake, therefore, to put huge resources into ruling out the
null hypothesis to their satisfaction, because that will not
really get it done. (Additionally, the issue is not as much about the
data as it is about mechanisms---just as in the case of
continental drift. These folks have no idea how neurofeedback might
actually work, given their assumptions about ADHD. So
they are not inclined to be attentive to the data.)

We must instead set the higher goal of showing that we can do things
that cannot be accomplished with stimulant medication,
that we can meet the needs of children who are not responsive to
stimulant medication, and that when we make a direct
comparison with stimulant medication, our data don't suffer in
comparison. That is the real battleground. And in this
comparison, Bayesian analysis will allow us to extract the maximum
impact from every data point, because in this approach,
every data point matters.

It is in the Bayesian framework that the incidental anecdote receives
full value. Going back to the case of the baby learning
about the sun, the most important data point was the first morning when
the sun came up. All subsequent data points were of
lesser import. By contrast, the bias of existing methodologies is to
discount the isolated data point until it is imbedded in a
statistically sound study. This is of course nonsense. When Norman
Cousins survived his predictably fatal condition, he judged
that he had successfully mobilized the resources of self-recovery with
humor. Well, whether or not his survival is attributable
specifically to his "humor cure," his survival is still a significant
data point for the existence of mechanisms of self-recovery that
have yet to gain the attention they deserve from scientists.

The primary casualty of existing statistical approaches to clinical
studies has been the "anecdotal case." It goes without saying
that every observation of scientific anomalies in medicine starts with
someone violating the mandate to "disregard the anecdotal

evidence." Anecdotal data are the mulch of new scientific departures.
The mandate to trash anecdotal evidence cannot possibly
come out of "medicine as a scientific discipline." It can only come from
"medicine as a body of accepted practice." Every
instance of the vaunted "placebo effect" and every case of "spontaneous
recovery" can be reframed as "the body did it," or, in
the modern idiom, "the body-mind did it." That should naturally lead to
the question, "How did the body-mind do it?" This
question must be confronted case by disagreeable case. That's what
Bayesian statistical inference will finally liberate us to do,
since every event ends up being measured against prior expectations for
its occurrence.

As our growing collection of case histories becomes "sufficiently
large", it, combined with Bayesian analysis of the findings, will
ultimately be our bulwark against critics.
============================end========================

What's New in Neurofeedback
                A Monthly Summary of News and Events
                    Vol. 2 No. 10 - November 1999

       This newsletter is sponsored by EEG Spectrum, Inc.,
a leader in providing clinical service and training professionals.
   Past issues are available at www.eegspectrum.com/newsletter/
Opinions related in this newsletter reflect those of the author only.
    Copyright (C) 1999 by EEG Spectrum, Inc. All rights reserved.

------------------------------------------------------------------
Announcements      - What physicians say..
In the Spotlight   - Preempt the storm
News & Reviews     - Books, journal papers, of interest
Events & Locations - Conferences, Courses; New clinicians/offices
Last Word          - Inevitable discovery
------------------------------------------------------------------
                  ANNOUNCEMENTS

What physicians say about EEG biofeedback - Compiled by Barry Belt
[http://www.eegspectrum.com/affil/belt3.htm]

New Way of Looking at Diseases of the Brain -
[http://www.nytimes.com/library/national/science/health/102699hth-brain-
symptoms.html]


------------------------------------------------------------------
               IN THE SPOTLIGHT

              Preempt the Storm
               by David Kaiser

In June 1998, two German physiologists determined that EEG signal
complexity can foretell the occurrence of an upcoming
seizure. Using nonlinear time series analysis, EEG data recorded
intracranially minutes prior to a seizure, at the site of the
seizure, was less complex than usual. EEG recorded well before such
events, or from other sites during a seizure, were more
randomly correlated with each other; i.e., more complex. In other
words, too much synchrony can be bad for you.

An unequivocal "pre-ictal phase" of low-dimensionality appears to
precede an epileptic seizure; with an average lead time of 11
minutes, and up to 25 minutes for some. Such results have great and
obvious clinical implications: warn the patient before the
seizure, or better yet, reverse the drop in complexity before it enters
positive feedback space and by doing so preempt the
seizure. This work was published in Physical Review Letters,
essentially burying it from thousands of clinicians.
"It's a good, solid piece of work," says Steven Schiff, a neurosurgeon
and epilepsy researcher at Children's Research Institute.
"In the future, if we're going to develop technologies to have
electrical control of seizures, we'll need techniques like this."

What is it? Is it the Mary Shelley in all of us that constantly seeks
out ways to apply jumper cables to the cortex? Or is it simply
coincidental that the first major application of electricity was to
awaken the dead with electric shocks (Albini, 1790). Albeit
with limited success. Why doesn't any of these experts search Medline
for "EEG" and "conditioning". Did they sleep through the
Intro Psych lecture on Pavlov and Skinner and shaping behaviors by
external rewards?

A second study, published in Brain Research in 1999, failed to
replicate the first study's findings to a significant extent. In

particular, a loss of complexity was missing in low-magnesium and
veratridine models of epileptiform activity. Apparently
interictal-like activity is predictable only in some epilepsy models.
But undeterred, the researchers are working towards an
implantable monitor capable of providing a warning or automatically
delivering drugs or electrical stimulation whenever neural
synchrony creeps past a comfortable point.

The consequences of this work are great, but logical deductions made by
the authors are even more astounding. Lehnertz and Elger concluded the
following:  "It may be extremely beneficial for the treatment of
patients suffering from epilepsy enabling specific pharmaco- or
electrotherapeutic possibilities to prevent seizure generation."

Electrotherapeutic possibilities. Why not rejuvenate the
electrical landscape when complexity begins to head south?
It's a logical conclusion of this work, a logic which continues
to elude most neurologically-inclined professionals in America.
Although they currently plan to intervene externally via some
form of electrical stimulation, they might check Medline and
realize we can already do much of the work from within, by means
of operant conditioning. Why re-invent the wheel (see below)?
Neurofeedback also many advantages over not-yet invented
technologies. One being it may forestall a few years longer
our inevitable destiny, of being assimilated into our own technology.


DK

Further Reading

Klaus Lehnertz & Christian E. Elger (1998). Can Epileptic Seizures be
Predicted? Evidence from Nonlinear Time Series
Analysis of Brain Electrical Activity Physical Review Letters, 80,
5019-5022.

Lehnertz K (1999). Nonlinear time series analysis of intracranial EEG
recordings in patients with epilepsy -- an
overview. Int. J. Psychophysiol., 34, 45-52.

Lehnertz K, Widman G, Andrzejak R, Arnhold J, Elger CE (1999). Is it
possible to anticipate seizure onset by
non-linear analysis of intracerebral EEG in human partial epilepsies ?
Rev. Neurol. (Paris), 155 , 454­456.

Widman G, Bingmann D, Lehnertz K, Elger CE (1999). Reduced signal
complexity of intracellular recordings: a
precursor for epileptiform activity? Brain Res, 836, 156-163.

Weber B, Lehnertz K, Elger CE, Wieser HG (1998). Neuronal
complexity loss in interictal EEG recorded with foramen
ovale electrodes predicts side of primary epileptogenic area in
temporal lobe epilepsy: a replication study. Epilepsia, 39, 922-7

Elger CE, Lehnertz K (1998). Seizure prediction by non-linear time
series analysis of brain electrical activity. Eur J
Neurosci, 10(2), 786-9

------------------------------------------------------------------

           NEWS AND REVIEWS


*** NEW BOOKS ***

Attachment Disorganization
--- An integrated picture of the disorganized infant growing into
childhood. The fullest available introduction to the topic AND the
definitive book of reference. Current theory and data on the nature and
etiology of disorganized attachment including social, psychological,
and biological factors. Longitudinal findings presented.


http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1572304804/eegspectrum



From Placebo to Panacea : Putting Psychiatric Drugs to the Test
--- Critical review of contemporary psychoactive drugs; cautions
against inflated confidence towards the new generation of psychoactive drugs.


http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0471148482/eegspectrum


Born To Be Wild: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Alcoholism &
Addiction
--- Guide for professionals who work with ADHD students at risk for
addictive illnesses (drugs, sexual, food).  Tips on early
identification and treatment to reduce these risks; explains  subtypes


http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1886021120/eegspectrum


The Myth of the First 3 Years: A New Understanding of Early Brain
Development and Lifelong Learning
-- "Apart from eliminating gross neglect, neuroscience cannot currently
tell us much about whether we can, let alone how to, influence brain
development during the early stage of exuberant synaptic formation." A
case study for students of political science or public relations.


http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0684851849/eegspectrum


The Undiscovered Mind : How the Human Brain Defies Replication,
Medication, and Explanation
--What are the limits of self-knowledge? Is the brain more complex than
its complexity would allow it to comprehend? This is not a new idea,
but it is timely. Should we be dampening our enthusiasm for
neuroscience, evolutionary psychology, and AI -- for good reasons? You
decide.


http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0684850753/eegspectrum


Family Therapy for ADHD: Treating Children, Adolescents, and Adults
---  Assessing and treating ADHD in the family context. Includes case
examples, a multigenerational look at family patterns of ADHD, detailed
treatment planning guides


http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1572304383/eegspectrum

           ------------------------------

*** JOURNAL PAPERS ***

Acute tolerance to methylphenidate in the tx of ADHD in children.
--Acute tolerance to methylphenidate must be considered in treating
children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
     Further info:
   http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10511066

ADHD and psychotropic medication in very young children.
--Children aged 3 years or younger diagnosed with ADHD often exhibited
comorbid psychiatric disorders, chronic health
conditions, and injuries, calling into question diagnoses and
psychotropic medication regimens.
   http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10520611

Frontal brain damage and mood
--Lateral prefrontal damage disrupts mood regulation and drive whereas
medial damage inhibits experience of mood changes.
   http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10519877

Unravelling sleep problems in treated and untreated children with ADHD.
--Children with ADHD treated with stimulants were three times more
likely to exhibit nightly severe" sleep problems than did
untreated children with ADHD.
      http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10521009

QEEG findings associated w/chronic stimulant and cannabis abuse & ADHD
--Eyes closed QEEG data from 56 subjects with mixed substance use

disorder were analyzed. Right temporal abnormalities
were observed with stimulant dependence. Cannabis and stimulant
dependence together produced more QEEG changes than
either alone. QEEG abnormalities associated with chronic stimulant
dependence were independent of ADHD status.
   http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10513323

Factors associated w/development of substance use disorder in depressed
teens.
--The risk for substance use disorders was high in both depressed and
normal adolescentss (34.6% depressed group, 24.2%
controls) across a 7-year study. Depressed adolescents had earlier
onset than controls and those with anxiety traits and active
hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (when the system was normally
quiescent) were at greatest risk. Identification of other risk
factors should be helpful in developing more effective treatment and
prevention programs.
   http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10504809

Alpha EEG coherence, an index of arousal
--Fronto-frontal and fronto-occipital coherence values in the alpha
frequency band are useful indexes of brain arousal states.
   http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10507695

Treating substance abuse with comorbid psychiatric disorders.
--Having a comorbid psychiatric diagnosis consistently increases the
cost and utilization of services among patients with a
primary diagnosis of a substance use disorder. The increased cost may
reflect greater severity of illness among dually diagnosed
patients, or it may indicate fragmented and inefficient service
delivery.
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10506299

Psychopharmacology of pediatric posttraumatic stress disorder.
--Pharmacotherapy may relieve PTSD symptoms in children, but the
authors conclude that too few studies have been
completed in order to confirm treatment recommendations.
   http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10521013

------------------------------------------------------------------

        EVENTS AND LOCATIONS
Advanced Training Courses

BETA/SMR Advanced Practicum
    with Sue Othmer
Topics Covered
Evaluating Raw EEGs
Spectral Density
Choosing Inhibit Filters
Coherence Training
New Protocols
Discussion of Difficult Cases
Clinical Strategies/Testing

Alpha-Theta Advanced Practicum
   with Bill Scott
Topics Covered
Guided Imagery
Interpreting Imagery
Working with Addictions
Facilitating Cross-Over
Recognizing Progress
When to bring in BETA/SMR
Alternative Protocols
------------------------------------------------------------------
Austin, TX 	      Nov 23rd, 1999
Los Angeles CA     Jan 24th-25th, 2000
W Palm Beach, FL   Feb 21st-22nd, 2000
Los Angeles CA     Mar 13th-14th, 2000
Kansas City, MO    Apr 10th-11th, 2000
Philadelphia, PA   May 1st- 2nd, 2000
Nashville, TN      Jun 5th- 6th, 2000
Los Angeles CA     Jun 26th-27th, 2000

------------------------------------------------------------------
Beta-SMR Advanced Practicum Limit = 20
Alpha-Theta Advanced Practicum Limit = 15

    DATES*COSTS*LOCATIONS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

PREREQUISITES FOR EITHER PRACTICUM:
Completion of 1 EEG Spectrum Biofeedback Training Course for
Professionals
EEG Biofeedback experience using NeuroCybernetics Instrumentation

---------------------------------------------------------------------
            Conferences for Neurofeedback Clinicians & Researchers

       CONFERENCE    LOCATION                 DATES
    Futurehealth   Palm Springs            Feb 4-8th, 2000
    AAPB 2000      Denver, CO              Mar 29-Apr 2, 2000
---------------------------------------------------------------------

New Neurofeedback Clinicians / New Offices


   Donna RB Rogers, Ph.D.
   Green Valley Psychiatric Association
   2920 N. Green Valley Parkway, Suite 413
   Henderson, NV 89014
   (702) 454-0201; Fax -1245

   Lisa Enneis, MA, MFT
   24151 Big Timber St
   Lake Forest, CA 92630
   (714) 375-0568
     lisaennt@...

   Center for Attention Deficit and Learning Disorders
   Sanford J. Silverman, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist
   10505 N. 69th St, Suite 1100B
   Scottsdale, AZ 85253
   (480) 314-4299; Fax-4994
     info@...
---------------------------------------------------------------------
            LAST WORD

      Inevitable discovery

   Stop what you are doing. Stop it right now!

If you are reading this on a web-based email system, you and I may be
breaking the law. We may be in flagrant violation of patent laws...
...had one company had its way in the early 90s.
(And I'm not refering to Microsoft -- they had their way.)

In 1993, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office awarded Compton New Media
a patent for its multimedia system. This patent
protected their process of retrieving sound, images and text via a
software menuing system. According to their lawyers, in the
process of creating an encyclopedia on CD-ROM, Compton invented
multimedia itself. "Any multimedia work which contains
textual and graphical information relating to each other and a menu
driven, computer controlled research and retrieval system
which allows the user to step through interrelated information using
text or graphics as a starting point" became their intellectual
property. Hypertext, a term invented in 1965, was no longer public
domain. The Web (when it came into existence the
following year) would be a company asset. Perhaps certain sentence
structures were now under corporate control.

(For a history of hypertext pre-dating Compton by 45 years, see
   http://www.useit.com/alertbox/history.html

The existence of Compton's patent effectively inserted a new level of
intellectual property rights which all multimedia works
infringed upon. Compton planned to charge a small, tiny, insignificant
royalty (around 1.25%) on everyone else's CD-ROM
products. Needless to say, the patent was overturned. Within months.

The US Patent & Trademark office is overworked and relies very heavily
on antiquated records and an inventor's knowledge

and perspective to determine whether an invention is actually that, a
novel mixing of earth and brain. The founders of EEG
biofeedback did not patent their work, possibly because they were
scientists and understood the value of a free flow of
information. But another generation of investigators now populate the
field.

Ever hear of the urban myth about a Connecticut inventor who patented
the wheel. Guess what? It's U.S. Patent number 5,707,114, granted in 1998.
Here are some claims from the patent summary:

Claims
1. A spoked wheel comprising:
an annular rim having an inner diameter;
a central hub;
a plurality of spokes running between the rim and hub,

Wow, to bask in the presence of such originality....

Obviously we have a messy and occasionally incompetent patent process in
this country.

Here's one solution for discriminating patentable processes from public
knowledge. Bring in five experts of a field to review each new
application. In order to obtain a patent, at least four of the
five experts must agree that this invention is utterly
nonsense and can't possibly work the way the claimant say it does. If
two of the five experts or more fully understand the logic
behind the invention, it falls under the legal term "inevitable
discovery" meaning that the process was the logical consequence of
pursuing a normal inquiry; it probably exists in a a few dozen minds
around the country, and prototypes may already be
gathering dust in university basements around the country.

We rest atop the shoulders of giants who themselves stood on the
shoulders of titans. There is nothing new under the sun. Yet
still invention goes on. The question is, where do we demarcate the
contributions of an individual from the contributions of a
civilization or a community?
============================end========================

In the spotlight article I say "measuring EEG activity around the
"fringe" (those sites without neighbors on all sides; i.e., Fp1, Fp2,
F7, F8, T3, T4, T5, T6, O1, O2) can be noisy and artifactual.

I should have said: "performing Laplacian transformations on EEG activity
around the
"fringe" (those sites without neighbors on all sides; i.e., Fp1, Fp2,
F7, F8, T3, T4, T5, T6, O1, O2) can be noisy and artifactual."




David Kaiser, Ph.D.

dakaiser@...                 dakaiser@...
http://www.thegrid.net/dakaiser/   http://www.eegspectrum.com

What's New in Neurofeedback
                A Monthly Summary of News and Events
                    Vol. 2 No. 9 - October 1999

       This newsletter is sponsored by EEG Spectrum, Inc.,
a leader in providing clinical service and training professionals.
   Past issues are available at www.eegspectrum.com/newsletter/
Opinions related in this newsletter reflect those of the author only.
    Copyright (C) 1999 by EEG Spectrum, Inc. All rights reserved.

------------------------------------------------------------------
Announcements      - Philadelphia Inquirer
In the Spotlight   - Society for Neuronal Regulation Conference Highlights
News & Reviews     - Books, journal papers, of interest
Events & Locations - Conferences, Courses; New clinicians/offices
Last Word          - On the Road to Damascus
------------------------------------------------------------------
                  ANNOUNCEMENTS

Philadelphia Inquirer ran a report on neurofeedback, 9/20/99,

http://www.phillynews.com/inquirer/99/Sep/20/magazine/NEURO20.htm

------------------------------------------------------------------
                 IN THE SPOTLIGHT

   Society for Neuronal Regulation Conference Highlights
               by David Kaiser

Does generating a QEEG profile of a client improve one's neurofeedback
training and subsequent outcome? Ah, there's the rub... now what is the
question.

Except for notable exceptions, this year's SNR conference (held in
Myrtle Beach Sep 30-Oct 3) was centered around the use of
QEEG in neurofeedback training. Underlying QEEG assessment is the
presumption that the goal of neurofeedback training is
EEG normalization, i.e., restoring EEG (baseline) levels to a
normative range. Some practitioners would disagree: neurofeedback
training improves function by challenging the neuroregulatory system
but without permanently altering baseline levels. Who is right?

In EEG normalization, one identifies whether an individual exhibits a
deficit or surplus of activity in a frequency band (be it in
amplitude, coherence or other spectral parameter) by comparing his or
her topographic EEG against a normative database.
Deviant spectral activity is "targetted" for training; too much beta
in the right temporal lobe -- down-train beta at T4; too little alpha
frontally, up-train alpha at that location. But I would argue that
such a mapping between QEEG and neurofeedback protocol
ignores the history (and success) of SMR training.

Until recently, most SMR training was performed almost entirely above
the motor strip. This was not because motor functions
were deviant or targetted, but because training the sensorimotor
rhythm strongly impacted the regulatory system of the
thalamocortical system -- a la the "neuroregulatory challenge" model.
SMR training on the motor strip improved attention, memory,

pain perception, increased cortical stability, and other forms of
function across the entire neurocognitive domain. Training was
performed in order to restore cortical integrity through challenge of
a governing system, whereas normalization assumes direct
changes in spectral activity improve behavioral and cognitive

function. Which is correct (or how to reconcile the two) must await a
future issue of this newsletter. For now, I turn back to the
conference:

E. Roy John presented the keynote address, "QEEG and the
Neurophysiology of Consciousness". John is currently working with
anesthesiologists in Bean-town and Europe in order to identify QEEG
correlates of consciousness: what emerges in the EEG when
consciousness is lost and then found again. Notable changes were
observed across the head in the theta range (3.5 Hz) using Low
Resolution Electrical Tomography (LORETA); however this was not the
only frequency range where changes were observed.
John also describes some of the Tucson conference work (Penrose,
Chalmers, etc) on consciousness, such as wave-function
collapse and and the possible role played by microtubules in
consciousness, ideas generated primarily out of quantum mechanics
(see Toward a Science of Consciousness: The First Tucson Discussions
and Debates for more info along these lines).

Barry Sterman reported covariance profiles (covariance being a
time-series analysis similar to coherence) that distinguish anxiety
from depression from head injury. Autism also presents a unique
pattern in the QEEG. The future DSM will be EEG-based, so he
quips.

Robert Gurnee argued against uptraining beta in ADD because theta is
the primary problem with ADD and increasing beta can be
potentially harmful given the reported correlation of elevated Beta
with anxiety, alcoholism, and bipolar disorder. Conclusions such
as these underlies the theoretical split in the practice of
neurofeedback between those using QEEG assessment and those who don't.

Bob Thatcher reviewed the scientific foundations of EEG coherence with
emphasis on the relations between EEG coherence and
neural network dynamics. Using EEG coherence and fMRI measurements, he
described an approach of quantifying the integrity
of cortical networks, with obvious implications for assessing head
injury, Alzheimer's, and other neurodegenerative diseases.

The most rousing session at SNR was the case review. During this
nearly 2-hr session, a single eyes closed data file from a
patient was analyzed separately using the John, Thatcher, and SKIL
databases. Dualing databases, essentially. Although I may be
prejudiced in my opinion (being a partner in the SKIL software
development), Barry presented the most thorough review of the
subject's recording, one that any clinician could follow from their
seats. He began by examining the raw EEG, then the spectral

activity to identify the dominant frequency for this individual. Using
a number of brain maps he made a solid case about the
subject's data: the patient exhibited functional disconnections
between anterior and posterior systems in two frequency bands (if I
recall correctly) which suggested a head injury.

Lubar interpreted the data similarly using a different database. But
the greatest hubbub of the conference came about from the
"remontage" mantra by Jay Gunkelman. Using a local spatial averaging
technique, he reported the greatest disturbance at right
temporal sites, sites that all other "contestants" saw as normal.

There are two strong arguments against relying on local average
transformations in EEG analysis, however, and they were made at the
session that day. One, measuring EEG activity around the
"fringe" (those sites without neighbors on all sides; i.e., Fp1, Fp2,
F7, F8, T3, T4, T5, T6, O1, O2) can be noisy and artifactual; and
two, unless one can train using such transformations (which is
difficult and no one currently does), then one cannot follow any
protocol suggested by this approach. Not unlike using metric values to
calculate thrust and English values to assess one's
orbital coordinates over Mars....

After four days of presentations, workshops, and mild disagreements,
we did as all scientists do at a good conference:
... we adjourned to the hottub.

For more information including presentation abstracts, see

http://www.snr-jnt.org/NewsPlus/99-sched.htm
------------------------------------------------------------------

           NEWS AND REVIEWS

   *** NEW BOOKS ***

Event-Related Desynchronization
      by G. Pfurtscheller & F.H. Lopes da Silva
      Fresh from the printers, the newest book on EEG, one which
explores the best approach in cognitive neuroscience today,
investigation of event-related EEG desynchronization and
synchronization. Temporal and topography resolution of ERD analysis
should prove very fruitful in understanding neurocognitive functions.
Besides including an introduction and basic concepts on EEG
synchronization and desynchronization, this book includes two chapters

by MB Sterman.
   http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0444829997/neurofeedbacktod

Clinical Disorders of the Endometrium and Menstrual Cycle
     by Iain T. Cameron, Ian S. Fraser, and Stephen K. Smith
     Widespread effective contraception has led to more
regularity in monthly menses (compared to
pregnancy and lactational amenorrhea) and consequently
an increase in disorders associated with menstruation.
An overview of clinical disorders of menstruation and
the menstrual cycle.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0192627244/neurofeedbacktod


The Integrative Neurobiology of Affiliation
      by Carol Sue Carter
     Affiliation and related social behaviors, such as
attachment, parent-offspring interactions, pair-bonding,
and the building of coalitions, are discussed in the
context of the regulatory physiology and neural processes that
subserve affiliative behaviors.
    http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0262531585/neurofeedbacktod


Alternative Treatments for Fibromyalgia and CFS: Insights from
Practitioners and Patients
      by Mari Skelly, James Lavalle, Andrea Helm, Paul B. Brown
      Personal testimony from patients who underwent
alternative therapies for CFS and fibromyalgia. Also,
includes testimony from their medical practitioners.
Also covers health insurance and disability benefit
considerations.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0897932714/neurofeedbacktod

Language and Reading Disabilities
      by Alan G. Kamhi, Hugh William Catts
      A broad perspective of language problems associated with reading
disabilities, with a strong clinical and research focus.

Experts in assessment and remediation of reading and writing disorders
discuss identification, assessment, and treatment of
reading and writing disorders.
   http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0205270883/neurofeedbacktod


Psychological Effects of Cocaine and Crack Addiction
      by Ann Holmes, Carol C. Nadelson, Claire E. Reinburg
      Examines psychological issues associated with the use of crack
and other forms of cocaine, focusing on the mental and
psychological disorders that can occur.
   http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0791048985/neurofeedbacktod


Targeting Autism : What We Know, Don't Know and Can Do to Help Young
Children With Autism and Related Disorders
       by Shirley Cohen
      "Calling attention to recent advances in early identification and
educational therapy, Cohen offers up-to-date research
findings within a scientific framework enriched by her own
observations and narratives from parents and adults with autism."
   http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0520210115/neurofeedbacktod
           ------------------------------

*** JOURNAL PAPERS ***

CDC looks at hyperactivity as a public health issue
--The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of
Education met in Atlanta last month to discuss this
mental disorder and what needs to be done in the future. ADHD costs
taxpayers $3 billion a year in special education services
alone. And 2 to 5 million adults are believed to have ADHD. This
disorder is becoming a major health concern, especially as the
primary treatment modality, Ritalin, is surrounding by questions about
the safety and risks of long-term use.
       Further info:

http://cnn.com:80/HEALTH/9909/24/adhd/index.html

Infants of depressed mothers show atypical brain activity
--Infants of depressed mothers exhibited reduced left frontal EEG
activity relative to right frontal EEG activity. "Our results
suggest that maternal depression may alter frontal brain activity
which is associated with positive emotions," said Geraldine
Dawson, PhD, head of the study. "This effect may be caused by the
mother's depression increasing the child's threshold for
experiencing emotions such as joy and interest."
   Further info:

http://www.eurekalert.org:80/releases/cfah-idm091099.html

Reading, Writing-- And Ritalin
--Ritalin, a drug so similar to cocaine "it takes a chemist to tell
the difference." A 1995 Archives of General Psychiatry report
states: "Cocaine, which is one of the most reinforcing and addicting
of the abused drugs, has pharmacological actions that are very
similar to those of methylphenidate, which is now the most commonly
prescribed psychotropic medicine for children in the U.S."
      Further info:

http://www.sltrib.com:80/1999/sep/09191999/commenta/25251.htm

NIH consensus conference: Rehabilitation of persons with TBI.
--The focus of this conference was the evaluation of rehabilitative
measures for the cognitive and behavioral consequences of
traumatic brain injury (TBI). Approximately 1 in 1000 persons has
suffered or is currently suffering from a traumatic brain injury.


TBI results in 52,000 annual deaths and lifelong impairment of
physical, cognitive, and psychosocial functioning of 2.5 million to 6.5
million individuals. Mild TBI is significantly underdiagnosed and the
likely societal burden is therefore even greater. Evidence
supports the use of certain cognitive and behavioral rehabilitation
strategies for individuals with TBI. This research needs to be
replicated in larger, more definitive clinical trials and, thus,
funding for research on TBI needs to be increased.
     Further info:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10485684

Management of PTSD: diagnostic and therapeutic issues.
--Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is not always properly
diagnosed due to a high rate of comorbidity, patient denial or
minimization, overly high diagnostic thresholds set by clinicians, or
failure to take a trauma history. Patients with PTSD may not
respond to pharmacotherapy in the same manner, and it is unclear
whether this is related to gender, trauma type, or other factors.
     Further info:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10487254

Scientists Identify Brain Chemicals Involved In "Switching On" Cocaine
Addiction
--What converts drug use into addiction? Cocaine users may take the
drug from several times to several years before they
become addicted. However, at a certain point, their use becomes
compulsive and they have great difficulty quitting. "It seems that
prolonged drug use eventually causes a 'switch' to be thrown in the
brain, symbolizing the onset of addiction," says NIDA Director.

One component of the switch appears to be the activation of a gene
that codes for the production of a protein called delta-FosB.
Another involves changes in glutamate receptors in the nucleus
accumbens.
             Further info:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/09/990916075016.htm

------------------------------------------------------------------

        EVENTS AND LOCATIONS
Advanced Training Courses

BETA/SMR Advanced Practicum
    with Sue Othmer
Topics Covered
Evaluating Raw EEGs
Spectral Density
Choosing Inhibit Filters
Coherence Training
New Protocols
Discussion of Difficult Cases
Clinical Strategies/Testing

Alpha-Theta Advanced Practicum
   with Bill Scott
Topics Covered
Guided Imagery
Interpreting Imagery
Working with Addictions
Facilitating Cross-Over
Recognizing Progress
When to bring in BETA/SMR
Alternative Protocols
------------------------------------------------------------------
New York, New York  BETA/SMR Advanced Practicum  10/12/99 Tue
Austin, Texas 	   Alpha-Theta Advanced Practicum 11/23/99 Tue
------------------------------------------------------------------
Beta-SMR Advanced Practicum Limit = 20
Alpha-Theta Advanced Practicum Limit = 15
    DATES*COSTS*LOCATIONS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

PREREQUISITES FOR EITHER PRACTICUM:
Completion of 1 EEG Spectrum Training Course for Professionals
EEG Biofeedback experience using NeuroCybernetics Instrumentation
---------------------------------------------------------------------
            Conferences for Neurofeedback Clinicians & Researchers

       CONFERENCE    LOCATION                 DATES
    Winter Brain   Palm Springs             Feb 4-8, 2000
     AAPB 2000      Denver, CO         Mar 29-Apr 2, 2000
---------------------------------------------------------------------

New Neurofeedback Clinicians / New Offices

   Andy Hogan Counseling & Neurofeedback
   Andy Hogan, MA, LCPC
   126 Sixth St
   PO Box 584
   Charleston, IL 61920
   (217) 348-1086
   ahogan@...

   Jean Menendez, A.A.
   Preey Vitale, Ph.D.
   Assoc for Human Development P.A.
   2400 N University Drive, Suite 208
   Pembroke Pines, FL 33024
   (954) 437-2034; Fax-436-2004
   amenendez@...

   Frank Schlosser, MFT
   1107 So. Broadway
   Santa Maria, CA 93454
   (805) 922-2989

   Christie M Betz, RN
   Northwest Neurofeedback
   160 Cascade Drive, Suite 215
   Burlington, WA 98233
   (360) 404-2005; Fax-2008
   cbetz@...

   W. Roy Evans, M.A. Licensed Psychologist

   6381 Osgood Avenue North, Bldg C
   Stillwater, MN 55082-6118
   (651) 439-2301; Fax-7368
   psyserv@...

   Karen S Kiefer, MS, DO
   Greg Maddex, DO
   S.M.A.R.T. Medical
   1111 S. Grand Ave Ste J
   Diamond Bar, CA 91765
   (909) 861-2291; Fax-0194
   KKieferDO@...

   Eva Gumprecht, MSW
   96 Sheridan St
   Jamaica Plain, MA
   (617) 983-1953; Fax-1954
   eva@...

   Mile Paelen Ungdomshjem
   Psychologist Sigurd Stubsjoen
   Leder Vidar Hald
   Eimerud, Postboks 122
   2150 Arnes
   Norway 63-91-0065
   sstubsjoen@...

   Neurofeedback Valley Associates
   Leonteen Chevreau, MA
   7501 Hospital Dr
   Sacramento, CA 95823
   (916) 681-4141; Fax 689-8383
   neurofb@...
---------------------------------------------------------------------
            LAST WORD

         On the Road to Damascus

In 1987 D Landsborough published an intriguing paper in the Journal
of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry called St Paul and
temporal lobe epilepsy. In this paper D argues how Paul, the great
Christian missionary of the first century, may have
suffered from temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Were his ecstatic visions,
his conversion on the road to Damascus, the "light from
heaven" which went off in his head, a product of TLE? Such
investigations need not diminish the religious aspects of such events.
In fact probing the neurological origin of religious thought may
ultimately require a revision of our scientific thought. Who knows?

Of course it is always difficult to diagnose a patient, especially one
who died prior to the invention of the MMPI or MRI, but Paul
alludes to his illness in his writings and from this sparse evidence
we may presume something about his life and his condition. Paul
describes an estatic personal experience in his letter to the Church
in Corinth in which he felt "caught up to paradise." He was
"caught up to the third heaven. In the body or out of the body? That I
do not know... and (here he) heard sacred secrets which no
human lips can repeat" (Moffatt Translation). A sense of unreality in
relation to one's body in space and a dreamy state of auditory
hallucinations reminded Landsborough of experiences related by his TLE
patients. Paul also complained about a "thorn in the flesh" --

perhaps a metaphor for an infirmity which periodically racked
him such as convulsions.

Landsborough took particular interest in Paul's letter to Galatians.
"(I)t was because of an illness... that I preached the gospel to you
(the Galatians) on my former visit". Paul was impressed that these
people did not "spurn" or "reject" him -- a translation of the
literal verb "to spit out at". As Landsborough states, "Epilepsy was
sometimes called morbus qui sputatur -- spitting was the
superstitutious reaction of a witness to an attack of epilepsy" Thus
reaching across the years as if it were yesterday a possibly spitting
audience becomes a diagnosis of convulsions.

But other parallels exist between Paul and TLE patients.
Hyperreligiosity is not uncommon in these patients. Religious conversion
following ecstatic auras has been documented in at least six patients
(Dewhurst & Beard, 1970). Perhaps much of our religious
and mystical imagery comes about from limbic (self-referential)
contents temporarily dominating cortical (more rationale)
processes. We may never know what exactly transpired on that road to
Damascus, but we do know that it changed the course of
the world, eventually transforming a backwater Galilean cult into the
most dominant force in history. But what interests the
scientist part of me, this experience probably had a neurological
origin, one when given the right circumstances could be
replicated... Hmmm.

Which is not to say that on that dusty highway Paul experienced
something our science can explain.

--DK

More info: Landsborough (1987). St Paul and temporal lobe epilepsy.
J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry, 50, 659-64.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?uid=3302109form=6

======== end ======================

What's New in Neurofeedback
                A Monthly Summary of News and Events
                    Vol. 2 No. 8 - September 1999

       This newsletter is sponsored by EEG Spectrum, Inc.,
a leader in providing clinical service and training professionals.
   Past issues are available at www.eegspectrum.com/newsletter/
Opinions related in this newsletter reflect those of the author only.
    Copyright (C) 1999 by EEG Spectrum, Inc. All rights reserved.

------------------------------------------------------------------
Announcements      - KNBC & website worries
In the Spotlight   - QEEG in Psychiatry
News & Reviews     - Books, journal papers, of interest
Events & Locations - Conferences, Courses; New clinicians/offices
Last Word          - [none]
------------------------------------------------------------------
                  ANNOUNCEMENTS

KNBC News Channel 4 in Los Angeles ran a story on Neurotherapy last week



www.eegspectrum.com was down from 8/24th-9/12, but all is fine now

      There was no WNIN issue for August.

------------------------------------------------------------------
                 IN THE SPOTLIGHT

              QEEG in Psychiatry
               by David Kaiser

In 1989 the American Psychiatric Association established a task
force to study Quantitative Electrophysiological (QEEG)
assessment and determine whether it might soon play an important
role in psychiatry. The task force was asked to identify the
present state of scientific knowledge about QEEG, the current role
it plays in clinical psychiatric practice, the training necessary
for its proper use, and its possible future in the study of mental
disorders. They concluded that QEEG was particularly useful for
detecting slow wave abnormalities and this would prove useful in
assessing delirium, dementia, intoxication, and other
syndromes involving gross CNS dysfunction. But using QEEG for
diagnosis of other disorders, such as schizophrenia or
depression, was not yet established. What was needed were clinical
replications and sharing of normative and patient data
bases in order to advance the field.

That was 10 years ago and, as they advocated, beaucoup research is
now in.

More than 500 EEG and QEEG papers have been published in the last
decade. These papers -- of well-designed studies that
confirm EEG and QEEG abnormalities in a high proportion of
psychiatric patients -- make a convincing case for assisting
psychiatry with this technology. A recent review by Hughes and John
present a very coherent argument for its use and evaluates
the evidence for each mental health disorder. (For an incoherent
argument, anything newer?)

Eventually, of course, we'll all be fitted with powerful
electromagnets, a million sensors floating in tiny pools of frozen
nitrogen, all packaged to fit under our scalp, enabling Big Brother
and other mental health professionals to read our thoughts and feelings
before we act upon them. (Think of the savings in personal liability
alone!). But in the current climate, both political and
economical, portable magno-neuroimaging remains but a fantasy.


(Each sensor will have its own IP address and broadcast
uncensored thoughts out to 615 nations -- the increase in
political entities being a direct consequence of the technology).

What we do have now is a practical, sensitive, and inexpensive
method of imaging cortical activity -- called QEEG. Visual
inspection of the EEG in search of abnormalities (called coventional
EEG by some, voodoo EEG by others) has been regarded
as too nonspecific and subjective for diagnostic applications. True,
it can be used to identify paroxysmal activity and gross
amounts of slow wave activity, as well to stage sleep for those
researchs who like staying up all night; but the disordered EEG
associated with mental illness is usually too subtle for the human
eye and mind to detect. The disorder often spans both time and
topography.

Hughes and John argue that QEEG can do the following very well:

    1.Distinguish between dementia and depression
    2.Distinguish between schizophrenia and mood disorders
    3.Assess cognitive, attentional, or developmental disorders
    4.Evaluate alcohol or substance abuse
    5.Evaluate postconcussion syndrome

In dementia, for instance, QEEG may "enable early detection and
prognosis of future cognitive impairment" -- well in time to
undergo neurofeedback training to prevent or at least delay mental
disintegration.

The authors adopt the general procedures, quality of evidence, and
strength of recommendation ratings used in the Report to
the American Academy of Neurology. The general procedures require
eight major categories to be considered in evaluating a
procedure:

    1.Disease studied is clearly defined. In other words, did
researchers use DSM classification in their studies?

    2.Criteria for test abnormality defined explicitly, clearly, and
prospectively. Did researchers use the appropriate parametric statistical
methods?

    3.Control groups not included in normative groups. Were patients
compared to an independent (control) group?

    4.Same degree of severity in study as in probable use. Was
research performed on group that would likely be seen by psychiatrists?

    5.Test-retest reliability high. Are there numerous studies and do
they support each other's findings?

    6.Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative
predictive value demonstrated. A specificity of about 95% was found across
studies,
with sensitivities ranging from 60% to 95%.
    7.Validity compared with other tests for same difference
diagnosis. Are there any other biological tests validated for
the psychiatric disorders? Not yet. QEEG is the first.

    8.Medical efficacy tests reduce morbidity by clarifying best
intervention, clarifying diagnosis, giving more accurate
prognosis, and providing a less risky substitute for previous
method. "QEEG methods offer improved efficacy of patient management
and decrease the risk of ineffectual treatment or misdiagnosis."

Here are the the Quality of Evidence Ratings used:

Class I: Evidence provided by one or more well-designed,
prospective,blinded, controlled clinical studies.



Class II: Evidence provided by one or more well-designed clinical
studies,such as case control or cohort studies.

Class III: Evidence provided by expert opinion, nonrandomized
historicalcontrols, or case reports of one or more.


And finally, the Strength of Recommendation Ratings

Type A: Strong positive recommendation, based on Class I evidence
or overwhelming Class II evidence.

Type B: Positive recommendation, based on Class II evidence.

Type C: Positive recommendation, based on strong consensus of Class
III evidence.

Type D: Negative recommendation, based on inconclusive or
conflicting Class II evidence.

Type E: Negative recommendation, based on evidence of
ineffectiveness or lack of efficacy.


Authors' Recommendations

Does QEEG remain investigational for clinical use in mild head
injury, learning disability, attention disorders, schizophrenia,
depression, alcoholism, and drug abuse, as the joint opinion paper
by the American Academy of Neurology and the American
Clinical Neurophysiology Society claim.Many scientists doubt the
science and sincerity of this opinion (e.g., Hoffman et al,
1999). Hughes and John, for instance, followed the guidelines
established by these committees, but they arrived at a nearly
diametrically opposite conclusions:

Cerebrovascular Disease: Type B recommendation   (many concordant
   Class II studies)

Dementia: Type A recommendation   (multiple Class I; many concordant
   Class II studies)

Learning and Attention Disorders: Type B recommendation   (multiple
   Class II studies; abundant Class II evidence)

Mood Disorders: Type B recommendation   (multiple Class II studies)

Postconcussion Syndrome: Type C recommendation   (several Class II
   studies; multiple concordant Class III studies)

Schizophrenia: Type D recommendation   (conflicting Class II & III
   evidence)

Substance Abuse: Type D recommendation   (conflicting Class II & III
   evidence)

The clinical implications are obvious. Now available -- an
inexpensive and sensitive tool to explore the psychological health of
individuals; one which circumvents the great seat of self-deception
and distortion in mental health (i.e., consciousness).

Related Reading:

Hughes, JR. & John, ER (1999). Conventional and Quantitative
Electroencephalography in Psychiatry
J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci, 11, 190-208


http://neuro.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/11/2/190

Hoffman DA et al (1999). Limitations of the Am Acad of Neurology
and American Clinical Neurophysiology Society paper on QEEG.
J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci, 11, 401-7.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?uid=10440020form=6

QEEG: a report on the present state of computerized EEG techniques.
Am J Psychiatry 1991 Jul;148(7):961-4


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=2053652

------------------------------------------------------------------

           NEWS AND REVIEWS


*** NEW BOOKS ***

ADHD With Comorbid Disorders: Clinical Assessment & Management
by Steven R. Pliszka, Caryn L. Carlson, Jim M. Swanson
      The authors review the evaluation and treatment of


ADHD with major comorbidities -- mood and
anxiety disorders, conduct disorders, learning
disorders, medical illnesses, and severe developmental
disorders. Includes case examples.



http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1572304782/neurofeedbacktod
                - - - -

The Developing Mind: Toward a Neurobiology of Interpersonal Experience
by Daniel J. Siegel
      A compelling new framework for understanding the
human mind and its development, based on
anatomical, neurological, and clinical information.
From neurons and brain circuitry to parent-child
communication, the volume explores how mental
functioning emerges within the context of
emotionally-connected relationships.



http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1572304537/neurofeedbacktod
                - - - -

Once a Month : Understanding and Treating PMS
             by Katharina Dalton, Wendy Holton
     Three-quarters of women experience some aspect of
PMS. This edition discusses common symptoms, self-help strategies,
and new information on the effects of PMS on osteoporosis.
                - - - -

ADHD in the Schools : Assessment and Intervention Strategies
by George J. Dupaul
      Includes identification and assessment of ADHD, the
relationship between ADHD and learning disabilities; classroom
programs; communication with physicians; and parent training and
communication.


http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/089862245X/neurofeedbacktod
                - - - -

Biological Psychology : An Introduction to Behavioral, Cognitive,
and Clinical Neuroscience
by Mark R. Rosenzweig, Arnold L. Leiman, S. Marc Breedlove
      Examines major topics in psychobiology from five perspectives:
description of behavior; evolution of behavior;
development of behavior; biological mechanisms underlying behavior;
and applications of biological psychology to clinical
problems. Much material from cognitive and clinical neuroscience.


http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0878937919/neurofeedbacktod
                - - - -
From Thoughts to Obsessions : OCD in Children and Adolescents
by Per Hove Thomsen
      Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by
recurring and involuntary obsessive thoughts or actions. It is
now believed that 1 per cent of all children suffers from serious
obsessive disorders. This volume explains the nature and
treatment of OCD in children and adolescents. An explanation of the
symptoms, assessment procedures and treatment
strategies and its relationship to other psychiatric conditions.


http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1853027219/neurofeedbacktod
           ------------------------------
*** JOURNAL PAPERS ***


EEG and psychometric differences between boys with & without ADHD
--Is ADHD is a learned behavioral or brain dysfunction? Psychometric
and the EEG measures clearly differentiated two
samples of 4 boys (with or without ADHD) with no overlap in scores,
were reliable over 3 months (r = .87), and were
significantly correlated with one another (r = .85). These robust
and reliable findings suggest that both the psychometric and the
psychophysiological EEG measures deserve further exploration.


         Further info:


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10384249

Psychological changes accompanying stress-management training for
essential hypertension.
--Treatment yielded significant psychological changes that included
an increase of problem-solving abilities. No significant
correlations were found between psychological changes and
self-measured systolic or diastolic blood pressure reductions.
         Further info:


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10384248

Thalamic metabolic rate predicts EEG alpha power, but not in depressed
patients.
--PET, EEG, and structural MRI were obtained to assess the relation
between thalamic metabolic activity and alpha power in
depressed patients and healthy controls. Robust inverse correlations
between mental (metabolic) activity and alpha power were
observed in the healthy adults, but not for depressed patients. This
may indicate a possible abnormality in thalamocortical
circuitry associated with depression.
         Further info:


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10386175

Neuroimaging findings in substance-related disorders.
--Clinicians need prognostic indicators which can allow patients at
higher risk for relapse to be identified and provided with
more intensive treatment. Likewise, methods sensitive to diagnostic
heterogeneity could be used to guide the development of
tailored treatment regimens for patient subgroups. Neuroimaging is a
promising approach to obtain such an approach. For
instance, intoxication with alcohol results in depressed global
glucose metabolism that continues into the stages of withdrawal
and abstinence. Long-term alcoholism is associated with atrophy of
several brain regions, the frontal lobes and limbic structures
in particular.
         Further info:


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10385936

Symptoms in children with ADHD with and without comorbid tic disorder.
--Boys with ADHD and chronic multiple tic disorder received scored
higher on the Anxious/Depressed, Thought Problems,
and Attention Problem scales of the Child Behavior Checklist and the
Delinquent Behavior, Thought Problems, and Somatic
Complaints scales of the TRF than did boys without chronic tic
disorder. Children with mild tic disorder were more similar to
boys without chronic tic disorder than they were to children with
more severe tic disorder.
         Further info:


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10393074

Characteristics of insomnia in the United States
--One-third of Americans report some type of sleep problem. 1 in 4
reported occasional insomnia while 9% reported that their
sleep difficulty occurred on a regular nightly basis. Insomniacs
rarely visited a physician to discuss their sleep problem and
2/3rds did not have an understanding of available treatments for
insomnia.
         Further info:


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10394606

The first panic attack: a neurobiological theory.
--An important difference between the initial panic attack and


specific phobia is the developmental timing of critical emotional
experience: Those occurring early in development lead to panic;
those occurring later in development lead to specific phobia.
         Further info:


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10389492

Identification of AD/HD subtypes using laboratory-based measures
-- Measures of inattention, impulsivity, and activity level
identified four subgroups of children with ADHD:
Hyperactive-inattentive, Impulsive-inattentive, Inattentive only,
and Hyperactive only. The Hyperactive-inattentive group was
impaired on intellectual functioning and academic achievement. The
impulsive-inattentive group was more aggressive.
         Further info:


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10400062

Epileptic seizures induced by animated cartoon, "Pocket Monster".
-- Last year a large number of children in Japan had fits while
watching the animated cartoon television program "Pocket
Monster." A survey of 75 hospitals where many of the children were
treated determined the following: Most seizures occurred
at a scene in which red and blue frames alternated at 12 Hz. Most
had no prior history of epilepsy. Almost all seizures induced
by the TV program "Pocket Monster" were epileptic, and partial
seizures were induced more frequently than generalized
seizures. The "Pocket Monster"-induced seizures in nearly 1 in 5,000
children watching the show.
         Further info:


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10403226

A new way of building a database of EEG findings.
--A proposed method of storing interpretations and categorizations
of EEG in order to improve accessibility of EEG data for
clinical, normative, educational and scientific use. One positive
aspect of the proposed system is the generation of a database
without additional demands upon the EEG interpreter.
         Further info:


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10400215

Psychopathology & achievement in children at high risk for developing
alcoholism.
--Children who are at high risk for developing alcoholism are also
more likely to develop psychopathology -- particularly,
depression, affective disorder, ADHD, and/or conduct disorder.
Deficits in academic performance (reading and math scores)
may offer an early indication of a developing disorder.
         Further info:


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10405507

Autism: not an extremely rare disorder.
--Has been an increase in its prevalence in recent years? The
prevalence of autism were reviewed in English language papers.
Prevalence rates for studies including some children born before
1970 was under 0.5 in 1000 children, whereas a mean rate of
about 1 in 1000 was found for latter studies. The US studies,
however, reported atypically low rates.
         Further info:


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10408260

Treatment of chronic pain with antiepileptic drugs: a new era.
--Shortcomings of traditional pain relief agents have led physicians
to investigate alternatives such as antiepileptic drugs.


Antiepileptic drugs have been widely studied and prescribed for the
relief of acute and chronic pain. Similarities in the
neurophysiology of pain and epilepsy suggest that antiepileptic
drugs may be a suitable adjunct in the management of chronic
pain.
         Further info:


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10414471

Dependence, parental bonding, and personality disorders in alcoholics
--Alcoholics and non-alcoholics were similar in the parental
perceptions and locus of control. However personality disorders
were prevalent in nearly one-third of all alcoholics, commonly due
to schizoid or dependent personality disorders.
         Further info:


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10414616
------------------------------------------------------------------

        EVENTS AND LOCATIONS
Advanced Training Courses

BETA/SMR Advanced Practicum
    with Sue Othmer
Topics Covered
Evaluating Raw EEGs
Spectral Density
Choosing Inhibit Filters
Coherence Training
New Protocols
Discussion of Difficult Cases
Clinical Strategies/Testing

Alpha-Theta Advanced Practicum
   with Bill Scott
Topics Covered
Guided Imagery
Interpreting Imagery
Working with Addictions
Facilitating Cross-Over
Recognizing Progress
When to bring in BETA/SMR
Alternative Protocols
------------------------------------------------------------------
Encino, California  BETA/SMR Advanced Practicum  9/22/99 Wed
Encino, California Alpha-Theta Advanced Practicum 9/28/99 Tue
New York, New York  BETA/SMR Advanced Practicum  10/12/99 Tue
Austin, Texas 	   Alpha-Theta Advanced Practicum 11/23/99 Tue
------------------------------------------------------------------
Beta-SMR Advanced Practicum Limit = 20
Alpha-Theta Advanced Practicum Limit = 15
    DATES*COSTS*LOCATIONS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

PREREQUISITES FOR EITHER PRACTICUM:
Completion of 1 EEG Spectrum Biofeedback Training Course for
Professionals
EEG Biofeedback experience using NeuroCybernetics Instrumentation

---------------------------------------------------------------------
            Conferences for Neurofeedback Clinicians & Researchers

       CONFERENCE    LOCATION                 DATES
       SNR 1999    Myrtle Beach, SC          Sep 30-Oct 3, 1999
    Futurehealth   Palm Springs [again! :(]  Feb 4-8th, 2000
---------------------------------------------------------------------

New Neurofeedback Clinicians / New Offices

---------------------------------------------------------------------
            LAST WORD
No rants this month

============================end========================

   B.J. Wheeler, Ph.D.
   Licensed Psychologist
   3900 Prescott Ave.
   Lincoln NE 68506
   Phone and Fax: (402)488-6112
   BJW3900@...

   Earlene Strayhorn, MD
   1022 S. Oak Park Ave
   Oak Park, IL 60304
   (708) 750-4360
   stanwest@...

   Gary J. Schummer, M.Div., Ph.D.
   1750 E Ocean Blvd Unit 608
   Long Beach CA 90802
   562 378-0547 x1

   Margaret Wright, M.S., MFT
   1417 Manhattan Beach Blvd #A
   Manhattan Beach CA 90266
   310-545-6610



   Carol Hindman, BCIAC
   Center for Wellness
   420 Brookside Avenue
   Redlands CA 92373-4610
   909 792-2216
   cbhindman@...

   Patricia Wenz, M.A.
   Neurofeedback of Florida, Inc.
   690 Friday Rd
   Cocoa FL 32926-3317
   (407) 639-6051
   wenz@...

   Alexander Adam Eschbach, PhD
   Advanced Biofeedback Center
   1800 McDonough Rd Ste 203
   Hoffman Estates IL 60192
   847-488-0888
   DocEsch@...

   Ross Halpern, Ph.D.
   Eve Avrin
   1405 Geneva Rd
   Ann Arbor, MI 48103
   (734) 712-2552
   rosshalpern@...


    Daniel Kuhn, M.D.
    The Kuhn Center
    30 West 63rd St. #26-0
    New York NY 10023-7103
    212-315-1755
    dankuhn@...

    East Doncaster
    Jacques Duff (Director)
    Behavioural Neuotherapy Clinic
    82 Blackburn Road
    East Doncaster
    3109 Victoria Australia
    613 98420 370
    info@...

    Lisa Tataryn
    #1 Lagrave St
    Winnepeg Manitoba R3V 1J1
    Canada
    204 269-3931

    Naomi Palmor, Ph.D., C.C.C.
    OR Sharga 17/2
    Ramot Dalet Jerusalem
    Israel
    011-972-2-587-3242
    eegbio@... (new address)

    Nick Fenger, Ph.D.
    34 Meadowbrook Country Club
    E Ballwin MO 63011-1693 US
    (314) 481-9121
    TNFenger@...
    (new address/phone/email)

    Beverley Steffert
    14 Peer Road
    St.Neot's Cambridgeshire  PE193JR UK
    01144 1480 350 823
    DrSTEFFERT@... (new email)
======== end ======================

What's New in Neurofeedback
                A Monthly Summary of News and Events
                    Vol. 2 No. 7 - July 1999

       This newsletter is sponsored by EEG Spectrum, Inc.,
a leader in providing clinical service and training professionals.
   Past issues are available at www.eegspectrum.com/newsletter/
Opinions related in this newsletter reflect those of the author only.
    Copyright (C) 1999 by EEG Spectrum, Inc. All rights reserved.

------------------------------------------------------------------
Announcements      - Media story
In the Spotlight   - Upon a peak in Darien
News & Reviews     - Books, journal papers, of interest
Events & Locations - Conferences, Courses; New clinicians/offices
Last Word          - Information wants to be free
------------------------------------------------------------------
                  ANNOUNCEMENTS

Cleveland News Channel 5 ran a story called Neurofeedback, New Method
For ADHD - http://www.wews.com/yourhealth/yourhealth-990602-122536.html

------------------------------------------------------------------
                 IN THE SPOTLIGHT

               Upon a peak in Darien
                  by David Kaiser

TWO IMPORTANT and related papers were recently published by Richard
Davidson's lab (Laboratory of Affective Disorders at U Wisconsin):
Relations between PET-derived  measures of thalamic
glucose metabolism and EEG alpha power; and Thalamic metabolic rate
predicts EEG alpha power in healthy control subjects but not in
depressed patients. Davidson has spent the last 25
years investigating brain mechanisms and processes responsible for the
generation and regulation of affective and motivational states.
His lab uses quantitative electrophysiology (QEEG), positron
emission tomography (PET) and functional magnetic resonance imaging
(fMRI) with normal and clinical populations. Early work found
an association between positive and negative emotions and
asymmetric activation in the frontal lobes, usually measured by QEEG.
Their recent work examined the mechanism which is responsible
for alpha activity in the human QEEG.

I had hoped to describe and discuss both papers, but UCLA's Biomed
library, using bureaucratic logic, no longer subscribes to
Biological Psychiatry, a major journal and one in which the second of
these two papers was published (See Last Word below
for a rant on this development). So my discussion of their 2nd paper,
published this April, is solely gleaned from the abstract.

"Relations between PET-derived measures of thalamic glucose metabolism
and EEG alpha power" (Psychophysiology, 35, 162-169) provides
the first direct evidence of what we in the EEG field
always presumed was true, that alpha activity present
at scalp recordings reflects thalamic activity. Since the 1940s,
the thalamus has been thought to modulate cortical alpha
rhythms. A substantial body of data from animal work supports
this idea. Evidence from decorticate cats indicated that
rhythmic oscillations in the 8-12 Hz range occurred in the
thalamus and were present independent of cortical connections.

Thalamocortical coherences are typically higher than corticocortial
coherences, again suggesting that the thalamus is greatly
involved in the generation of the middle frequency range. In the
mid-1980s, Steriade proposed that the nucleus
reticularis, a sheath of cells around the thalamus which projects to
nearly all thalamic nuclei, is the true pacemaker. Thalamic
cells have intrinsic firing rates, but it is this enveloping sheath
which synchronizes firing rates into 8-12 Hz bursts.

For the better part the mystery was solved -- at least in animals. But
speciation rears its head and asks, what about humans? Is the
mechanism responsible for alpha activity in animals the same in
humans? Given that most Human Subject Protection Committees frown
on decortication or other invasive techniques, we must turn to
neuroimaging and less direct measurements.

Neuronal activity requires energy, and this energy is primarily found in

the brain in the form of glucose. Measuring glucose metabolism
provides a good estimate of overall synaptic traffic (cf. Roland, 1993;
Astrup et al, 1981). Astrup et al (1981), for instance,
anesthesitized dogs to the point of no detectable electrical activity
and reported 30% less glucose consumption during this state. Further
blocking of energy-consumptive neuronal processes dropped glucose
consumption down to 35% of baseline. (Any further study of reduction
would kill the animal.) Because glucose molecules are
very difficult to detect inside a darkened skull, the technique pivots
around adding a few radioactive molecules to the mix.
(Whereas QEEG is founded on electromagnetism, PET's success lies with
the weak nuclear force. Can the use of gravitons in
neuroimaging be far behind?) A sugar solution, with a few unstable
isotopes scattered here and there, is injected into a
suspecting subject. Radioactive decay of the isotopes produces positrons
at predictable rates. These emissions are monitored
with a sophisticated geiger-counter, of sorts, which generate
near-3-dimensional images. If you've ever played the game Black
Box (http://www.rad.kumc.edu/share/win31/games/misc/LASER.ZIP), in which
you identify the configuration of marbles in a grid from
reflected beams, you understand the basic principles behind
tomography. (Obviously I'm simplifying -- though trying
not to be too simple. MRI is the closer analog to the game, as
the beams are generated within the grid in PET and outside the
grid in MRI, like the game)

A fair amount of time must pass to accrue and accurately count the
products of radioactive decay from any one location. As
Larson states, "... the temporal resolution of PET is vastly inferior to
that of EEG". In this study radioactivity was collected for
30 minutes. Accordingly, EEG activity was recorded for 30 minutes,
averaged for five sets of eyes closed and eyes open
periods, interlaced across the 30 minutes. EEG data was acquired from 28
sites -- the standard 19 sites, minus O1 and O2, plus FT3 (halfway
between F3 and T3), FT4, FT7, FT8, CP3, CP4, CP5, CP6, PO3, PO4,
and FPZ. (I guess they too realized how rarely occipital activity

correlates with cognitive function.) Of interest to those who haven't
practice in PET arts (which includes myself), the important PET measure
was a single pixel in the right thalamus. This pixel represented the entire
thalamus, which was partly justified as it was generated with a Gaussian
filter so that neighboring pixels greatly influenced it,
essentially making it a spatial average. The global output of the PET
was also analyzed. Two groups of subjects were used in
this study, depressed patients and controls.

Multiple correlations of pixel intensity and log alpha power were
calculated. They found no significant differences between the
two groups -- at least for this approach -- so they combined them. The
correlation between thalamic metabolic activity and alpha activity
was rho = -.59 in the eyes open condition and r=-.52
during eyes closed. Alpha activity was also analyzed for
low (8-10 Hz) and high (10-13 Hz) bands, and left and right hemisphere,
without any new results. Overall, 65% to 75% of variance still remains
unaccounted for, but given the limitation and  error inherent in
current technologies, these correlations are very convincing.

These finding suggest a relatively tight coupling between thalamic
activity and scalp EEG recordings in the alpha range. Whether
the thalamus is solely responsible for the alpha amplitudes is not
entirely certain; but it is clear that its involvement is great. Paul
Nunez argues against the thalamo-dominant thesis -- instead, according
to his argument, thalamic rhythms become "coincident
with neortical rhythms". This, the neocortical modulation hypothesis,
argues that the larger neocortical responses generates the
thalamus's marching orders, synchronizing the thalamic neurons, with

great frequency plasticity, with their more evolved,
bullying, upstairs neighbors. This has yet to be determined, and will
require an even more elegant and clever design.

One limitation of the described approach (from the 1st paper) was lack
of isolation of the thalamus. The location of the thalamus was
obtained indirectly, by using atlas-based coordinates over the
entire PET output. The second paper corrected this, using structural
MRI to isolate the thalamus, to thus better measure its activity. (For
instance, no spatial filtering was needed with this method.) In the
latter paper, the  expected robust correlations between metabolic
activity in the thalamus and alpha activity on the scalp were observed in
normal subjects, but these correlations were missing in depressed
patients. Something was amiss in these poor fellows' brains.
Lindgren et al argued, according to the abstact, for a
"possible abnormality in thalamocortical circuitry associated with
depression". What a great finding! And so relevant to neurofeedback!

If the thalamocortical circuitry is broke, let's find a way to fix it,
retrain it. Let's see how well those correlations can be used to
identify depression, classify its subtypes. Will these correlates appear
in other mood disorders, anxiety, OCD? And still more --
can we use these correlations to measure treatment response?

Effectiveness and efficacy of neurofeedback, Prozac, etc.?
I'm reminded of the English poet John Keats, who upon reading a recent
translation of Homer, felt that an entirely new world
had been lain at his feet. He quickly put pen to paper to capture his
heart-felt response -- of discovery, both virginal and vast.
Like an astronomer who discovers a new planet in his telescope, or
better yet, like "stout Cortez" when first set eyes on the
Western shores of our largest and deepest body of water, the Pacific,
the first white man to do so. Keats was thunderstruck by
what he read. (Granted, Keats was no historian as Balboa was the one who
first saw the Pacific through European eyes. But such is the poetic mind,
able to reveal indescribable emotion with conveniently imprecise
details. Cortez -- just the sound of it is sturdy and stout,
unlike "Balboa", whose name illicits corpulence more than strength.)

Unlike Keats, I was not struck silent by this discovery, nor was the
impact so life-altering for me as it was for Keats (this poem
ignited his career), but I did walk into Siegfried Othmer's office the
morning after I read the abstract and said that if he hadn't
checked his email from the previous night (where a copy of the abstract
awaited him), he was unaware that the scientific landscape had
been recast. At least in terms of neuropsychiatry. An apparatus
was now in place, powered by neuroimaging, ready to catch the
future of neuropsychiatry and funnel it towards the obvious
conclusion, neurofeedback.
------------------------------------------------------------------

Related Reading:

Thalamic metabolic rate predicts EEG alpha power in healthy control
subjects but not in depressed patients. -
      http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?uid=10386175form=6

Relations between PET-derived measures of thalamic glucose metabolism
and EEG alpha power. -

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?uid=9529942form=6

Thalamocortical oscillations in the sleeping and aroused brain. a review
by Steriade, McCormick, & Sejnowski -

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?uid=8235588form=6

Brain Activation by Pere E. Roland -

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0471184411/top100

The Poetical Works of John Keats -

http://www.columbia.edu/acis/bartleby/keats/
------------------------------------------------------
       On first looking into Chapman's Homer.

      Much have I travell'd in the realms of gold,
      And many goodly states and kingdoms seen;
       Round many western islands have I been
        Which bards in fealty to Apollo hold.
        Oft of one wide expanse had I been told
     That deep-brow'd Homer ruled as his demesne;
        Yet did I never breathe its pure serene
     Till I heard Chapman speak out loud and bold:
       Then felt I like some watcher of the skies
        When a new planet swims into his ken;
       Or like stout Cortez when with eagle eyes
        He star'd at the Pacific--and all his men
       Look'd at each other with a wild surmise--
         Silent, upon a peak in Darien.

------------------------------------------------------------------

           NEWS AND REVIEWS

*** NEW BOOKS ***

Understanding, Diagnosing, and Treating Ad/Hd in Children and
Adolescents : An Integrative Approach  by James A. Incorvaia (Ed)
----An integrative approach to treating ADHD, with multiple chapters on the
efficacy of neurofeedback on ADHD. Dennis Cantwell provides a 10-year
review on ADHD, Greenberg describes the use of TOVA, Kinsbourne a subtype of
ADHD, Daniel Amen on Spect imaging of ADHD, and the Othmers and myself, and
Thomas Brod in a separate chapter, discuss EEG biofeedback.
     http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0765701847/top100
           ---------------

Interventions for ADHD: Treatment in Developmental Context
   by Phyllis Anne Teeter
---Examines ADHD from a developmental perspective. Shows how ADHD affects
individuals at different points in the lifespan. The author, a Professor of
Educational Psychology at the University of Wisconsin, helps clinicians
recognize the major developmental milestones, issues, and challenges for
clients with ADHD, evaluating intervention strategies and techniques for
aiding preschoolers, school-age children, adolescents, and   adults.
      http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1572303840/top100
           ---------------

Brain Function and Oscillations: Integrative Brain Function
   by E. Basar
---The functional importance of the brain's multiple oscillations is treated
with an integrative scope. Electrophysiology of human and animal
brains, including ganglia of invertebrates. Experiments on sensory
registration, perception, movement, and cognitive processes related
to attention, learning, and memory are described.
      http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/3540643451/top100
           ---------------

Strong Feelings: Emotion, Addiction, and Human Behavior
    by Jon Elster
---The author argues how cognition, choice, and rationality are
undermined by the physical processes that underlie strong emotions and
cravings. Although emotion and addiction involve visceral motivation, they
are also closely linked to cognition and culture.
       http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0262050560/top100
           ------------------------------
*** JOURNAL PAPERS ***

Hypofrontality in ADHD during higher-order motor control: an fMRI study.
--ADHD is associated with subnormal activation of the prefrontal systems
responsible for higher-order motor control.Functional MRI is a feasible
technique for investigation of neural correlates of ADHD.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10360128

Anterior cingulate cortex dysfunction in ADHD
--The Counting Stroop produced anterior cingulate activation in healthy
adults, but not in ADHD individuals. ADHD subjects did activate a
frontostriatal-insular network, as expected. The data support a
hypothesized dysfunction of the Anterior cingulate
cognitive division in ADHD.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10376114

EEG correlates of methylphenidate response among children with ADHD
--Children who exhibit a positive response to methylphenidate for ADHD

had reductions of theta and alpha activity as well as increased beta in the
frontal regions, while nonresponders showed the  opposite pattern.
Significant correlations between
improvement on a vigilance task and changes in beta activity in the
frontal electrodes emerged as well. the authors conclude that
there are different electrophysiologic correlates to methylphenidate
among ADHD children who are medication responders and nonresponders.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10376129

Intellectual and neuropsychological features of patients with
psychogenic pseudoseizures.
--Studies have suggested that patients with psychogenic pseudoseizures
may also have impaired neuropsychological function. A high incidence of
impaired performance on the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery was
found. The authors postulate
that head trauma might be responsible for neuropsychological impairment
in an appreciable number of the patients in this sample.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10359484

PTSD symptoms in children following traumatic brain injury.
--Examined posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms in children following
pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI). Parents of
children with severe TBI reported higher levels of child PTS symptoms
than did parents of children with moderate TBI or OI at
the 6- and 12-month follow-ups.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10353082

Transcranial magnetic stimulation for the treatment of depression.
--Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) did not differ
from sham treatment in treating depression (controlled randomized design,
18 subjects).

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10360138

Sources of abnormal EEG activity in the presence of brain lesions.
--Results from a group of 13 patients with cortical space-occupying
lesions provided strong support to the hypothesis that both
delta and theta abnormal EEG activities are the counterparts of two
different pathophysiological processes.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10358783

Symptom-based predictors of a 10-year course of treated depression.
--Potential symptom-based risk factors were used to predict a chronic
course of treated depression over a 10-year interval.
Chronically depressed patient typically exhibit more severe symptoms of
fatigue, loss of interest in usual activities, trouble
sleeping, and thoughts about death or suicide; are not calm, successful,
nor self-confident; and do not socialize with friends
outside the home, and frequently coped with stressors by avoiding other
people. The more risk factors exhibited, the more likely one
would experience a chronic course. High-risk patients who
received more psychological treatment, however, often
underwent full or partial remission.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10379723">

Validation of a right hemisphere vigilance system with QEEG
--QEEG during CPT task indicates the existence of a neurophysiological
system located within the right temporal region that appears essential for

the maintenance of a sustained attentional state. This neurocognitive
system may prove useful as part of a clinical diagnostic workup.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10380946

------------------------------------------------------------------

        EVENTS AND LOCATIONS

Advanced Training Courses

BETA/SMR Advanced Practicum
    with Sue Othmer
Topics Covered
Evaluating Raw EEGs
Spectral Density
Choosing Inhibit Filters
Coherence Training
New Protocols
Discussion of Difficult Cases
Clinical Strategies/Testing

Alpha-Theta Advanced Practicum
   with Bill Scott
Topics Covered
Guided Imagery
Interpreting Imagery
Working with Addictions
Facilitating Cross-Over
Recognizing Progress
When to bring in BETA/SMR
Alternative Protocols
------------------------------------------------------------------
Encino, California  BETA/SMR Advanced Practicum  9/22/99 Wed
Encino, California Alpha-Theta Advanced Practicum 9/28/99 Tue
New York, New York  BETA/SMR Advanced Practicum  10/12/99 Tue
Austin, Texas 	   Alpha-Theta Advanced Practicum 11/23/99 Tue
------------------------------------------------------------------
Beta-SMR Advanced Practicum Limit = 20
Alpha-Theta Advanced Practicum Limit = 15
    DATES*COSTS*LOCATIONS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

PREREQUISITES FOR EITHER PRACTICUM:
Completion of 1 EEG Spectrum Biofeedback Training Course for
Professionals
EEG Biofeedback experience using NeuroCybernetics Instrumentation

---------------------------------------------------------------------
            Conferences for Neurofeedback Clinicians & Researchers

       CONFERENCE    LOCATION                 DATES
       SNR 1999    Myrtle Beach, SC     Sep 30-Oct 3, 1999
---------------------------------------------------------------------

New Neurofeedback Clinicians / New Offices

   Laurence Starr, Ed.D.
   21 Mechanic St.
   Camden, ME 04843
   (207) 236-2893; Fax -0654
   lstarr@...

   A.D.D. Treatment Center
   Gary J. Schummer, M.Div., Ph.D.
   24050 Madison St., Suite 111
   Torrance, CA 90505
   (310) 378-0547; Fax-0347
   ADDCenters@...

   Daniel Parker, D.C.
   Duc Ngoc Tran, D.O.
   Cooperative Care Medical Group
   27062 La Paz Rd.
   Aliso Viejo, CA 92656
   (949) 362-9230

   Ron Bruder
   43 W. Washington
   Newnan, GA 30263
   (404) 765-7454
   rbruder@...

Earlene Strayhorn,M.D.
1022 S. Oak Park Ave
Oak Park, IL 60304
(708) 750-4360
stanwest@...

Andrea J. Sime, LMSW
Lincoln Beh. Healt Clinic
1919 S 40th St, Suite 212
lincoln, NC 68506-5243
(402) 441-9280
asime@...

Dr. Shandor Weiss
Arura Clinic
233 4th St
Ashland, OR 97520-2043
(541) 488-1198

J.D. Elder, M.S., P.T.
1598 W Brook View Lane
St. George, UT 84770
(435)-673-7081
elder@...

---------------------------------------------------------------------
            LAST WORD

    Information wants to be free
     by David A. Kaiser

Ever take a family pet to the vet? Be it teeth cleaning, jaw
reconstruction, or reproductive snipping, whatever the catastrophe,
something always astounds me about the vet. I've taken cats with
lymphoma, immune disorders, and acronyms I now forget

across town. Most recovered after the trip, a few did not. When my
largest cat decided to spend two or three of his nine lives
awhile back, having contracting "fever of unknown origin", the
overnight stay in the animal hospital cost 180 dollars. $180 for
room and board and a healthy dose of poking and prodding and drugs.
Had these procedures been performed on a human in a hospital,
which I wouldn't recommend, the bill would have staggered us.
But because a veternarian carried out the procedure, it
cost a (relative) pittance.

A few years ago my father shelled out $600 to treat Stevie. It was
a fortune, he still reminds us to this day, but it was also the
last pet still with us from our childhood. And you should have
seen what the vet had to work with. We gave the vet a 12-year-old cat
unable to climb stairs, too feeble to eat, full-body shivers,
and the weakest purr you ever heard. A week or so later, we got
back five more years -- happy, healthy, purring like a motorboat,
years. 33 cents a day, when you figure it out. Money well spent.

You can't charge more than the animal is worth, they say. Charge too
much and Fluffy becomes a permanent guest. ($600 came very, very
close to that limit.)

But this adage is not really true for this profession. Given the
importance of the family pet to the mental and emotional health of
the children underfoot, a vet could easily charge 10 or 15 times more,
knowing full well that Mother will make Father pay it in full.
But this hasn't yet happened.

We've all paid extortionate prices for an item or two in our lives,
and more and more companies and institutions are realizing
how much blood can come from stone, but I'm happy to find certain

professionals bringing up the rear on this business practice.
But now we've reach my primary concern. Academic publishing. It may not
be grand marshal of this parade, the Blood-out-of-Stone Extravaganza,
but it also isn't the local junior high school band bringing up the rear.

Last week I spent four hours in the biomedical library, searching in
vain for a handful of recently published papers; only to learn
that UCLA, home of the Brain Research Institute, no longer subscribed
to a good third of the journals I required. And these were mainstream
scientific journals. What particularly irked me was the absence of
recent volumes of Biological Psychiatry, one of the few journals
I have come back to again and again. Why had the bureaucrats at
UCLA decided against subscribing to such a useful journal?
That was my question/my quest.

A brief foray into cyburbia revealed the answer... $ 1525.00...the
cost for one-years subscription.

Surely by accident the decimal point migrated one place eastward
for the summer, don't you think? I could understand 150
dollars for a year of thick (and not so thick) journals, but 12
or 24 issues for the price of a big-screen TV? Never! For their
fortune UCLA would acquire about 2000 pages of text and a score of
color figures, all in softcover. For the same amount, a dozen or
so textbooks could be purchased, hard bound, glossy pages,
6000 pages or more. (Or better yet, 146 paperback editions of

"The Fermata", a sexy story of time stoppage, 35,000 pages,
very interesting and highly-readable pages.)

Is Biological Psychiatry worth each year a large-screen TV? Can the
publisher justify the prices they charge libraries? "Well, given the
limited run, the importance of the work, the newly invented
color-laminating-dye process, blah blah blah" The real question to
ask is should the dissemination of scientific knowledge be so hindered.

A quick search of the publisher's website revealed the prices:

       Journal                     Per Year   Per issue
---------------------------------------------------------------------
    Aggression and Violent Behavior  $  318  $  80
    Behavioural Brain Research       $ 3197  $ 159
    Biological Psychiatry            $ 1525  $  64
    Drug and Alcohol Dependence      $ 1138  $  95
    Journal of Affective Disorders   $ 1726  $ 115
    Journal of Neuroscience Methods  $ 2878  $ 159
    Journal of Psychiatric Research  $  699  $ 117
    Neuropsychologia                 $ 1919  $ 148
    Neuroscience                     $ 5365  $ 192
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Compared to other journals, at $64 every two weeks, Biological
Psychiatry was a bargain....

The same website boasts a "Neuroscience Package" with great savings for
librarians -- 9 journals for only $18,985.00. Get serious.
Mortgages are lower! Hire a thousand typing monkeys and stand back.
Granted, these are all "institution prices" and an individual can
typically subscribe for 10% of the price, but charging an institution
a 900% markup over private subscriptions hurts everyone (except
the publisher, of course). This publisher is not alone in setting
skyhigh prices for academic journals. Nowadays most academic periodicals
cost the same as the thicker and better produced textbooks, often sold
by the same publisher. There must be a better way.

And of course there is. The Internet; the Web. I realized the power
of web publishing last year when articles I had written
solely for online readers were cited five times in recent printed
journals. (All that and no fickle peer-review.... hmmmm.)

My favorite journal, Behavioral & Brain Sciences (BBS), has a
preprint archive online -

http://www.cogsci.soton.ac.uk/bbs/Archive/. The archive
actually generates content for the printed journal by
attracting commentaries that are only published in the paper
version. Tonight I discovered Paul Nunez's most recent paper on
EEG in this archive, a paper not to be printed in ink for another year.
Online publishing is gaining ground on printing house, due to its many
advantages, speed just being one of them. Another is searchability.
Try searching for any article published before 1964. A third is easy
re-distribution. A fourth is easy modification -- or is that a disadvantage.
A fifth is the nature of thought, which is rarely serial and better
served by hypertext than constant authorial dictation. Online can also
be a dumping ground, for good and evil, of animations,
sounds, and other supplementary information that clarifies or supports
one's published work.


Like BBS, the Journal of Neurotherapy follows a similar tack, placing
entire issues online one year after publication. Other journals
provide full text articles online to print subscribers or
charge a cheaper rate than print subscriptions for their viewing.
...Merely fingers in the dike.

Physicists are breaking free from brick-and-mortar publishing houses
altogether. arXiv.org e-Print archive at http://xxx.lanl.gov/
distributes full text preprints of articles in every conceivable (and
inconceivable) field of physics. This has been going on since
1991. Physicists have also created entire peer-reviewed e-journals
without ink-and-paper counterparts. Molecular biologists
have also read the handwriting on the monitor and followed suit. For
example, check out Molecular Vision, a new e-journal, which,
like the tree-based mediums, has its contents indexed in Medline,
PubMed, Index Medicus, Science Citation Index, Current Contents, etc.
And most importantly, access to this journal is entirely free of charge.

Which coincidentally happens to be the price of this newsletter.

Because information wants to be free.

============================end========================


------------------------------------------------------------------------

eGroups.com home: http://www.egroups.com/group/wnin
http://www.egroups.com - Simplifying group communications

What's New in Neurofeedback
                A Monthly Summary of News and Events
                    Vol. 2 No. 6 - June 1999

       This newsletter is sponsored by EEG Spectrum, Inc.,
a leader in providing clinical service and training professionals.
   Past issues are available at www.eegspectrum.com/newsletter/
Opinions related in this newsletter reflect those of the author only.
    Copyright (C) 1999 by EEG Spectrum, Inc. All rights reserved.

------------------------------------------------------
Announcements  - Mother's letter; A-T mechanisms
In the Spotlight   - "Attention and Neurofeedback" (Dissertation highlights)
News & Reviews - Books, journal papers, of interest
Events & Locations - Conferences, Courses; New clinicians / offices
Last Word - Return to the Spectrum Theory of Mental Disorders
------------------------------------------------------
                         Announcements

Letter to Psychiatric Care Appeals Dept: Mother's plea for son
     - http://www.eegspectrum.com/letters/plea.htm

Alpha-Theta Mechanisms In Therapy
    - http://www.eegspectrum.com/articles/atmech.htm

Austin Monthly has a feature article, Getting Hooked Up
    - http://www.austinmonthly.com/Feature/feature.htm
------------------------------------------------------
                      In the Spotlight

                 Attention and Neurofeedback
             (Aufmerksamkeit und Neurofeedback)
                  by Thomas Fuchs, Ph.D.

      English Abstract of German Dissertation

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is the most common
psychiatric disorder in childhood, with a minimum 3 % of children
affected. Only 25 % of these children outgrow the symptoms connected
with this disorder.
      In Part 1 of this work, an overview is given to the mass of
theoretical findings about this disorder including: history,
primary symptoms, subtypes and associated problems, differential
diagnosis, epidemiology, developmental course and adult
outcome, etiologies and treatment.
      Part 2 describes a study relying on studies and work of Lubar
(1995) and Sterman (1996) who demonstrated that
patients can alter their brainwaves and improve their
self-regulation skills. Patients with
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
can learn to suppress their cortical Theta activity and enhance
their sensorimotor rhythm- (12-15 Hz) or Beta activity (15-18
Hz) in EEG. What follows is better attention and less hyperactivity
and impulsivity in the behavior of the affected children.
      In total, 22 children, primarily diagnosed with AD(H)D,
according to DSM-IV, in a social-pediatric hospital, ranging
from 8 to 12 years in age, were assigned to the following
experimental condition, consisting of 30 45-minutes sessions of
EEG-Biofeedback to enhance the SMR and/or Beta activity and
suppressing Theta activity in EEG, spaced over 10 weeks.
No other psychological treatment or medication was administered to
any subjects. In pre- and post-treatment the same
testbattery was carried out, consisting of a HAWIK-R (intelligence),
T.O.V.A. (continous performance test), d2 (paper-pencil-test)

and 3 IOWA Conners Behavior Rating Scales (parents and teacher).
      This experimental group was compared to a control group
consisting of 11 children well matched in age and sex,
medicated with methylphenidate (Ritalin), the most common and most
successfull treatment for children with this disorder. The
same test battery was carried out in pre- and post-treatment.
      The results are complex but showed comparable results and
success in both treatment-groups. The children in both
conditions showed significant better attention and concentration
abilities in the objective (d2 and T.O.V.A) and subjective
(Conners Scales) measurements. The intelligence, especially the
performance score, improved significantly in both groups.
      This study is the first of this type in Germany and replicates
findings described in the USA (Lubar et al., 1995; Linden et
al. 1996; Rossiter & LaVaque, 1995) with improved methodology.
      Follow-ups, further improved methodology and replications are
necessary to bring further the neurofeedback training for
ADHD in Europe.

Pre/Post Differences in ADHD for two treatment modalities

     Measure         Biofeedback          Ritalin
-----------------------------------------------------
TOVA (std score)
Inattentiveness        +14                +12
Impulsivity            +22                +21
Response time          +12.6              +32 *
Variability            +32                +18

Attentional load
operating speed (%)    +17                +16
errors (%)             -14                -12
speed/errors (%)       +19                +13
range (%)             -1.5                 +6

Connor's Behavioral Ratings
(mothers)              -4                -5
(fathers)              -3                -2.5

Total IQ               +4                +2.5
Performance IQ         +5                +6
Verbal IQ              +2                -0.5
-----------------------------------------------------
* Significant interaction between groups (p<.01)

For those who can read German, the entire dissertation in its native

tongue can be found at http://www.eegspectrum.com/german/fuchs.htm
=============================================
                   News & Reviews
NEW BOOKS

Introduction to Quantitative EEG and Neurofeedback
by James Evans and Andrew Abarbanel (Eds)
      Neurofeedback techniques are used as treatment for a
variety of psychological disorders including
attention deficit disorder, dissociative identity disorder,
depression, drug and alcohol abuse, and brain injury.
Resources for understanding what the technique is, how it is
used, and to what disorders and patients it can be
applied are scarce. This book provides an introduction to
neurofeedback/neurotherapy techniques. More
importantly, it brings together in a single volume the wide
range of role QEEG plays in neurofeedback.
Example chapters: "EEG Database-Guided Neurotherapy" ,
"Neurofeedback Assessment and Treatment for AD/HD" ,
"Neurotherapy in the Treatment of Addictive Disorders",
"EEG Biofeedback: An Emerging Model for its Global Efficiency",
"The Neural Underpinnings of Neurofeedback Training" ,

"Ethical, Legal and Professional Pitfalls Associated
with Neurofeedback Services."
-http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/012243790X/top100
                          -   -   -

Ritalin Is Not the Answer: A Drug-Free, Practical Program for
Children Diagnosed With ADD or ADHD
by David B. Stein, Peter R. Breggin
      "Between a quarter to one-third of all school-aged
children in the USA today are diagnosed as suffering
from something called Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or
Attention Deficit with Hyperactivity Disorder
(ADHD), a diagnostic category that didn't even exist twenty
years ago. But the shocker is that approximately
two million of these children are being coerced by teachers,
administrators and doctors into taking Ritalin or a
similar type of mood-altering medication." - Book description
-http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0787945145/top100
                        -   -   -

Of Two Minds: The Revolutionary Science of Dual-Brain Psychology
by Fredric Schiffer
     Years ago Joseph Bogen MD predicted that each hemisphere
of the brain housed its own mind. This book furthers
this hypothesis, arguing that each side has its
own distinct personality. Mental illness occurs when
the two hemispheres and their respective minds are out of
balance and poorly interact. Schiffer's theory stems
from his observations of patients appear to be dominated by
different personalities at different times --
sometimes by mature, reasonable, self-confident personalities,
other times by insecure, anxious, more primitive
personalities.
-http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0684854244/top100
                        -   -   -
States of Mind: New Discoveries about how Our Brains Make Us Who We Are
by Roberta Conlon, Jerome Kagan
     Public lectures of eight prominent scientist writers on the
state of the art of the mind in 1997, emphasizing
the practical aspects, especially how emotions and stress
affect the brain. "What can science tell us about
ourselves?"
-http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0471299634/top100

------------------------------------------------------

JOURNAL PAPERS

Experts spot anti-social behavior by age 3
--"We're talking about serious, aggressive behavior. "We want to look
not only at what contributes to anti-social behavior, but
also what goes on to contribute to pro-social behavior," said Dr.
Renee Jenkins, head of pediatrics at Howard University
Hospital in Washington and organizer of the meeting. "There are many
complex ingredients, but early aggression before age 5 is
the strongest predictor of anti-social behavior later on," said
Stephen Hinshaw, a psychologist at the University of
California-Berkeley. "If the parents aren't on board, if we can't fix
parenting skills, then the interventions aren't likely to take."
-Further info:

http://www2.nando.net:80/noframes/story/0,2107,53361-85537-603865-0,00.html

Child rearing by prescription is becoming pervasive
--The Littleton, Colo., school-shooting tragedy has highlighted the
widespread use of powerful prescription drugs to treat what
are diagnosed as emotional and behavioral problems in adolescents -

the great majority of them boys. Critics charge that some
of these substances have not been adequately tested on young people,
and federal agencies warn of possible adverse side
effects. Some experts say such heavy reliance on drugs is an easy and
relatively cheap cop-out favored by disengaged parents
and insurance companies who'd rather have kids pop a pill than deal
with root causes through counseling and the family.
-Further info: http://www.csmonitor.com:80/durable/1999/05/19/p1s2.htm

Frontal lobe performance of ADHD adults
--Abnormal scores on a series of frontal lobe-executive functioning
tests were good predictors of ADHD. However, normal
scores poorly predicted the absence of ADHD except when the overall
battery was combined into a single index. This findings
was consistent with conceptualizations of ADHD depicting mild
neurologic dysfunction in frontal lobes.
Further info:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10217922

Differences In Brain Size Found In Hyperactive Children
--Hyperactive children appear to have less grey matter in the right
frontal lobe as well as less white matter -- the neuronal
connections between cells in both the right and left frontal lobes.
-     Further info: http://www.pslgroup.com:80/dg/f942e.htm

Repeated Exposure To Cocaine Alters Brain Structure
--Cocaine can produce long-lasting changes in the structure of nerve
cells in certain areas of the brain, according to new data
presented at the Fifth Annual Wisconsin Symposium on Emotion.
"Repeated exposure to cocaine results in persisting brain
changes that we believe contribute to addiction and the risk of
relapse." Drug-induced changes (abnormally elongated and
densely packed dendrites) were localized in the nucleus accumbens and
the prefrontal cortex, regions of the brain associated
with reward, learning and memory,
-   Further info:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/04/990427045818.htm


Multitasking Behaviors Mapped To The Prefrontal Cortex
--Investigators have mapped a region of the brain responsible for
"branching", a multitasking behavior unique to humans.
Branching is the ability to perform several separate tasks
consecutively while keeping the goals of each task in mind. "The
results of this study suggest that the anterior prefrontal cortex, the
area of the brain that is most developed in humans, mediates
the ability to depart temporarily from a main task in order to explore
alternative tasks before returning to the main task at the
departed point," says Jordan Grafman, Ph.D., a co-author of the study.
- Further info:

http://www.sciencedaily.com:80/releases/1999/05/990514071539.htm

Brain Changes Seen In People With Depression
--Neurons and glial cells in the prefrontal cortex are abnormal in the
brains of people who suffered from clinical depression and
most of whom committed suicide. The glial cells were fewer in number
and the neurons were smaller than normal and lower in
density. This topographic region is responsible for higher
intellectual functions and regulation of emotional and motivational
behavior.

-   Further info:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/05/990505071039.htm

Adolescent Depression Often Continues To Adulthood
--Compared to the control subjects, those who were depressed as
adolescents had a 5-fold increased risk for a first suicide
attempt in the 10-15 year follow-up period and a 14-fold increased
risk over their lifetime.
-     Further info: http://www.pslgroup.com:80/dg/fd07e.htm

Regional brain function, emotion and disorders of emotion.
--Davidson's research on the neural substrates of emotion and its
disorders. Particular emphasis has been placed on the
prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate, parietal cortex, and the
amygdala as critical components of the circuitry that may be
dysfunctional in both depression and anxiety.
-Further info:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10322186

Electromagnetic Stimulation Shows Promise For Treatment-Resistant
Depression
--An investigational treatment employing electromagnetic stimulation
relieved depression in patients whose depression failed to
respond to conventional treatment, report researchers at a recent APA
meeting.
- Further info: http://www.pslgroup.com:80/dg/fe446.htm

Compulsive acts linked to biology
--Research shows people with trouble controlling impulses have less
activity in their frontal lobes, parts of the brain that put the
brakes on primitive impulses. Many behaviors like shopping, mating or
gambling fall along a spectrum that runs from normal,
healthy behavior to pathological, said Dr. Donald Black, a professor
of psychiatry at the University of Iowa and one of the few
who study compulsive buying and sexual behavior. For about 10 percent
of pathological shoppers, buying sprees are sexually
stimulating, Black said.
-Further info:

http://www.spokane.net/news-story-body.asp?Date=052099ID=s579396cat=

Prefrontal cortical dysfunction in depression
--Neuroimaging studies have demonstrated reduced prefrontal cortical
blood flow and metabolism in depression, but the
neurobehavioral significance of these observations is not yet
established. In this context, it was found that depressed patients
demonstrated significant deficits on multiple Wisconsin Card Sorting
Test measures (a measure of executive/frontal
performance).
-Further info:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10327916

Predicting posttreatment cocaine abstinence
--This study examined client and program characteristics that predict
posttreatment cocaine abstinence. Programs which
offered legal services and included recovering staff increased a
client's likelihood of cocaine abstinence. Crack use predicted
negatively. Treatment repeaters were relatively difficult to treat;
however their likelihood of achieving abstinence was similar to
that of first-timers if they were retained in treatment for a
sufficient time.
-Further info:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10224976

Clinical services for sleep disorders.
--Children's sleep disorders are common and often harmful to
development and well being. A three tier system of service

provision is proposed to improve this situation, which rests
essentially on better professional training in the sleep disorders
field.
-Further info:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6uid=10210993
--------------------------------------------------------------

                                     Events & Locations

Advanced Training Courses

BETA/SMR Advanced Practicum
    with Sue Othmer
Topics Covered
Evaluating Raw EEGs
Spectral Density
Choosing Inhibit Filters
Coherence Training
New Protocols
Discussion of Difficult Cases
Clinical Strategies/Testing

Alpha-Theta Advanced Practicum
   with Bill Scott
Topics Covered
Guided Imagery
Interpreting Imagery
Working with Addictions
Facilitating Cross-Over
Recognizing Progress
When to bring in BETA/SMR
Alternative Protocols

1999 Schedule
Northampton, MA  Alpha-Theta Advanced Practicum 6/29/99 Tue
London, England  Alpha-Theta Advanced Practicum 7/15/99 Thur
London, England 	   BETA/SMR Advanced Practicum  7/16/99 Fri
Encino, California  BETA/SMR Advanced Practicum  9/22/99 Wed
Encino, California Alpha-Theta Advanced Practicum 9/28/99 Tue
New York, New York  BETA/SMR Advanced Practicum  10/12/99 Tue
Austin, Texas 	   Alpha-Theta Advanced Practicum 11/23/99 Tue

Beta-SMR Advanced Practicum Limit = 20

Alpha-Theta Advanced Practicum Limit = 15
DATES*COSTS*LOCATIONS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

PREREQUISITES FOR EITHER PRACTICUM:
Completion of 1 EEG Spectrum Biofeedback Training Course for Professionals
EEG Biofeedback experience using NeuroCybernetics Instrumentation

---------------------------------------------------------------------
            Conferences for Neurofeedback Clinicians & Researchers

       CONFERENCE    LOCATION                 DATES
       SNR 1999    Myrtle Beach, SC     Sep 30-Oct 3, 1999

---------------------------------------------------------------------
New Offices online
      Jolene Ross - Wellesley, MA
      Grand Avenue Psychology Offices - St. Paul, MN

New Case Histories online
      Multiple Sclerosis, 3 cases
---------------------------------------------------------------------


New Neurofeedback Clinicians / New Offices

Carol J. Hindman, RN, MFCC, BCIA
   Center for Wellness & ADD Treatment Ctr
   420 Brooksite Ave
   Redlands, CA 92373
   (909) 792-2216 (pager 909-412-0879
   cbhindman@...

   Lynn Workman Nodland & Associates
   Lynn Workman Nodland, Ph.D.,
    Licensed Psychologist, BCIA
   684 Excelsior Blvd, Suite 120
   Excelsior, MN 55331
   (612) 536-1717  Fax: 401-0490
   dnlnodland@...

   Henry Mann, MD
   567 Vauxhall St., Ext #201
   Waterford, CT 06385
   (860) 536-4280
   hank7503@...

   Santa Barbara BodyMind Institute
     (new office)
   Richard Stokes, Ph.D., Clin. Psychologist
   Clark R. Elliott, Ph.D., MFCC
   Melinda Horn, MC, MFCC Intern
   200 N. La Cumbre
   Santa Barbara, CA 93110
   (805) 553-5345
     bodymind@...

   Milton Grisham, Ph.D.
   Cherokee Counseling & Psy. Assoc.
   8910 Main Street
   Woodstock GA 30188
   770 924-1818
   mgris123@...


   Pam Passis
   100 E Bellevue Unit 18E
   Chicago IL 60611
   312-335-0400
   (new office)

   Martha Bristor, Ph.D.
   5909 Shadowlawn Dr
   East Lansing MI 48823
   517 332-3391

   Kathryn N. Healey, Ph.D.
   Vicki Kelly, Psy.D.
   524 Rutgers Avenue
   Swarthmore PA 19081-2418
   (610) 499-1220
      Email: kithealey@...

   Martin Wuttke
   Institute for Family Wellness,
   4719 Ashford Dunwoody Rd Suite 203
   Atlanta GA 30338-5503
   (770) 395-7526
     Email: infor@...
   (new address, new email address)

Mitch Sadar
Sadar Psych Services
124 Woodlyn Ave.
Trooper PA 19043
610 933-9440
asadar@...

Center for Mind/Body Therapy
Ronald L Bruder, LCSW, ACSW, CCH
14 Eastbrooke Bend, Suite 217
Peachtree City, GA 30269
(770) 502-9261, Fax: 404-762-4984
reron@...

Thomas S. Rosenbaum, Ph.D.
3300 Washtenaw, Suite 285
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(734) 677-0200;  Fax -3310

First State Health & Wellness
Emily M. Adams, RN, Ph.D
1536 Kirkwood highway
Newark, DE 19711
877-454-WELL (9355)
eaw@...

Brainwave Therapy
Janet E. MacMillan, RN
159 Forced Road
Russell, ON, CANADA  K4R 1A1
(613) 445-4514
janet.macmillan@...

EEG Neurofeedback Providers
Joan Strzynski, RN
Melissa Spica, LPN, EMTP
260 Fieldcrest Lane
Oro Valley, AZ 85737
(520) 292-8064
ladybug24@...

Rehab/Geropsych Ltd
Alexander A Eschbach, Ph.D.
Licensed Clin. Psychologist
1800 McDonough Road, Suite 203
Hoffman Estates, IL 60192
P/F (847) 670-9760
docesch@...

Dorothy Ashman, M.A., Lic. Psychologist
Bloomsburg Psychological Center
55 E. 5th Street
Bloomsburg,  PA  17815
717-387-1832; Fax-5103
kent@...
--------------------------------------------------

                Last Word

    Return to the Spectrum Theory of Mental Disorders

Excerpt from "EEG Biofeedback: An Emerging Model for its Global Efficiency"
    by Othmer, Othmer, & Kaiser in the recently published Academic Press book,
       Introduction to Quantitative EEG and Neurofeedback (see above)

Joseph Biederman has made a careful study of ADHD and its
comorbidities (Biederman et al., 1991; 1996). Even taking only
the most important ones (conduct disorder, anxiety, and depression),
less than 50% of ADHD cases are found to be
uncomplicated by these conditions. Oppositional-defiant disorder is
found to have a 65% overlap with ADD. If one also
considers the tic disorders, as well as mania and bipolar disorder,
sleep disorders, chronic head and stomach pain syndromes,
immune function disorders, enuresis and encopresis, disregulation in
blood glucose level, and specific learning disabilities, then
only a small percentage of ADHD subjects will fall into the bin of
pure ADHD. If one further admits into consideration all of the
above issues where they are qualitatively and significantly present,
but don't necessarily meet all clinical diagnostic criteria, then
it becomes clear that the pure ADHD subject of the researcher's dreams
exists more as an exceptional example than the rule.

It takes only a small shift in perspective to regard many of the
comorbidities as helping to define the condition of ADHD, as

being part and parcel of it. ADHD is then a composite disorder, in
which symptoms are highly variable among individuals,
depending on their genetic endowment and the insults their nervous
system has suffered... Weinberg has taken this perspective,
and suggested that ADHD is intrinsically a composite disorder, with
contributions from an anxiety dimension, from a primary
disorder of vigilance, and from learning disabilities (Weinberg &
Harper, 1993; Weinberg & Brumback, 1992) ...

David Comings makes the case for Tourette Syndrome as a spectrum
disorder (given a dozen or so comorbidities from 20% to
68% prevalence in TS)...

Goodwin and Jamison make the case for a spectrum theory of depressive
illness: "The debate about whether depressive
disorders should be divided into categories or arrayed along a
continuum has gone on for decades, without resolution. In our
view, there is more evidence consistent with the spectrum concept than
there is with the idea that depressive disorders
constitute discrete clusters marked by relatively discontinuous
boundaries." (Goodwin and Jamison, 1990)

"Within a couple of years of its introduction, Prozac was shown to be
useful in depression, OCD, panic anxiety, eating
disorders, PMS, substance abuse, ADD, etc... .What does it mean when
the same medication can treat depression and
anxiety?... . drug response can emphasize commonality, and the
futility of attempts at mechanistic categorization," states Peter
Kramer in, Listening to Prozac, 1994. "A virtue of the functional
theory of illness and cure is that it explains an apparent
paradox of Prozac, a medication that is at once specific in its
biochemical action and useful in a variety of disorders. The
functional theory predicts precisely this relationship: "The greater
the biochemical specificity of the drug, the greater is the
chance that it will be nosologically (i.e., diagnostically)
nonspecific.... Medications, it is increasingly understood, alter
neurochemical systems. They do not treat specific illnesses."

This discussion prepares the ground well for the claims of EEG
biofeedback. EEG biofeedback addresses regulatory function
directly, through its manifestation in the EEG, and as such is
expected to be diagnostically nonspecific. Biofeedback alters
bio-electrical systems. It does not treat specific disorders.

Over the years, anti-convulsant medications have broadened in
application to include not only seizure disorders but end-stage
bipolar disorder, mania, schizophrenia, and even conduct disorder,
some autism, some cerebral palsy, and some types of
ADHD (e.g., Sporn, & Sachs, 1997; Kanba et al., 1994, Suffin &
Emory,1995). This breadth of coverage, over conditions
which have been viewed as having no clinical kinship, argues for a
different conceptualization of these disorders as being
fundamentally characterized by instabilities and discontinuities in
mental functioning. Just as with Prozac above, the
anti-convulsants are lumpers, not splitters, of diagnostic
categories... EEG biofeedback is (likewise) deemed to address
brain-based instabilities and discontinuities generally, and not

address itself to any specific disorder.
The spectrum concept... focuses attention on teasing out a hopefully
modest set of principal or characteristic failure modes of
neurophysiological systems which underpin these various spectrum
disorders. An analogy can be drawn here with the plate
tectonics theory of continental drift. The diversity of geology over
all the continents does not gainsay the existence of a single
mechanism governing the process of crustal formation and continental
drift over the globe. Similarly, the great variety of clinical
manifestations of disorders does not invalidate the expectation of a
smaller set of causal chains of failure in the neurological
domain. The spectrum concept is compatible with the disregulation
model, and both jointly support the case for a general
efficacy of EEG biofeedback in re-regulation of nervous system
functioning.
--------------------------------------------------------
end


------------------------------------------------------------------------

eGroups.com home: http://www.egroups.com/group/wnin
http://www.egroups.com - Simplifying group communications

What's New in Neurofeedback - May 1999 (Part 2)

                   News & Reviews
NEW BOOKS

  Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind
     by V. S. Ramachandran, Sandra Blakeslee
       Eloquent descriptions of neurological phenomena and their
physiological mechanisms, all integrated into a
  philosophy of mind. Neurologist Ramachandran and science writer
Blakeslee attempt to account for various
  unusual phenomena, including: how someone who has lost a leg may
still report sensation in it. Did James
  Thurber's visual hallucinations affect his cartoons? Why should a
child feel his parents are impostors? Is there
  really a barrier between mind and matter?


http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0688152473/neurofeedbacktod
                  -----------------------

Mind and Brain Sciences in the 21st Century
   by Robert L. Solso
      Some of the essays (16 in all, by psychologists and brain
scientists) offer specific ideas about what the
  future may hold, while others prefer the grand overview. Some touch
on the philosophical, social, and
  scientific implications of the science of the mind; a few border on
whimsy or science fiction. All are written to
  be understood by the informed layperson, as well as professionals
and students. To encourage scientists and
  scholars to consider alternative worlds-- to avoid many of the
problems of the past and to create a healthier
  and more humane future.


http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0262692236/neurofeedbacktod
                  -----------------------

ADHD Handbook for Families: A Guide to Communicating With
Professionals
    by Paul L. Weingartner
        Strategies and techniques directed to parents to help deal
with ADHD. Includes how to develop
behavior modification plans by accurately observing, recording, and
reporting a child's behavior and how to
work with professionals and other members of the family for
effective interventions.
    http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0878687505/neurofeedbacktod
                  -----------------------

Brain Policy: How the New Neuroscience Will Change Our Lives and Our
Politics
by Robert H. Blank
      What is uncovered about brain function today is used in
courtrooms tomorrow to protect and defend various
populations.
    http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0878407138/top100
------------------------------------------------------

JOURNAL PAPERS

Childhood conduct problems as predictors of adult criminal activity.
--Hyperactivity, impulsivity and early conduct problems predict an
adult arrest record for males, but not for females. Inattention
symptoms do not contribute to the risk for future criminal
involvement.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&uid=10190336
                           =  =  =

Treatment of Drug Offenders Saves Money
--A report shows that Arizona's new policy of treating nonviolent
drug offenders rather than putting them in prison has already
saved $2.5 million in taxpayers' money in its first fiscal year of
operation. The savings represent the difference in cost between
placing a prisoner in jail and putting the prisoner on probation and
in treatment.
      Further info:
http://www1.jointogether.org/Wire/NewsList.asp?Object_ID=258357&SiteID=MHN
                           =  =  =

Gender-Specific Differences Found In Human Brain
--Men and women's brains are distinctly different. Men have more
neurons in the cerebral cortex whereas women have more
neuropil, which contains the processes allowing cell communication.
Presented at the American Academy of Neurology 51st
Annual Meeting
        Further info:
http://www.sciencedaily.com:80/releases/1999/04/990422061106.htm
                           =  =  =

Life-long history of injuries related to seizures.
--The characteristics and risk factors for injuries caused during
epileptic seizures in adults has rarely been studied. A survey of
approx. 300 patients found one seizure-related injury every 21
patient-years, and a serious injury once every 64 patient-years.

The most common site of injury was the head. Patients with
seizure-related trauma had significantly earlier onset age of
epilepsy.
   Further info:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&uid=10210026
                           =  =  =

Sibling accounts of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
--Siblings feel victimized by ADHD siblings and that their
experience of victimization was often minimized or overlooked in the
family. A need for increased social and mental health services for
all members of the family over the course of the disorder are
indicated, and that the effects on siblings in particular may be
potentially quite deleterious to their health and well-being.
        Further info:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&uid=10207714
                           =  =  =

Repeated Exposure To Cocaine Alters Brain Structure
--Cocaine can produce long-lasting changes in the structure of nerve
cells in certain areas of the brain, according to new data
presented at the Fifth Annual Wisconsin Symposium on Emotion.
"Repeated exposure to cocaine results in persisting brain
changes that we believe contribute to addiction and the risk of
relapse." Drug-induced changes (abnormally elongated and
densely packed dendrites) were localized in the nucleus accumbens
and the prefrontal cortex, regions of the brain associated
with reward, learning and memory,
      Further info:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/04/990427045818.htm
                           =  =  =

Differences In Brain Size Found In Hyperactive Children
--Hyperactive children appear to have less grey matter in the right
frontal lobe as well as less white matter -- the neuronal
connections between cells in both the right and left frontal lobes.
     Further info: http://www.pslgroup.com:80/dg/f942e.htm
                           =  =  =
Neuropsychological performance of ADHD adults: measures of frontal
lobe functioning.
--Abnormal scores on a series of frontal lobe-executive functioning
tests were good predictors of ADHD. However, normal
scores poorly predicted the absence of ADHD except when the overall
battery was combined into a single index. This findings
was consistent with conceptualizations of ADHD depicting mild
neurologic dysfunction in frontal lobes.
      Further info:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&uid=10217922
                           =  =  =

Effects of 20-min audio-visual stimulation on the cortical EEG.
--20 min alpha stimulation sessions increased delta 1, delta 2,
theta, beta 1 and beta 2 activity, with significant effects remaining
30 min later in beta 1.
      Further info:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&uid=10192008
--------------------------------------------------------------


                                     Events & Locations

               EEG Biofeedback Training Course for Professionals:
            ADHD, Learning, & Behavior Problems Specialty Course



FACULTY: Siegfried Othmer, Ph.D.; Sue Othmer, BCIA; John Anderson,
Matt Fleischman, Ph.D.


                Encino, California  June 10-14, 1999
          Minneapolis, Minnesota    August 5-9, 1999

DAY 1
Thursday   AM  Siegfried Othmer   Intro & mechanisms of brain regulation
            PM  Siegfried Othmer   Disregulation model of ADD/ADHD
             EVE Group              Professional issues

DAY 2
Friday    AM  Sue Othmer         3-Axis model of brain function
           PM  Sue Othmer         Demonstration of biofeedback process
           EVE Siegfried Othmer   Research results

DAY 3
Saturday  AM  John Anderson     Protocols
           PM  John Anderson     Practicum 1
               & Matt Fleischman

DAY 4
Sunday    AM  Matt Fleischman   Assessment
           PM  Matt Fleischman   Case management & case histories

           EVE John Anderson     Practicum 2
               & Matt Fleischman

DAY 5
Monday     AM  John Anderson   EEG biofeedback in a school setting
            PM  John Anderson   Integration with complementary modalities
                                Case histories
---------------------------------------------------------------------
            Conferences for Neurofeedback Clinicians & Researchers

       CONFERENCE    LOCATION                 DATES
       SNR 1999    Myrtle Beach, SC     Sep 30-Oct 3, 1999

---------------------------------------------------------------------

New Neurofeedback Clinicians / New Offices

  Elizabeth Kim, Ph.D.
  Brain Fitness Center
  2727 W Olympic Blvd Ste 208
  Los Angeles CA 90006-2640
  (213) 384-8700
  Email: elizabjkim@...
  (new office)

  Audrey Thompson, Ed.D., LCPC
  Leslie Murphy, LCPC
  1121 Adobe
  Great Falls MT 59404-3729
  406-727-7496
  Email athompson@...

  Donna A. Morere, Ph.D.
  Clinical Neuropsychology
  509 Denham Rd
  Rockville, MD 20851
  (301) 340-1860
  Email damorere@...

  Justine Ritter
  Cincinnati Neurotherapy Center
  8228 Winton Road, Suite 100A
  Cincinnati, OH 45231
  (513) 521-5483
  Email: wandjritter@...

  Michael C. Mithoefer, M.D.
  Ann T. Mithoefer, BSN
  208 Scott St.
  Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
  (843) 849-6899
  Email: mmit@...

  Elizabeth Mavrelis, RN, MSW
  200 East 80th Place
  Merrillville, IN 46410
  (219) 752-2149
  Email: mavrelis@...

  State of Mind Counseling & Neurotherapy
  Reba Renner, MA
  7195 Harvard Ct
  Bremerton, WA 98311
  (360) 698-4786
  Email: renner@...

Descanso Med Ctr for Development & Learning
Leonard R Baker, MD; Ricki G Robinson, MD
1346 Foothill Blvd, #301
La Canada, CA 91011
(818) 790-1587
Email: dmcdl@...

Sadar Psychological Services
Mitchell M Sadar, Ph.D.
Angelika Y Sabar, MA
1288 Valley Forge Rd, Suite 72
Valley Forge, PA 19842
(610) 933-9440
Email: asadar@...

Chiron Healing and Education Center
Jill-Laurie Crane, MA
Joseph C Crane, MA
17 Locke Lane
Lexington, MA 02430
(781) 861-0349
Email: deerdancre@...
Email: osephc637@...

Ines Monguio, Ph.D. Clin. Neuropsych.
Susan Grace Hellman, MS
1280 S. Victoria Ave
Ventura, CA 93003
(805) 650-7484; Fax -7485
Email: sgh001@...

Potential Unlimited Counseling
   & Neurofeedback
Philip A Miller, MS
Susan C Berryhill, MA, MPH, LPC
PO Box 1316, 223 Fifth St
Ashland OR 97520
(541) 482-2780; F-3709

www.EEGpower.com
Email: phil@...
Email: susan@...

Attention Deficit Disorder Clinic
Robert L Gurnee, MSW, CISW, BCIA
6900 E Camelback Rd, #260
Scottsdale, AZ 85251-8042
(480) 424-7200; F-7800

www.addclinic-az-nm.com
Email: add@...

--------------------------------------------------

                Last Word

       What became of "The Decade of the Brain"

               by David Kaiser

The Decade of the Brain is almost over. Nearly nine years to the
day, the House Joint Resolution 174 designated the decade
beginning January 1, 1990 as the "Decade of the Brain", the DOB. So
I think it's time for an accounting. Has the DOB meant
anything for our nation, our planet, or was it only hype?

(To read the resolution in its entirety, see
http://www.bixler.com/brainnet/house.htm)

Science magazine reported an "explosive growth" in the number of
scientists identifying themselves as neuroscientists since 1990 --
about a 1000 more each year. Besides the fact that the year 1990
actually marks the end of a decade (1981-1990) instead of the
beginning (more of that later), we've all witnessed the
change in mass media reporting in the last few years when it comes
to brain research. It is no longer unusual for a major news weekly
to feature a cover article on the brain, mental health, or related
scientific issues. Nor is the entertainment field
far behind. Of the 77 feature films with "brain" in the title,

almost one-third of them (23) were produced in the 90s.
(Who can forget "Brain-Sucking Aliens in Your Backyard" from 1991?)

Has the last decade of the millenium actually been the DOB? That is
my question. As we all know, politicians love to pass
resolutions but few follow them up and learn the impact of such
actions, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to do my
Congresswoman's job and see what became of the "Decade of the
Brain". Has the scientific landscape been altered by
proclamation? When it came to the brain sciences, was the final
decade of the second millenium really DOB -- or DOA?

How much have brain sciences achieved during the DOB? An informal
survey of biomedical research publications give us a
clue. Medline includes 243,785 biomedical publications during the
last 10 years. Most of these papers have nothing to do with
the brain but focus on general health. This is a good thing, as it
gives us plenty of controls to compare against.

An increase in publications during the '90s need not reflect an
increased focus on the brain, but rather reflect other non-DOB
trends in society such as more scientists at work, more research
funding, the Dow Jones hitting 10,000, more journals being
published, or lower ink prices. So a baseline to compare against is
needed. As I used Medline for my survey, I choose a few
lines of medical research against various neuroscience and mental
health keywords. Here is what I found:

--------------------------------------------------------
           NEUROSCIENCE
hippocampus  4041     2171       86%
amygdala      803      433       85%
frontal lobe 1782      744      140%
Neuron      13250     8052       65%
GABA         2328     1486       57%
                             Average:  87%

           MENTAL HEALTH
ADHD          667      283      136
Schizophr    2424     1514       60
Depressio    6106     4209       45
Anxiety      3618     2326       56
PTSD          918      470       95
                             Average:  78%

          MEDICINE (OUR CONTROL)
lung cancer  4490     3316       35
ovarian c.   1875     1272       47
cystic fib.  1158      774       50
tachyrrhy.   1085      992        9
platelet     5802     4826       20
                             Average:  54%
--------------------------------------------------------

Granted, this survey was crude, but unbiased. Terms were chosen
randomly from lists. Neuroscience and mental health
research apparently did draw relatively more eyes and hearts during
the DOB than our "control" science, at a rate 50 to 60%
higher than medical research. So the 90s was not the "Decade of the
Heart" or the "Decade of the Gastrointestinal System" but
the decade of the 3-pound universe!

A further look into mental health and related publications during
the final decade of the second millenium was also revealing:
--------------------------------------------------------
  Condition           Year
              1998     1990  % Increase in Publications

ADHD          667      283      136%
Anorexia      755      578       31%
Anxiety      3618     2326       56%
Autism        360      202       78%
Autoimmun    3457     2150       61%
Bipolar d    1332      967       38%
CFS           398      152      162%
Conduct d     129       46      180%
Depressio    6106     4209       45%
Epilepsy     2820     1737       62%
Fibromyal     250       91      175%
Insomnia      316      215       47%
Learning      169      131       29%
OCD           465      261       78%
PMS           155      137       13%
PTSD          918      470       95%
Schizophr    2424     1514       60%
TBI          1419      740       92%
Tourette      104       85       22%
--------------------------------------------------------

Some interesting facts. ADHD and CFS research increased the most
compared to those fields with 50 or more publications in
1990. Depression and anxiety still appear to be the bane of the
Western world, and Conduct Disorder was the big

up-and-comer in the '90s.
--------------------------------------------------------
      Addiction Research
              1998     1990  % Increase in Publications
Addiction     808      440       84%
Alcoholis    1992     2164       -8%
Cocaine      1250      816       53%
Marijuana     312      213       46%
--------------------------------------------------------

        Research in alcoholism actually declined!


--------------------------------------------------------
              The Decade of Brain Imaging?
              1998     1990  % Increase in Publications

CBF          1326      929       43%  (Cerebral blow flow )
EEG          2747     2184       26%
PET          1044      405      158%
fMRI         1066      168      535%
SPECT        1484      564      163%
--------------------------------------------------------

Although EEG papers outnumbered all other brain-imaging techniques,
I suspect its lead won't hold into the DOC (Decade of
the Computer, 2000-2009 A.D.).

--------------------------------------------------------
              1998     1990  % Increase in Publications

acupuncture   292      316       -8%
biofeedback   176      160       10%
patient right 894      673       33%
animal rights  46       37       24%
ritalin       127       60      112%
prozac        333      177       88%
placebo       4827     3270       48%
psychotherapy 3003    2600       16%
--------------------------------------------------------

The DOB's coattails couldn't pull biofeedback along, with only a
paltry 10% increase in publications. The amount of people
researching the placebo effect overshadowed most lines of research.

A final glance at mental health research uncovered that during the
last generation of research (1980 to the present): ADHD
publications increased nearly 500%. No other mental health condition
(except research on cocaine) could challenge its growing
popularity. Sadly, biofeedback declined from 203 publications in
1980 to 176 in 1998, a drop in 13%.
                      -  -  -  -
P.S. A NOTE ON THE MILLENIUM
      I mentioned the millenium a few times above and as most
educated people know, the third millenium should not begin on
January 1st, 2000, but on January 1st, 2001. But nearly everyone in
the Western world will be celebrating the start of the new
millenium this coming January. And for good reason. Because the next
year IS the start of the 3rd millenium. It marks 2000
years since the birth of Christ... at least by my reckoning.
      As everyone knows but sometimes forgets, when Year 1 BC ended,
Year 1 AD began. There was no Year 0. This was
not an oversight, but is entirely understandable in light of one
fact. When Dionysius Exigusus, an abbot from Rome, started the
convention of reckoning the calendar year in relation to the birth
of Christ (anno Domini or A.D, "the year of our Lord"), the
method we still use to keep track of the trips around the sun, it
was only 531 years after the birth and the concept of zero had
not yet been invented.
      Ignoring the fact that Christ was most likely born sometime
between 7 BC and 4 BC (probably in April, I once read, but
I forget the logic behind this conjecture) -- According to tradition
J. arrived on planet Earth on December 25th, 1 A.D. But
here is where the thinking down the years is wrong. Christ was born
on December 25th, but of the year 0 A.D, not 1 A.D.. It
just so happens that the first year of the modern calendar consisted
of nnly 7 days!
      You see, Year 0 lasted from December 25th to December 31st. A
very short year, I grant you, but there have been
many short years in history. The year 1582 lasted only 355 days for
most of Europe (except Protestant England). This was the
year Pope Gregory, a very successful lawyer, adopted a calendar that
skipped over 10 days in order to realign the calendar
with the seasons. But the English faced an even shorter year in 1752
when they finally wised up and adopted the Papal scheme.

In the intervening years another day of error had accrued so that
this year had to be shortened by 11 days (besides a leap day
in 1700 that had been taken and would later be un-taken). But this
year (1752) was shortened even more when another
convention was simultaneously adopted. New Year's Day was moved from
March 25th to January 1st, a convention begun by
Julius Caesar. The shift in New Year's Day from March 25th to
January 1st would not only continue to frustrate future genealogists
into the fourth millenium and beyond, it also stole another 94
days from this weakling of a year. When the smoke from the wreckage
finally cleared, 1752 was a year of only 260 days.
      Thus in comparison, a year lasting 7 days is not entirely
absurd. As long as it doesn't happen too often, we'll be okay.
The Saxons and other pagan cultures used to start each year on
December 25th, often the shortest day of the year, so there's
precedent and even a weird logic to it. Think of it like this: We
started Year 0 in a pagan land, but quickly abandoned it for
Caesar and the promises of the modern world.
--------------------------------------------------------
end



------------------------------------------------------------------------
eGroup home: http://www.eGroups.com/group/wnin
http://www.eGroups.com - Simplifying group communications

What's New in Neurofeedback
                A Monthly Summary of News and Events
                    Vol. 2 No. 5 - May 1999

       This newsletter is sponsored by EEG Spectrum, Inc.,
a leader in providing clinical service and training professionals.
   Past issues are available at www.eegspectrum.com/newsletter/
Opinions related in this newsletter reflect those of the author only.
    Copyright (C) 1999 by EEG Spectrum, Inc. All rights reserved.
------------------------------------------------------
  Announcements      - KABC Report
  In the Spotlight   - Working with the 'Unreachable' Child
  News & Reviews     - Books, journal papers, of interest
  Events & Locations - Conferences, Courses; New clinicians / offices
  Last Word          - What became of "The Decade of the Brain"
------------------------------------------------------
                         Announcements

  A KABC-TV (Channel 7) News Report on treating anger and violence in
light of the Littleton tragedy featured a report on EEG biofeedback
and a client who underwent neurofeedback training for rage and anger
at the Encino office.
------------------------------------------------------
                        In the Spotlight

             Working with the 'Unreachable' Child--
     A Physiological Perspective, and a Proposed Approach

                Siegfried Othmer, Ph.D.
                      April, 1999

Preamble

With the experience of Littleton fresh in our memories, there is an
urgency to confront the issue of the Unreachable Child. Much
as one would wish to simply identify and quarantine the potentially
violent child, we must instead comprehensively address the
neglected mental health needs of our children. In the following, the
focus will be on the more intractable end of the spectrum of
mental disorders of children.

Psychopathology and Brain Behavior

The twentieth century has seen the emergence of physiological models
of behavior. This development is driven by
pharmacology, by the new imaging techniques, and by studies at the
cellular level. It has borne fruit mainly for the less severe
mental disorders, such as ADHD and dysthymia, and for the less
severe expressions of anxiety and depression. Drug efficacy
for mental disorders means that there is no fundamental structural
barrier to remediation. The responsive conditions can be
considered functional in character, in which drugs help to restore
more appropriate function. At this time, however, there is still
no good pharmacological answer to the more seriously disruptive
behavior disorders, to major depression and bipolar disorder,
to specific learning disabilities, to the personality disorders and
to their youthful precursors, or to the problem of irrational
violence. Yet we have reason to believe that these conditions are
also largely functional in nature'not structural'and that
remediation should in principle be possible. I want to address
myself to this more challenging part of the distribution of mental
disorders.

Recent developments in the neurosciences have led to therapeutically
useful models of how the brain organizes its own function
on every relevant timescale. Insights are being gained into how the
brain encodes information, and how communication between
different brain regions is orchestrated. A central organizing
principle appears to be that simultaneity of neuronal firing is a
criterion of belonging to the representation of a particular
'percept,' or mental construct. A second is that the brain organizes
continuity out of transient events by arranging for repetition. Such
repetition is periodic, i.e. rhythmic. In this manner, the brain
can organize persistent states of the system'i.e. states of
attention, arousal, wakefulness, vigilance, affect'through rhythmic
'pacemaker' circuits. A breakdown of the organization of these
rhythmic pacemaker circuits can lead to disruption of function.
This is probably what happens in traumatic brain injury, where often

there is no evidence at all of a structural injury.

It has been proposed that a variety of such pacemaker circuits
govern cortical and subcortical function generally, and that
specific learning disabilities, affective disorders, and more severe
disturbances of mental function can be traced to the
disregulation of such circuits. For example, the incident in Japan
(November 1997), with children who went into seizure
following a mere 5-second exposure to a rhythmic optical signal on
television, demonstrates how utterly dependent we are on
the integrity of our brain's rhythmic activities. In the case of
severe emotional trauma, disregulation of emotional circuitry can
result, with lasting impact. Through considerations such as this, we
(and others) have proposed a disregulation model of
psychopathology'the proposition that the core issue consists of
disregulation in regulatory networks, largely irrespective of
whether the condition has a genetic, developmental, or
environmental, or even purely psychological cause.

Operant Conditioning of the EEG in Remediation of Disregulation

Over the last thirty years, it has been learned that operant
conditioning on brain rhythms has an impact on physiological
functioning. This is variously called EEG biofeedback,
neurofeedback, or brainwave training. The trainee is given
information
about the brain's EEG activity at that moment, and tries to modify
that activity in particular ways. The trainee is rewarded for
success in achieving that objective. By carefully adjusting reward
contingencies on the EEG training, it has been found that
attentional disorders can be remediated with this training. More
recently, it has been found that affective disorders respond to
this training even more readily. Thirdly, disorders of arousal
(sleep disorders, migraines) respond to the training as well. From
the perspective of this fundamental training of brain rhythms, it is
clear that these functions are highly interdependent. Attention
and arousal are coupled systems; affect and arousal are
interrelated; and finally attention and the affective realm
influence each
other. In fact, the affective realm may be the more fundamental
issue in attention: we attend to what we value, and if the
value-setting part of the brain is not functioning well,
distractibility and inattention may ensue.

More fundamentally, we assert that the underlying issue in all of
these disorders is that of brain self-regulation of states. The
brain must be able to maintain stable states. And it must be able to
maintain homeostasis (that is, dynamic equilibrium at the
appropriate level of arousal). The more severe the condition being
addressed, the more we are confronted with instability in
brain function. The EEG training appears to support the maintenance
of stability of states. Such stability is also a pre-condition
for behavioral flexibility. The EEG training simply challenges the
brain to function better as an organ of control and
self-regulation.

These same concepts have implications not only for children in
deficit but for the normal or even exceptional range of function.
Continuity of state, for example, may also be the underpinning of
working memory. The ability to hold and elaborate a thought
is dependent on the integrity and continuity of brain states. An
increase in working memory is indicated by some of the
academic skills measures subsequent to EEG training. In the
following, we discuss briefly the applicability of EEG
neurofeedback to specific conditions.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Impulse Control
Disorders

ADHD is the most commonly diagnosed mental disorder of childhood.
Whereas stimulant medication is the most common
remedy, it may not always be the appropriate one; it only rarely
deals with the issues comprehensively; and it is often voluntarily
abandoned, despite the fact that the condition usually persists. EEG
feedback training can remediate all of the characteristic
symptoms of ADHD: impulsivity, distractibility, hyperactivity, and

inattention. That is, behavioral control can be learned to the
point at which the child (or adolescent or adult) no longer meets
diagnostic criteria in the general case.

75% of inmates referred for mental health services in the California
correctional system had been identified as ADHD in their
school years, and 75% of these had been on Ritalin at some time in
their lives. Follow-up of ADHD children into their adult
years finds no difference in measures of social pathology
(antisocial behavior, criminality, suicide, addiction, divorce)
between
those who had been on Ritalin and those who hadn't. Clearly what has
been proposed as the answer to ADHD is not the whole
answer. Brainwave training, on the other hand, addresses the
underlying issue of brain disregulation; it does so
comprehensively; and the benefits of training appear to last,
barring renewed insult to the nervous system. More data exist on
the use of EEG feedback for ADHD than for any other condition.

Specific Learning Disabilities

It has been proposed that specific learning disabilities are
important factors in much of youth criminality because of the linkage
to school failure and self-esteem issues. Learning disabilities are
much more common even than ADHD. There is no medical
remedy, and the educational remedies adopted to date are clearly
inadequate. Evidence has accumulated that EEG training can
be helpful in specific learning disabilities such as visual
retention, articulation, and dyslexia. Since dyslexia is not a
unitary concept, no single approach is appropriate for all cases.
To date, therefore, success with dyslexia is still hit- and-miss. The
training can influence one's capacity for spatial organization, and
it can extend the auditory and visual digit span. WISC math
subtest scores may be significantly improved, suggesting greater
working memory capacity. This kind of improvement tends to
support the proposition that specific learning disabilities are
largely functional in character, and traceable to deficits in brain
organization that appear to be largely remediable.

The Disruptive Behavior Disorders'Oppositionality & Conduct Disorder

In the context of work with ADHD, it was found that the EEG training
was equally successful in remediating oppositional
behavior and conduct disorder, temper tantrums and episodic rages.
This takes such behavior out of the realm of moral
failing'although it may be that also'and places it squarely in the
domain of neurophysiologically based dysfunctions. One virtue of
the training is that the conduct issue never has to be confronted
per se with the trainee. The disagreeable behaviors simply fall
away over time. The child simply has to be willing to train his or
her brain. As attentional mechanisms are trained, the linkages
to affect regulation are trained as well. As a result, the brain
functions more stably, out of a calmer place, and with improved
modulation of emotional control.

The Anxiety-Depression-Bipolar Disorder Spectrum

As many as 20% of ADHD children may expect to experience bipolar
disorder in their lifetime. Moreover, the age of onset
appears to be declining significantly over recent decades. An even
higher percentage of ADHD children will experience a major
anxiety or depressive disorder in their lifetime. Whereas
medications can be helpful with the milder forms of anxiety and
depression, they are not all that helpful with the more severe
manifestations. Depression is currently among the top four factors
in terms of the world-wide burden of disease, and ranks as first
among mental health issues. Over thirty percent of the U.S.
population may expect to experience an episode of major depression
in their lifetime. The possibility of avoiding or remediating
this level of pathology with neurofeedback training has profound
implications for mental health in this country. Further, a
depressive component accompanies much of behavioral deviance and

other conditions herein discussed.

Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) and autism

One of the most intractable disorders in the realm of mental health
is RAD. Here the basis does not exist for the formation of a
therapeutic alliance with the patient. Fortunately, and
fortuitously, it has been found that EEG training can reestablish
the internal
linkages within the brain which allow the person to reconnect with
the ground of their emotionality'and ultimately to recover
both the power and the willingness to establish emotional bonds with
others. This has been possible even in cases of the most
abject early childhood trauma. Remarkably, the pathways of
connectivity to the emotional self remain entirely intact'though
disrupted in organization until subjected to the reorganizing
challenge of EEG training.

In the case of autism, we also have a disruption of the capacity for
attachment, but in this case for either genetic, metabolic, or
developmental reasons. Despite the existence of manifest organic
deficits, the recovery potential for attachment and for affect
regulation of the autistic child may be considerable. This is a very
recent finding.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

One of the tragedies of our human condition is that those who are
severely traumatized as children often replicate this abusive
behavior in their own adult lives. It is difficult to be
sympathetic, even though one may be aware of the causal chain of
events. One way of understanding this is in terms of a fundamental
disregulation of our subcortical circuitry by which emotions are
regulated. These mechanisms are not under sufficient cortical
control. Fortunately, such cortical control can be strengthened
with EEG training, and PTSD can be resolved essentially
non-traumatically, first by the uses of higher frequency training to
stabilize cortical functioning, and secondly with low frequency
training to resolve the trauma issues under circumstances in which
retraumatization is unlikely to occur.

Addictive Disorders

It is useful to regard addictive disorders from the physiological
perspective. On the one hand, continual use of a drug may
simply have brought about a physiological dependence on the
chemical. The more intractable cases of addiction, however, are
sustained by more serious psychological conditions that lead to a
breakdown in the reward circuitry of the brain, a phenomenon
called Reward Deficiency Syndrome. Genetics plays into this as well.
However, it has been found that irrespective of a genetic
or developmental or environmental basis to the status of addiction,
'recovery''in the sense of relapse prevention'is possible with
EEG training, in combination with conventional therapies. Remarkable
results have been obtained with alcoholism, cocaine
addiction, methamphetamine, and heroin. Some of the early studies
now have follow-up for up to ten years. The training agenda
is to normalize physiological functioning with biofeedback or
neurofeedback training at the higher EEG frequencies, and then to
normalize subcortical functioning and resolve psychological issues
with low frequency EEG training.

Tourette Syndrome

Tourette Syndrome is characterized by motor and vocal tics.
Tourette's is often seen in connection with obsessive-compulsive
disorder, ADHD, and conduct disorder. Of particular importance are
those instances in which a Tourette vulnerability is
comorbid with PTSD or other insults. In these instances, one may see
hypersexuality, hypermasculinity, thrill-seeking behavior,
and episodic rage. Touretters are known for the bearing of grudges,
itself perhaps an aspect of obsessive behavior. The
ritualistic rehearsal of an act of retribution may ultimately cross
the threshold into overt violence, particularly if the act has just
been modeled. This mechanism may lead to violence even years after a
presumed slight, and probably accounts for a lot of
copy-cat crime. Fortunately, the more objectionable symptoms
associated with Tourette Syndrome, and the comorbid

conditions referred to above, are responsive to EEG training at the
higher frequencies. This is accomplished by calming the
obsessiveness and the excitability of the motor system'a kind of
highly specific relaxation training.

Traumatic Brain Injury

One of the most intractable problems encountered in health care is
that of traumatic brain injury. This can lead to the
exacerbation of symptoms and vulnerabilities that the child already
harbors: disregulation of mood, behavior, sleep, attention,
arousal, cognitive function, and motor control. Often the condition
will not improve beyond a certain point by itself, and there
are no conventional treatments. EEG biofeedback has been found very
effective for recovery from traumatic brain injury with
respect to the above symptoms.

The problem of irrational and episodic violence in children

The problem of violence in children is currently acute.
Child-on-child violence in this country is at a level of one
Littleton every
day. The etiology of violent behavior is multi- faceted. In broad
brush, we can see violent behavior coming out of abuse
histories, histories of profound neglect, and various conditions
that disregulate behavior in the emotional realm--- the epilepsies,
Tourette Syndrome, traumatic brain injury (including birth injury),
and the anxiety-depression-bipolar spectrum. Thus etiology
can be environmental, developmental, or genetic, or more typically
an incendiary combination of all these factors.

One of the most profound observations of recent times is that
neglect can be as damaging as abuse, in terms of disturbing the
natural development of emotional self-regulation. And neglect
sufficient to have lingering negative impact is probably
commonplace in the modern life of American children. Adding to all
of this is the constant rehearsal of violent and destructive
behaviors in the entertainment media. It is okay with our society
for children to experience every emotion around thrill- seeking,
violence and senseless death, and to do so in a context which
obscures the traditional clarity of moral choices. Ultimately the
only way to trump the manufactured tension of movies and video games
is to replicate the experience in life itself, i.e. to be the
director in one's own play. The emotionally disregulated self may
evolve a concept of self around those issues that clearly
separate him or her from others. Satanism and Nazism may furnish the
scaffolding for such a construction.

One of the more sinister implications of the calculus of violence is
that persons are unlikely to value others more highly than
themselves. A diminished self-appraisal is therefore contributory to
the escalation of violence. Likewise, if there is a sense of
limited prospects to make a positive difference in the world, the
temptation looms large to leave one's impact destructively.
There is then a reversal of the usual scale of values. To a Ted
Kaczynski, for example, a plea of guilty to avoid the death
penalty actually meant death'i.e. his removal from the focus of our
attention, whereas an actual death sentence would have
meant a kind of immortality.

Another aspect of violence, as with other thrills and risk- taking
behavior, is that it allows children to feel alive. (Thom
Hartmann has proposed this model to explain the apparent violation
of Maslow's hierarchy of needs.) In this regard, some
violent behavior can be seen as another manifestation of the Reward
Deficiency Syndrome that has been used to model
addictive behavior. The EEG training can normalize the reward
circuitry of the brain, presumably by re-establishing normal
communication linkages between different brain regions.

Summary

The essence of our humanity is our social nature. We must have
connectedness to others in order to be fully human. Once the
sinews of connectivity are broken'whether by genetic flaw,
developmental insult, abuse, physical injury, psychological trauma,
or neglect'they are unlikely to be reestablished by purely

psychodynamic interventions, or even by currently available medical
techniques. The child's physiology is fundamentally altered, and a
physiologically based approach may therefore become a
priority, thus opening the door to more fruitful psychodynamic
interventions. Fortunately, the physiological manifestations of
disorder are largely in the functional realm'that is, they are
subject to redress and retraining. The evidence for such disorder and
disregulation is to be found in the EEG. And EEG biofeedback
training has been shown to be helpful in achieving
renormalization of brain behavior. Recent findings indicate that it
may be profoundly helpful, even among the most unreachable
of children.
------------------------------------------------------
Part 1 of 2
David Kaiser, Ph.D.

dakaiser@...                    dakaiser@...

http://www.thegrid.net/dakaiser/        http://www.eegspectrum.com


------------------------------------------------------------------------
eGroup home: http://www.eGroups.com/group/wnin
http://www.eGroups.com - Simplifying group communications

What's New in Neurofeedback
 
            A Monthly Summary of News and Events
                  Vol. 2 No. 4 - April 1999

        This newsletter is sponsored by EEG Spectrum, Inc.
    Past issues are available at www.eegspectrum.com/newsletter/
     Copyright (C) 1999 by EEG Spectrum. All rights reserved.

|---------- For best viewing use monospace font (Courier)  -----------|
----------------------------------------------------------------
Announcements      - Neurofeedback index online, Course calendar
In the Spotlight   - Journal of Neurotherapy online
News & Reviews     - Books, journal papers, of interest
Events & Locations - Conferences, Courses; New clinicians / offices
Last Word          - Thought Should Precede Action
----------------------------------------------------------------

                 Announcements

New Neurofeedback Science Index online - at
     http://www.eegspectrum.com/science/

Training Course & Conference Calendar - at
     http://www.eegspectrum.com/course/calendar.htm
---------------------------------------------------------------- 

                     IN THE SPOTLIGHT

                  Journal of Neurotherapy

The editors of the Journal of Neurotherapy have done a great service
in placing two volumes (8 issues) of the Journal of
Neurotherapy online. Making these articles readily accessible to
anyone, including critics of neurofeedback, insurance
companies, and clients, should return untold benefits to the field
and the journal in the (near) future.


Two years of Journal of Neurotherapy index -
     http://www.snr-jnt.org/JournalNT/JNTmaster.htm

Articles organized by title

  - ADHD: Neurological Basis and Treatment Alternatives.
  - Clinical Use of An Alpha Asymmetry Protocol in the
     Neurofeedback Treatment of Depression: Two Case Studies, The.
  - Cognitive Impairment Consistent with Left Fronto-Temporal
     Abnormality in Schizophrenic Patients.
  - Commentary: Refections on Neurotherapy: Past, Present and Future.
  - Comparison of EEG Biofeedback and Psychostimulants in Treating ADHDs, A.
  - Composite Biofeedback Conditioning and Dangerous Offenders: III.
  - Diagnosis and Treatment of Head Injury.
  - EEG Biofeedback for the Enhancement of Attentional Processing
     in Normal College Students.
  - EEG Biofeedback in the Schools: The Use of EEG Biofeedback to
     Treat ADHD in a School Setting.
  - EEG Biofeedback in the Treatment of Lyme Disease: A Case Study.
  - EEG Biofeedback: A New Treatment Option for ADD/ADHD.
  - EEG Patterns and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
  - EEG Power-Spectral and Coherence Differences Between
     Attentional States during a Complex Auditory Task.
  - Event Related Potentials of Subgroups of Children with
     ADHD and the Implications for EEG Biofeedback.
  - FIG (Functional Integrative QEEG) Technique and the Functional
     Structure of Memory Functioning in Normals and Head Injured Subjects, The.
  - Gates, States, Rhythms, and Resonances: The Scientific Basis of
     Neurofeedback.
  - Hostility Following Right CVA: Support for Right Orbital
     Frontal Deactivation and Right Temporal Activation.
  - Human Steady-State Visual and Auditory Evoked Potential
     Components During a Selective Discrimination Task
  - Improved Neuronal Regulation in ADHD: An Application of 15
     Sessions of Photic-Driven EEG Neurotherapy.
  - Master Zhu.
  - Mathematically Derived Frequency Correlates in Cerebral Function:
     Theoretical and Clinical Implications for Neurofeedback Treatment.
  - Native Americans, Neurofeedback, and Substance Abuse Theory.
  - Neurofeedback Therapy for a Mild Head Injury.
  - Neurofeedback and Lyme's Disease: A Clinical Application of the
     Five Phase Model of CNS Functional Transformation and Integration.
  - Neurofeedback: One Instrument in the Orchestra.
  - Neurotherapy and Drug Therapy in Combination for Adult ADHD,
     Personality Disorder, and Seizure.
  - New Technology: A Biological Understanding of Attention Deficit
     Hyperactivity Disorder and its Treatment.
  - Normative EEG Databases and EEG Biofeedback.
  - On the Nature of Artifacting the qEEG.
  - PMS, EEG, and Photic Stimulation.
  - Patient-Directed Neurofeedback For AD/HD.
  - Positive Outcome with Neurofeedback Treatment-in a Case of Mild Autism.
  - Primer on Clinical Case Study Research in Neurotherapy, A.
  - Quantitative EEG Abnormalities in a Sample of Dyslexic Persons.
  - Quantitative EEG Findings among Men Convicted of Murder.
  - Single Case Research Designs for the Science and Practice of
     Neurotherapy.
  - Single Channel QEEG Amplitudes in a Bright, Normal Young Adult Sample.
  - Subthreshold 10-Hz Sound Suppresses EEG Theta: Clinical Application
     for the Potentiation of Neurotherapeutic Treatment of ADD/ADHD.
  - Thoughts About the Study of Cognitively-linked Brain
     Dysfunction Physiology After Mild Closed-head Trauma
  - Topographical Brain Mapping in Depression Following Mild Closed
     Head Injury: A Case Study.
  - Treatment of Chronic Anxiety Disorder with Neurotherapy: A Case Study.
  - Treatment of Dissociative Identity Disorder with Neurotherapy
     and Group Self-Exploration.
---------------------------------------------------------------- 
                       News & Reviews

                         NEW BOOKS

Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind
   by V. S. Ramachandran, Sandra Blakeslee

Eloquent descriptions of neurological phenomena and their
physiological mechanisms, all integrated into a philosophy of mind.
Neurologist Ramachandran and science writer Blakeslee attempt to
account for various unusual phenomena, including: how
someone who has lost a leg may still report sensation in it. Did
James Thurber's visual hallucinations affect his cartoons? Why
should a child feel his parents are impostors? Is there really a
barrier between mind and matter?

For more info, see
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0688152473/top100
                               - - - - - -

From Brains to Consciousness: Essays on the New Science of the Mind
   by Steven P. Rose

Brings together 14 of the world's leading neuroscientists,
psychologists, computer modellers, and philosophers to offer current
insights into the brain-mind debate. For instance, can consciousness
be computed? Is artificial intelligence possible? For both
the specialists and the general public interested in cutting-edge
thought about the fundamentals of consciousness.

For more info, see
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0691004692/top100
                               - - - - - -

ADHD Rating Scale-IV: Checklists, Norms, & Clinical Interpretation
   by George J. Dupaul, Robert Reid, Arthur D. Anastopoulos

A rating scale for diagnosing ADHD in children and adolescents and
for assessing treatment response. Contains 18 items linked
directly to DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for ADHD. Includes a parent
questionnaire on home behaviors (one in English, one
inSpanish), and a teacher questionnaire on classroom behaviors.
Pages are formatted for easy photocopying, and permission to
reproduce the scale as often as needed. This manual includes:
Scoring profiles for boys and girls aged 5-17, Nationally
representative norms for both parent and teacher ratings, Factor
analysis data and findings on reliability and validity, Clinical
interpretation guidelines for screening and diagnosis , & Clinical
interpretation guidelines for treatment evaluation

For more info, see
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1572304235/top100
                               - - - - - -

Advances in the Neurobiology of Anxiety Disorders
   by Herman Gerrit, Marinus Westenberg

Reviews anxiety in all its manifestations and new drug treatments
for each of the major indications: panic disorder, OCD,
generalised anxiety disorder, and PTSD. The latest research from
leading experts provides greater understanding of the
biological processes which underpin this psychiatric disease.

For more info, see
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0471961248/top100
                                - - - - - -

Findings and Current Opinion in Cognitive Neuroscience
   by Larry R. Squire, Stephen M. Kosslyn

Cognitive neuroscience has undergone explosive growth in the past 10
years as a result of new brain-imaging technologies,
faster computers and new theories of neural function. These
developments have made it possible to link perception, attention,
memory, and other aspects of cognition to neurobiology. Because
researchers come to cognitive neuroscience from a variety of
fields, researchers and students alike find it difficult to
ascertain the core literature. This volume provides easy access to
the current state of theory and findings in the field by means of 46
review articles.

For more info, see
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/026269204X/top100
                               - - - - - -

ADHD in Adolescents: Diagnosis and Treatment
   by Arthur L. Robin

An empirically based approach to understanding, diagnosing, and
treating ADHD in adolescents is provided in this guide.
Includes a structured intervention program and detailed case
examples. Also included are numerous reproducible materials:
handouts, rating scales and detailed checklists for evaluating ADHD,
developing treatment plans, and monitoring psychological,
behavioral, and academic progress.

For more info, see
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1572303913/top100
---------------------------------------------------------------- 

                         JOURNAL PAPERS

  Neuropsychological testing in adult ADHD

--Can objective neuropsychological testing be a useful adjunct in
the diagnosis of adult ADHD? Analyses indicated that 3
measures combined, Digits Backwards from the WAIS-R and two reaction
time measures from a computerized task modeled
after Luria's Competing Motor Programs, had greater than 90%
accuracy for classifying ADHD and non-ADHD patients.
   Further info:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?uid=10069622&form=6


Relationship between traumatic events in childhood and chronic pain.

--Traumatic events in childhood, such as sexual and physical abuse,
alcoholism, and drug addiction, were associated with adult
chronic pain. All pain groups (facial pain, myofascial pain, and
fibromyalgia) had a history of abuse exceeding 48%:
fibromyalgia, 64.7%; myofascial, 61.9%; facial, 50%; other pain,
48.3%. A combined history of pain, child physical abuse, and
alcoholism was prevalent in 12.9 to 35.3%.
   Further info:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?uid=10070600&form=6


Selective attention in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

--A selective attention deficit may be involved in the
symptomatology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Individuals
diagnosed with OCD were distinguished from those with panic disorder
and from control participants by their relatively poorer
performance on a series of psychometric tasks of selective
attention.
   Further info:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?uid=10067003&form=6


Reduced EEG alpha power in the male and female offspring of alcoholics.

--Subjects with a family history of alcoholism had reduced relative
and absolute alpha power in occipital and frontal regions,
and increased relative beta in both regions compared with subjects
with a negative family history of alcoholism. Deficits in
resting EEG alpha appear to be associated with risk for alcoholism,
although their etiological significance is unclear.
   Further info:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?uid=10069554&form=6


Long-term prognosis of bipolar disorder.

--Although most clinical and demographic variables were not strong
prognostic indicators in bipolar disorder, switching polarity
within episodes was. Most episodes among the poor-prognosis patients
were polyphasic, while most episodes among the
comparison group with a better prognosis were monophasic. Of
particular importance to neurofeedback training, the relevance
of these findings to the 'kindling' model was discussed.
   Further info:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?uid=10082186&form=6


Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, CNS stimulants and sport.

--CNS stimulant medication such as Ritalin used in the management of
ADHD is not permitted for use in competition by the
International Olympic Committee (IOC). Fine motor coordination and
balance are improved after methylphenidate
administration. Stimulant medication for atheletes with ADHD may
provide an unfair advantage in competition.
   Further info:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?uid=10028130&form=6


Personality in late adolescence predict mental disorders in early adulthood

--High "negative emotionality" (a propensity to experience aversive
affective states) at age 18 was associated with affective,
anxiety, substance dependence, and antisocial personality disorders
at age 21. Low "constraint" (difficulty inhibiting the
expression of affect and impulse) at age 18 was associated with
substance dependence and antisocial personality disorders at age 21.
   Further info:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?uid=10030020&form=6


Health care costs associated with depression and substance abuse

--Individuals with self-reported depressive syndromes or substance
abuse had health care costs $1,766 above normal.
Depressive syndromes produced increases in both inpatient and
outpatient costs; substance abuse increased inpatient costs
only.
   Further info:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?uid=10030479&form=6

---------------------------------------------------------------- 
                       Events & Locations

    EEG Biofeedback Training Course for Professionals:
       ADHD, Learning, & Behavior Problems Specialty Course

FACULTY:  Siegfried Othmer, Ph.D.; Sue Othmer, BCIA; John Anderson,
Matt Fleischman, Ph.D.

       Encino, CA           June 10-14, 1999
       Minneapolis, MN      August 5-9, 1999


              DAY 1
             Thursday
                            AM       Introduction and history
                            PM       Mechanisms of brain regulation
                            EVE      Professional issues
              DAY 2
              Friday
                            AM       3-Axis model of brain function
                            PM       Demonstration - beta/SMR
                            EVE      Research results-addiction & EEG training
              DAY 3
             Saturday
                            AM       Protocols
                            PM       Practicum 1
              DAY 4
              Sunday
                            AM       Assessment
                            PM       Case management & case histories
                            EVE      Practicum 2
              DAY 5
             Monday
                            AM       EEG biofeedback in a school setting
                            PM       Integration with complementary modalities
                                     Case histories

---------------------------------------------------------------- 
            Conferences for Neurofeedback Clinicians & Researchers

       CONFERENCE                    LOCATION                DATES
       AAPB 1999                   Vancouver, BC           Apr 7-11 1999
       SSNR 1999                   Myrtle Beach, SC   Sep 30-Oct 3, 1999
---------------------------------------------------------------- 

New Offices online

    Paul Goldring, Ph.D. - West Barnstable, MA
    Carol A. Reiners, D.C. - Parkersburg, IA
    Mediplan - in Norwegian
    Sharon Rae Deacon & Associates - Glendale, MA
                             - - - - -

New Neurofeedback Clinicians

  Clinic of Neurofeedback
  Apoquindo Medical Building
  Apoquindo 4100, Room 1009
  Santiago, Chile
  (562) 2280818  Fax 2241062
  E-mail: fmorgado@...

  Leslie Coates, LCSW
  Wellness Resource
  600 Sandtree Drive, Suite 206B
  Palm Beach Garden, FL 33403
  561-625-8806   Fax: -8823
  E-mail: lcoates@...

  EEG Spectrum Of Centerville, Ohio
  Fred Sinay, M.Ed., LPCC
  537 Windsor Park Drive
  Centerville, Ohio 45459
  (937)-434-4882
  Email: fsinay@...

  Beryl R. Davis, Ph.D.
  5805 Capistrano Ave., Suite E
  Atascadero, CA 93422
  (805) 466-4892, Fax -0742
  Email: brdavis@...

  Beverly Cross
  2535 Townsgate Rd. #209
  Westlake Village, CA 91361
  (805) 379-1009
  Email: Psychsaver@...

  Marysville Naturopathic Medical Clinic
  Lyndon C Capon, ND, RN, LMP
  316 #A State Ave
  Marysville, WA 98271
  (360) 651-9355

  Lauren Gerber, Psy.D.
  550 Carlisle Ave
  Deerfield, IL 60015
  847-317-1307

----------------------------------------------------------------
                    LAST WORD

             Thought Should Precede Action

                  by David Kaiser

In the 1982 film "Firefox", the Russians develop an advanced jet
fighter that is faster and more maneuverable than Uncle Sam's.
This nimble jet has a secret, its revolutionary new human-computer
interface: it is flown by brainwaves. Because thought
precedes action, neural control is believed to be faster than human
control. Once a pilot decides to bank left, for example, a
good fraction of a second may pass before he moves the stick and the
plane responds. A hundred milliseconds here, 50 ms
there, pretty soon you're talking air supremacy. To stop this, the
Pentagon sends Clint Eastwood, a washed-up Air Force pilot,
to Siberia with orders to steal the prototype. Eastwood spends much
of the film in the cockpit of the stolen jet, being chased by
Russians, unable to brain-link into the controls. I won't ruin the
ending, but having worked on an EEG project for the Air Force,
I see an incredible advantage in using brainwaves to fly a plane. Of
course I'm referring to those brainwaves which direct the
hand muscles to move the stick.

But suddenly its one year shy of the millenium and we are one step
closer to Firefox, according to the media. Science headlines
around the world are crowing about the recent(?) invention of an
EEG-based communication device for severely paralysed patients. (see
http://abcnews.go.com:80/sections/tech/DailyNews/brain_computers99032
4.html That Newsweek jumped onto
the EEG feedback bandwagon on this story is particularly pleasing
given the fact that about four years ago Newsweek
proclaimed EEG dead, passe, its glory days over in the larger scheme
of things (the larger scheme being cognitive
neuroscience). Four years ago, in the cover article on cognitive
neuroscience in Newsweek, there was not a single mention of
EEG, save for the last frame of a sidebar where it was called the
"grandfather" of the newer, sexier, and oh-so-expensive
measures such as PET, fMRI, SPECT. EEG was indicated as being less
powerful than these newer acronyms.

But try to create a feedback device with PET -- without making your
subject glow. Or how about cursor-control with fMRI?
No problem, as long as you don't mind spending your days inside a
giant electromagnet. The sensitivity, portability, and
inexpensiveness of EEG are unparalleled in cognitive neuroscience.
In no other measure does high temporal and functional
resolutions converge. But enough about that old story -- let's talk
about the the new story.

Two aspects of this story have seem off. One is technical, the other
involves the media coverage. First: the scientists involved
focused on the CNV, one of the slowest components of the EEG. If one
wants a rapid response, or requires multiple responses
to construct a single action (here, selecting a letter or German
word), why use a slow measurement of the EEG? Others have
trained faster EEG measures with great success. And done so years
ago. One lab invented a EEG-based cursor control,
essentially what the present team achieved, eight years ago! Where
was the media fanfare then? The head scientist of current
approach partly acknowledged this: “Worldwide there are now three
groups who are doing this but we are the first group that
has achieved real writing with the brain.”

Ahh, the new guys had sizzle in their work. Teaching the mute to speak!

But that's what's wrong with the much of the current science
coverage in the media. Sizzle over science. The media wants
Christopher Reeve to walk, a cure for cancer, microbes on Mars, and
HAL 9000 on every desktop before they take notice. In
doing so, they miss out on many important happenings in science.
They missed this story when it first appeared eight years
ago. J.R. Wolpaw reported in 1991 that "over several weeks, subjects
learned to change mu rhythm amplitude quickly and
accurately, so that the cursor typically reached the target in 3
sec." This speed is equal or better than the current system, and
with significantly less practice. In fact, only 2 of the 3 subjects
studied with the CNV approach were able to achieve any
accuracy (70% accuracy that is), and that after hundreds of
sessions. Two successes + one failure = worldwide attention? That
doesn't add up.

Why complain about a breakthough, you may ask.... because this was
not a breakthrough. It was a "media breakthrough" only.
The breakthrough occurred 8 years ago when the first reliable
evidence of an EEG-based communication device was
published. Prior research used a cursor to select a target on a PC
screen but because these targets were not letters, their
success went unreported in the popular media. The new team is
toasted as saviors for using cursor control to generate words
(at a pace which makes us pine for Stephen Hawking's slow steady
synthesized monotones). The moral of the story being: add
a Ouija board to your PC screen, and you get ink.

That EEG has resurrected itself in the eyes of the media (for only a
week...) is fantastic, but all in all, the coverage leaves me
with less confidence in science reporters. The coverage reminds me
of the opening scene from another film "Real Genius". In
this little-known classic, a young prodigy presents a laser at his
science fair. When asked by his father about the award-winning
device he built, the young genius explains how a laser is "coherent
light" -- Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of
Radiation.

The father nods in comprehension, and replies. "Oh, so it can talk."

Further reading:

An EEG-based brain-computer interface for cursor control.
Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 1991 Mar;78(3):252-9
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?uid=1707798&form=6&db=m

20+ papers on EEG-based communication -
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?form=6&uid=9749910&dopt=m

Thought translation device: a neurophysiological approach to communication
in total motor paralysis.
Exp Brain Res 1999 Jan;124(2):223-32
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/query?uid=9928845&form=6&db=m

Firefox (VHS)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/6300269639/top100

Real Genius (VHS)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/6302824559/top100
----------------------------------------------
            Subscription Information
To unsubscribe, email webmaster@... and include
in the subject line of your message "unsubscribe WNIN"






























------------------------------------------------------------------------
eGroup home: http://www.eGroups.com/list/wnin
Free Web-based e-mail groups by eGroups.com

What's New in Neurofeedback
             A Monthly Summary of News and Events
                   Vol. 2 No. 3 - March 1999

         This newsletter is sponsored by EEG Spectrum, Inc.
     Past issues are available at www.eegspectrum.com/newsletter/
     Copyright (C) 1998 by EEG Spectrum. All rights reserved.

|---------- For best viewing use monospace font (Courier)  -----------|
----------------------------------------------------------------
Announcements      - Book Chapter online
In the Spotlight   - Epidemics
News & Reviews     - Books, journal papers, of interest
Events & Locations - Conferences, Courses; New clinicians / offices
Last Word          - The Y2KD Problem
----------------------------------------------------------------
                  Announcements

      EEG Biofeedback: A Generalized Approach to Neuroregulation -
Entire Book Chapter at http://www.eegspectrum.com/articles/kall.htm
----------------------------------------------------------------

                     In the Spotlight

                       Epidemics
                    by David Kaiser

        "...it would rush upon its victims with the speed of a
fire racing through dry or oily substances that happened to be
placed within its reach."   -Giovanni Boccaccio
                          on the Black Death(mid-1300's)

According to recent statistics, Boccaccio might have also
been refering to Attention Deficit Disorder in America in the
1990s. About half a million children were diagnosed as having
ADHD or ADD in 1990. By January 1998, these disorders had claimed
4 million school-aged victims --an astounding 10 percent of
the entire school-age population. In some parts of the
country, nearly half the school children succumbed to this
mysterious, mentally disabling disorders du jour. By other
accounts, 13 million adults also came down with ADD or
ADHD during this time frame. 17 million Americans in 8 years.
Although no infectious agent is credited with these disorders,
these numbers suggest an epidemic is upon us.

By 2000, one in six school-aged children are predicted to be
diagnosed with ADD or ADHD. "With the exception of AIDS,
there are few examples of such a rapid spread of a serious
condition in recent years," says Gene Haislip, a former deputy
assistant administrator at the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).
Haislip is mistaken about his exception, however. AIDS is a
lethal and far more severe disease to contract than most or
all mental health disorders, but at its peak (1993) 102,000 new
cases of AIDS were diagnosed. ADD struck five times this many
children and 10 to 15 times this many adults that same year.
Fortunately the production of Ritalin has kept pace (thank god!)
- with a rise of more than 700% over the past 10 years (that's
a sarcastic "!" back there). America may be ground zero for
this epidemic, but it has crossed the pond with a vengeance.
Britain has witnessed a 35,000% increase in ADD cases in just
five years -- from 2,600 cases in 1992 to 92,000 in 1997.

Although some people might object to comparing ADD/ADHD to
the AIDS epidemic, or any epidemic of an infectious

disease, the truth is that these disorders can be as
emotionally and intellectually devastating as AIDS is
physically. Children with ADHD can be as irritating to
other children as to adults, and it is not usual for them
to end up friendless and feeling lonely and unloved.
Childhood ADHD is associated with an increased frequency
of psychopathology in later life (Wender, et al., 1981).
About two-thirds of children continue ADD symptoms into
adulthood. Researchers have consistently found higher rates of
antisocial personality, conduct, oppositional defiant,
substance use, and anxiety disorders in adults with ADHD.
Serious delinquent and psychological outcomes are associated with
ADHD; in particiular, ADHD/ADD children are at greater risk
for chemical dependence (Clopton et al., 1993; Wilens, et al.,
1995). Substance abuse disorders were found in 28% of children
with ADHD, 8% of ADHD children who no longer showed symptoms
in adolescence, and in only 3% of non-ADHD children.
ADD children often progress from substance abuse to addiction
in a shorter time period than other children. Milin (1991)
found ADHD in one quarter of all substance abusers he examined but
he found no cases of ADHD in non-substance abusers. So to
dismiss the ADHD/ADD epidemic as a problem of note, but not a
threat to our national interests, is to underestimate the
impact these conditions have and will have on society.

Epidemics. What causes epidemics? What ignites them and keeps
them going? When an unfamiliar and virulent germ enters a
virgin population, an epidemic is sure to follow. Correct?
But where did the new germ come from? Some would say epidemics
are the price we pay for living on Earth. Humans are the
roadways upon which microorganisms test out the newest
designs and models. But often the germ responsible for an
epidemic isn't particularly new to the scene, it's the
population that is new to the germ's habitat.

Epidemics have been part of humankind's legacy since our
inception. Cholera, smallpox, diphtheria, Ebola, typhoid, and
Mad Cow's disease. Hippocrates wrote about epidemics more than
2,400 years ago. Pandemics are also common. They are
essentially epidemics past their prime, making the rounds
after the original assault, against a population who has
gained resistance to their forms. By this definition ADD/ADHD is an
epidemic, not a pandemic. We are amid Round One, and there
have been hundreds of Round Ones throughout history.

Perhaps the first documented epidemic struck the army of the
Persian emperor Xerxes. In 480 BC he tried to capture Greece,
but was battled as successfully by Greek microbes as by Greek
soldiers. He brought into Thessaly an army of 800,000 men,
but lost more than a third to plague (and dysentery) and
subsequently abandoned the campaign and withdrew to Asia.
History is replete with similar examples -- microbes doing damage
where artillery cannot reach. The Great Crusades were plagued
by plague. The First Crusade ended in part because an epidemic
struck the horses, killing 5,000 of 7,000. The Second suffered
approximately 100,000 losses to disease. Napoleon, perhaps

history's most successful general, was no match against the
invisible armies. He faced at least two major epidemics --
one in Haiti, the other in Russia -- and he lost both. By the
19th century it was not unusual for disease to outdue the enemy in
creating casualties of war. Typhus has been the deciding
factor in more military battles than one would care to count.

The worst epidemics in human history are the Black Death, a
combination of bubonic and pneumonic plagues which struck
Europe (primarily) in the mid 1300s and reduced the
population by a third or more, the 1918 influenza epidemic
which killed three times as many people than the surrounding
World War, and the current HIV/AIDS epidemic with more than
20 million victims, one quarter having full-blown AIDS.
Black Death is thought to have been carried into Europe
in 1347 by sailors from the Black Sea. The Black Death
appeared during a time of economic depression in Western
Europe. Reduced trade restrictions are therefore partly
responsible for the plague. They were in place to alleviate
the depression and this brought the infected sailors to
Italian shores. The 1918 influenza epidemic was called
'Spanish flu,' however the responsible virus evolved
in American pigs and was spread around the globe by U.S.
troops mobilized for World War I. Finally, there are many
theories about the origin of AIDS but the simian theory seems
most likely. Apparently milder strains of HIV have always been
with us. The end of European colonization in Africa after
World War II increased transportation across Africa,
mixing populations as never before on this continent.
Together with changes in sexual mores, two extremely virulent
strains of HIV emerged. Without the increase traffic and
contact between individuals, such strains would have
burned themselves out in a decade or so, infecting
one or two villages at the most. But truck and jet
transporation changed all that.

Although epidemics can occur for any number of reasons, most
seem to share a common element. This ingredient is what kicks
a local genetic variant onto the world's stage. What is the
epidemic catalyst? ....Money. The creation or appropriation
of wealth by any means possible. Invasion, conquest, exploration,
trade. The pursuit of wealth by a few powerful individuals has
produced (indirectly if not directly) nearly every major
epidemic in history. (Perhaps AIDS is the sole exception.)
Epidemics are ignited by large movements of capitol, be they
sailors or soldiers or natives. A decision is made to
transport a virgin population to the germ's homeland or to
transport the germ to an unprepared city, all in the pursuit
of wealth. Could the same mechanism be true for the
current epidemic sweeping through America's schools?
Possibly. Let's ask ourselves this: Would this "diagnostic
epidemic" be so vast if money were not to be made?


SOURCES: New York Now, March 02, 1999; Gene Haislip, U.S.
Drug Enforcement Agency; National Institutes of Health,
Washington, D.C.

----------------------------------------------------------------
                   News & Reviews


NEW BOOKS



Ritalin Nation: Rapid-fire Culture and the
Transformation of Human Consciousness
     by Richard J. DeGrandpre

The DEA predicts that 1 in 6 children will be
using Ritalin by the year 2000. Psychologist Richard
DeGrandpre contends that the drug is a quick-fix that
treats the symptoms and not the cause of children's behavioral
problems. Drawing on the latest findings from
developmental, psychobiological, and social scientific
research, DeGrandpre seeks to solve the problem of ADD by
"solving" its history. He attributes the disturbing
prevalence of inattention and hyperactivity in
children to the larger societal consequences of a speed-up
culture that has profoundly altered our perceptual
expectations, our very experience of time, and our
ability to defer gratification.

For more info, see

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0393046850/top100
                                ----

Cognitive Neuroscience of Attention: A Developmental Perspective
     by John E. Richards

This is the 2nd book this year which focuses on
the cognitive neuroscience of attention -- the other was the
Attentive Brain. Attention underlies all higher
cognitive functions and according to recent estimates by the
DEA, 1 in 6 children do not develop sufficient
control mechanisms and require psychostimulants to regulate
attention (i.e., ADHD/ADD). This book attacks
the study of attention in the developing brain.

For more info, see

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/080582409X/top100
                                ----

Help Me, I'm Sad: Recognizing, Treating, & Preventing Childhood Depression
   by David Fassler, Lynne S. Dumas

The National Institute of Mental Health estimates
that 2.5 million children and adolescents under 18 years of
age have experienced clinical depression. The authors
discuss how to tell if your child is at risk; how to spot
symptoms; depression's link with other problems
and its impact on the family; teen suicide; finding the right
diagnosis, therapist, and treatment; and what
you can do to help.

For more info, see

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0670865478/top100
                                ----

Buzzed: The Straight Facts About the Most Used
   and Abused Drugs from Alcohol to Ecstasy
     by Cynthia Kuhn, Scott Swartzwelder

Chapters on each of 12 kinds of drug: alcohol,
caffeine, enactogens, hallucinogens, herbal drugs, inhalants,
marijuana, nicotine, opiates, sedatives,
steroids, and stimulants. Each chapter lists individual drugs
of the kind and their common names and briefly describes the
drug's "buzz," immediate hazards (overdose), and dangerous
interactions with other substances; as well as
information on the drug's history, effects, and other topics,
such as, when pertinent, addiction. The book's also
contains chapters on the working of the brain, addiction, and
legal issues.

For more info, see

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0393317323/top100
                                ----

Blame It on the Brain?: Distinguishing Chemical Imbalances,
   Brain Disorders, and Disobedience

   by Edward T. Welch

The author, who has experience in neuropsychology and
theology, provides an unusual perspective on the possible
influences of the brain on behavior and those behaviors
which are highly unlikely to be associated with chemical
imbalances and other brain disorders.

For more info, see

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0875526020/top100
                  -----------------------

JOURNAL PAPERS

Adolescent depression. Epidemiology, nosology, life stress
and social network.
   Olsson G
[Dept of Neurosci, Child & Adol Psychiatry, Univ Hosp, Uppsala, Sweden. ]
   Ups J Med Sci 1998;103(2):77-145
      One in nine adolescents have suffered major depression,
with females having four times the rate of males. Prolonged
adolescent depression was associated with smaller and
unsatisfying social network. They also had experienced many
stressful life events related to family adversities, while
those with shorter depressive episodes had stress related
to the peer group.


From the 'EEG age' to a rational scale of brain electric
maturation.
   Wackermann J, Matousek M
[Neuroscience Tech Research, Prague, Czech Republic. jw@... ]
   Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 1998 Dec;107(6):415-21
      A Brain Electric Maturation Scale is proposed, being
defined by the logarithm of ratio of the age predicted from
the EEG data and chronological age. Such a scale would serve as an
objective measure of brain maturation in children, or as an
age-independent indicator of slow EEG abnormalities.


Attentional capacities in children with autism: is there a
general deficit in shifting focus?
   Pascualvaca DM, Fantie BD, Papageorgiou M, Mirsky AF
[Clinical & Exp Neuropsychology, NIMH, Bethesda, MD 20892 ]
   J Autism Dev Disord 1998 Dec;28(6):467-78
      Attentional abilities of children with autism do not
differ from controls, as expected. Although there is some
evidence of a problem with disengaging attention, other
measures do not show a general deficit in shifting attention.


Assessment of executive function in patients with mild
traumatic brain injury.
   Brooks J, Fos LA, Greve KW, Hammond JS
[UMDNJ-RWJ Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ 08903 ]
   J Trauma 1999 Jan;46(1):159-63
      Mild TBI patients perform poorly on Trails A and B, the
Controlled Oral Word Association Test, and Paced Auditory
Serial Addition Task (2-4), but they perform adequately on
the Mazes Subtest, Boston Naming Test, and Paced Auditory

Serial Addition Task (subtest 1 only). Accordingly, tests of
specific frontal lobe executive functions are valuable in
diagnosing and monitoring recovery from mild TBI.


Association between hyperactivity and executive cognitive
functioning in childhood and substance use in early adolescence.
   Aytaclar S, Tarter RE, Kirisci L, Lu S
[Bakirkoy Mental Hosp, Istanbul, Turkey. ]
   J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 1999 Feb;38(2):172-8
      Hyperactivity and poor executive cognitive functioning
performance indicates high risk for substance abuse. Childhood
executive cognitive functioning is a salient predictor of
drug use in early adolescence.

Is early intervention effective in preventing ADHD?
   Rappaport GC, Ornoy A, Tenenbaum A
[Hebrew Univ Hadassah Med School, Israel ]
   Isr J Psychiatry Relat Sci 1998;35(4):271-9
      In children with a family history of this syndrome early
intervention by non-pharmacologic means reduced the incidence
of ADHD at school age although the small numbers limit
conclusions and need further replication.


Neuropsychological functioning in cocaine abusers with and
without alcohol dependence.
   Robinson JE, Heaton RK, O'Malley SS
[Dept of Psychiatry, Yale Sch of Med, jane.robinson@... ]
   J Int Neuropsychol Soc 1999 Jan;5(1):10-9
      Cocaine and alcohol abusers do not differ from normals
on the majority of neuropsychological test measures, however
there was a generally mild cognitive dysfunction in cocaine
abusers. Also, interestingly, cocaine only abusers were worse
on complex psychomotor and simple motor functioning than both
cocaine and alcohol abusers.
-----------------------------------------------------
                 Events & Locations

    EEG Biofeedback Training Course for Professionals:
            Addictions Specialty Course

FACULTY: Siegfried Othmer, Ph.D.; Sue Othmer, BCIA; Marty Wuttke, Bill Scott

       Encino, California       March 11-15, 1999
                                September 23-27, 1999

DAY 1
Thursday
AM       Introduction and history
PM       Mechanisms of brain regulation
EVE      Professional issues

DAY 2
Friday
AM       3-Axis model of brain function
PM       Demonstration - beta/SMR
EVE      Research results-addiction & EEG training


DAY 3
Saturday
AM       Protocols
PM       Practicum 1 - beta/SMR

DAY 4
Sunday
AM       Alpha-theta training - what & how
PM       Alpha-theta continued
EVE      Practicum 2 - alpha-theta

DAY 5
Monday
AM       Assessment & case management
PM       Integrated A/T into comprehensive tx program
           Case histories

----------------------------------------------------------------
            Conferences for Neurofeedback Clinicians & Researchers

       CONFERENCE       LOCATION   DATES
       AAPB 1999      Vancouver, BC           Apr 7-11 1999
       SSNR 1999      Myrtle Beach, SC   Sep 30-Oct 3, 1999
----------------------------------------------------------------
New Neurofeedback Clinicians / New Offices

Innervisions Counseling and Biofeedback
Linda B Lookabill, MA, LPC, LMFT
Donna M Paris, MSW, LCSW
1397 Laskin Rd #201
Virgina Beach, VA 23451
757-436-3838
jlooka@...

Innervisions Counseling and Biofeedback
Linda B Lookabill, MA, LPC, LMFT
Donna M Paris, MSW, LCSW
1015-D Eden Way North
Chesapeake, VA 23320
757-436-3838
jlooka@...

Robert L McRoberts, PhD
222 W Gregory, Suite 229
Kansas City, MO 64114
(785) 267-4440 x386

Henry M. Weeks, Ph.D.
211 Echo Rd
Carlisle, PA 17013-9510
(717) 243-3164
hweeks@...

Bill Mansfield, M.A., Clinic Director
Advanced Learning Solutions
205 McNabb Suite #201
Sault Ste. Marie ON P6B 1Y3 Canada
705-253-7722
eeg@...

Instituto Português de Neuroterapia
Joao Pedro Martins
Estrade da Luz, 92 - 7° Esq.
1600 Lisboa - Portugal
Tel. 751 55 60/00  ext. 194/141
fax: 757 70 06

   Dr Angel Egozcue
   PO Box 1455
   Lares 00669-1455 PR
   (787) 897-2705

   Leslie Coates, LCSW
   Wellness Resources
   600 Sandtree Drive
   Palm Beach Garden FL 33403
   561-625-8806

   Pam Passis
   1860 Oak St Ste 100
   Northfield IL 60093-3027
   (847) 433-5774

   Sharon Stein McNamara, Ed.D., LP
   William Fournier, MA,LP,LMFT,BCIAC
   1144 Grand Ave
   St. Paul MN 55105 US
   651-227-8105
   sspsyche@...

   EEG Spectrum of San Antonio
   Mary Jo Lee, MA, LPA, LPC, School Psychologist
   Blake Holloway, MA, LCDC, AS
   Debbie Pruski, MEd, Child Behavioralist Specialist
   8627 Cinnamon Creek, Bldg 401
   San Antonio TX 78240
   210-699-0345  Fax -0377
   mjlee50@aol   gblakeh@...

   (Change of address)
   Judith DeGrazia Willard, Ph.D.
   1701 E Green Valley Pkwy Build #2 Ste A
   Henderson NV 89014
   (702) 650-0590
   jdwillard@...

   (Change of address)
   Mark D. Chamberlain, Ph.D.
   1044 W 400 S
   Layton, UT 84041-5235
   (801) 294-4133
   mark.chamberlain2@...
--------------------------------------------------

                Last Word

           The Y2KD Problem
            by David Kaiser

     (the D in Y2KD stands for "deca" or 10)

As we all know, the sky is predicted to fall at the end of
next year. One day, we will be faxing from our cars and
playing strip poker over the Internet from 30,000 feet;
the next day, we will be hunting squirrels and cooking
beans over Sternos. They call it Y2K -- a sleek moniker
for the approaching Armaggedon. Bugged back into the
Stone Age, that's our fate. When the frightful double-zero

rears its ugly head and slouches towards Bethlehem to be born,
you better be in Montana with a two-year supply of Ramen noodles
hidden under the floorboards. Or else! On January 1st, 2000,
the world will be transformed for the worse. At least according
to survivalists and Y2K consultants.

But a far more significant and culturally metamorphic milestone
awaits us, one far more frightening than having PCs
mistakenly attribute my birth to a post-Civil War baby boom.
And this transfigural event is fast approaching, faster than you
think. Exactly 10 years after Y2K passes with little notice,
the Y2KD problem strikes. And this problem will not be ignored or
shoo-ed away by computer consultants charging $150 per hour.

The DEA estimates that one in 6 school-aged children will be
diagnosed with ADD by Y2K, the year 2000. This is a 600 to
700% increase since 1990. As no one in psychiatric circles
predicts a slowdown in diagnoses, the first decade of the new
millenium should also show a 600% increase in numbers. By my
calculations, come January 1st 2010, every single school
children in America will be diagnosed as having ADHD or ADD.
One hundred percent! Not a single child will escape being
labelled. Think of it. An entire generation unable to pay
attention. Not one child able to read Moby Dick, at least
not beyond the  first page. Think what will happen to our
school systems when Y2KD hits. January 1st, 2010 dawns
and every child in the U.S. goes haywire. Not a single
homework assignment will be passed in after 2010.
The detentions will flow like water; each and
every day the entire school will have to stay after school.

With 40 million Americans unable to sit still, America cannot
help but be transformed. And the only way our great culture will
survive is to adapt. Adapt to the demands of the perpetually
distracted. I expect the changes will be small at first, a book
dropped from curriculum here, basic math skill requirements dropped
there. But as 100% of the Generation Rx'ers succumb to the siren
song of arousal dysfunction, count on the changes to snowball
quickly. Here are just a few ways America in the year 2010
will be different from the America we all know and love
today:

   1. All school libraries will contain video arcades
   2. Movies are now 15 minutes in length, with 2 intermissions
   3. Every day children spend 8 hours sleeping, 8 hours in school,
        and 8 hours in time-out
   4. The Easy-Bake Oven people are sued for false advertising
   5. Spinning around in one spot becomes an Olympic event --
        both Summer and Winter
   6. Bringing a child aboard a cross-country flight is punishable
        with 30 days in jail (which most parents accept willingly)
   7. Possession of sugar is a Class C felony.
   8. Car mirrors warn: "Objects in mirror may be faster
        than they appear"
   9. The game "Here We go 'round the Mulberry Bush" is responsible
        for launching the first child into orbit
10. An extra day added to week to give parents a break
------------------------------------------------
                              end


------------------------------------------------------------------------
eGroup home: http://www.eGroups.com/list/wnin
Free Web-based e-mail groups by eGroups.com

What's New in Neurofeedback

             A Monthly Summary of News and Events
                   Vol. 2 No. 2 - February 1999

         This newsletter is sponsored by EEG Spectrum, Inc.
     Past issues are available at www.eegspectrum.com/newsletter/
     Copyright (C) 1998 by EEG Spectrum. All rights reserved.

|---------- For best viewing use monospace font (Courier)  -----------|
----------------------------------------------------------------
Announcements      - Men's Fitness; CEU credits
In the Spotlight   - SMR-Beta Training and Cognitive Function
News & Reviews     - Books, journal papers, of interest
Events & Locations - Conferences, Courses; New clinicians / offices
Last Word          - Eyeballs Wielding Grenades
----------------------------------------------------------------

                 Announcements

"Men's Fitness" magazine has an article on Neurofeedback and
   Peak Performance in the Feb issue.

Natl & Regional approvals for CEU credits to EEG Spectrum courses
   - www.eegspectrum.com/course/ceu.htm
----------------------------------------------------------------

                      IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Effect of SMR-Beta Training on Neurocognitive Performance

                     David Kaiser, Ph.D.

Presented at 1999 Winter Conference on Brain Function,
Modification, & Training, Palm Springs CA

One-hundred and two school-aged children (28 female, 74 male)
with attentional problems (impulsive, inattentive, and/or
hyperactive) participated in this study. Thirty-two were clearly
diagnosed with ADHD/ADD. Mean age was 9.7 y, with a range
from 6 to 14 years of age. Characteristically, the intake criteria
were generous. Nearly half of the children exhibited learning
disabilities, Conduct Disorder, or ODD comorbid conditions.

Subjects underwent 17 or more SMR/Beta neurofeedback sessions
(17-92 range, 36 sessions mean). The protocol for the
EEG training consists of rewarding enhanced EEG amplitudes in the
12-18 Hz frequency regime, while simultaneously inhibiting
excessive amplitudes in the low frequency (4-7 Hz) and
high-frequency (22-30 Hz) regimes. Electrode placement always
includes one electrode site on the sensorimotor strip (at either
C3 or C4 in the standard 10-20 system). The protocol provides
for a combination of left-side (C3) and right-side (C4) training,
and a combination of reward for activity in the 12-15 Hz regime
and the 15-18 Hz regime.

Pre- and post-training performance was measured on the following
tests:

    1. Digit Span test (from WISC-R) - short term memory
    2. Benton Visual Retention Test (BVRT) - visuomotor execution
    3. Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) - hemispheric integration
         and communication
    4. Word Fluency (FAS) test - verbal fluency
    5. Grooved Pegboard (both hands) - concentration, dexterity, and
        hemispheric laterality.
    6. Test of Variables of Attention - sustain attention

TOVA Results

Table 1. Mean standard scores for TOVA subtests before and after EEG
biofeedback sessions for 89 children and
adolescents with attention problems.


                      Pre-Training   Post-Training    Change
      Inattention           83.2            84.7        1.5
      Impulsivity           89.8            99.3        9.5 *
      Response Time         82.1            79.0       -3.1
      Resp. Variability     77.5            78.5        1.0


Subjects improved significantly in impulsivity scores only, p<.005.
Similar results were found for those diagnosed with ADHD/ADD.



Neurocognitive Results

      Significant improvement was observed in all cognitive and
performance tests in response to EEG biofeedback, p < .005.

Table 2. Mean standard scores for neurocogntivie tests before and
after EEG biofeedback sessions for 102 children and
adolescents with attention problems.

                Pre-Training   Post-Training   Change
     Word Fluency    39.4           60.0         20.6
     Digit Span      88.8          110.8         22.0
     SDMT           101.0          106.9          5.8
     BVRT            97.4          101.3          3.9
     Grooved Pegbd  102.5          107.4          4.9


Brief Discussion

As attention improved only moderately, as measured by the TOVA,
it is unlikely that changes in the attentional component of
these cognitive measures could account for these results. Also,
some of these tests have only moderate attentional demands.
These children were also chronic in their condition, having shown
little remediation with prior treatments (which often included
stimulant medication for ADHD). The variety of performance domains
improved suggest that higher cortical functions are impacted by
SMR-Beta training. Both cortical and subcortical function as
well as left and right hemispheric functions were improved by
training.
      It is believed that EEG biofeedback does not impinge
directly on neuromodulator function; rather it does so indirectly
through its impact on thalamocortical rhythmic activity, which
is in turn governed by a variety of neuromodulator systems
(Steriade, McCormick, & Sejnowski, 1993). EEG biofeedback
training may be best seen as a challenge to the regulatory
mechanisms which govern activation and arousal in the
bioelectrical domain. The thalamocortical rhythms may be seen
as the electrical means by which the tone or setpoint of
responsiveness of any central neurological system is governed.
EEG training is then an appeal to this regulatory machinery in
its most general terms. The operant conditioning paradigm
results in deviations from the prevailing setpoints in activation
and arousal. This results in countervailing activity by the brain
to restore the desired setpoint. Over time, such exercise of the
regulatory apparatus results in greater stability of the
regulatory loop, and in greater range of cognitive and
attentional function.


----------------------------------------------------------------
            News & Reviews

NEW BOOKS

Change Your Brain, Change Your Life: The Revolutionary,
Scientifically Proven Program for Mastering Your Moods,
   Conquering Your Anxieties and Obsessions

     by Daniel G. Amen

Contains numerous brain scans of patients with various
neurological problems, from caffeine, nicotine, and
heroin addiction to manic-depression to epilepsy. The author,
a pioneering neuropsychiatrist, advocates natural
remedies, including deep breathing, guided imagery,
meditation, self-hypnosis, and EEG biofeedback for
treating disorders (rewiring their brains) that are
so frequently dealt with by prescription only.

Info? http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0812929977/top100
                               - - - - - -

Fathering the ADHD Child: A Book for Fathers, Mothers, and
Professionals
   by Edward H. Jacobs

According to clinical psychologist Edward H. Jacobs, fathers
and  mothers often view their ADHD child very
differently, leading to common misunderstandings, and to
fathers and mothers feeling misunderstood and failing
to work together. The author recognizes the needs and
perspectives particular to fathers and he suggests how
differences can be harnessed to strengthen and enrich
the parenting team to benefit the ADHD child.

Info? http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0765700689/top100
                               - - - - - -

Alternative Medicine Guide to Chronic Fatigue, Fibromyalgia and
Environmental Illness
   by Burton Goldberg

Provides medical, anatomical, biological, nutritional
and chemical explanations of symptoms and causes of CFS
and related disorders, with recommendations for recovery
(based on treatment protocol of 26 physicians).

Info? http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1887299114/top100
                               - - - - - -

The Human Frontal Lobes: Functions and Disorders
   by Bruce L. Miller & Jeffrey L. Cummings

The role of frontal lobe dysfunction in psychiatric disorders is
explored for schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder,
depression, antisocial behavior, and other conditions.

Info? http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1572303905/top100
                               - - - - - -

Foundations of Intellectual Assessment: The WAIS-III and Other Tests
in Clinical Practice
   by Robert J. Gregory

With a primary focus on adults, Gregory attempts to answer such
important questions as: When is an intellectual assessment
appropriate? How do professional and ethical standards inform the
practice of assessment? This book contains comprehensive
information, including test norms and standards for effective
use of the WAIS-III and many other tests (mental status,
attention/concentration, sensory/perceptual, psychomotor, memory,
language, drawing, higher cognitive functions, intelligence).
Provides a context of psychological assessment, the importance of
personal background and mental status in assessment, and
the shifting professional standards and ethics of today.

Info? http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0205198333/top100
----------------------------------------------------------------

JOURNAL PAPERS

Right hemispheric hypoarousal theory of ADHD [paraphrased]
   Sheppard DM, Bradshaw JL, Mattingley JB, Lee P
   [Psych Dept, Monash Univ, Clayton, Victoria, Aust.

    Dianne.Sheppard@... ]
   J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 1999 Jan;66(1):57-63
      ADHD children show asymmetric attention deficits in lateralized
visuospatial orienting tasks, suggesting right hemispheric
attentional disturbance. These findings support a right hemispheric
hypoarousal theory of attentional dysfunction, and are
consistent with the emerging picture of a lateralized dysfunction of
frontostriatal circuitry in ADHD.

Clinical electroencephalographic study of nine pediatric patients
with convulsion induced by the TV animation, Pocket Monster.
   Niijima S, Takahashi K, Onishi M, Arii N, Saito M, et al
   [Dept of Pediatrics, Juntendo Univ Sch of Med, Tokyo, Japan.
    sniijima@... ]
   Acta Paediatr Jpn 1998 Dec;40(6):544-9
      A clinical electroencephalographic study of nine children who
developed convulsions and other symptoms while watching
TV animation showed photoparoxysmal responses during eyes open and
video tape watching only (and not during eyes closed
conditions). As the greatest response occurred during watching of
the video tape of the animation, the need for restraint in TV
animation is proposed.

Neuropsychological testing and functional outcome for individuals
with traumatic brain injury.
   Leahy BJ, Lam CS
   [Illinois Inst of Tech, Institue of Psych, Chicago]
   Brain Inj 1998 Dec;12(12):1025-35
      The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised IQ and Stroop
Color and Word Test scores differentiated individuals
with traumatic brain injury who required no assistance with
activities of daily living from those requiring some level of
assistance.

Prevalence differences in depression among males and females: are
there evolutionary explanations?
   McGuire MT, Troisi A
   [Neuropsychiatric Institute, School of Medicine, UCLA]
   Br J Med Psychol 1998 Dec;71 (Pt 4):479-91
      Differences in male-female prevalence rates of depression are
interpreted in evolutionary perspective. Findings pointing
to depression-contributing features of male-female differences,
asymmetries in male-female relationships and male-female
differences associated with reproduction are discussed.

EEG evidence of stimulus-directed response dynamics in human
somatosensory cortex.
   Kelly EF, Folger SE
   [Dept of Diag Sci & Dental Res Ctr, 112 DRC, CB #7455, UNC at
    Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7455 ]
   Brain Res 1999 Jan 9;815(2):326-36
      Frequency-domain analysis of cross-trial averages revealed
prominent 'driving' responses in the EEG at the frequency of
stimulation, which under specific stimulus conditions displayed
pronounced changes in amplitude and topographic organization
over brief durations of stimulus exposure.

Cognitive impact of traumatic events.
   Bower GH, Sivers H
   [Dept of Psych, Stanford U. Gordon@... ]
   Dev Psychopathol 1998 Fall;10(4):625-53
      The major psychological consequences of trauma --
reexperiencing, avoidance, hypervigilance -- are associated with
fear conditioning. But beyond conditioning, traumas often violate
the victims' basic assumptions about the benevolence, justice,

and meaningfulness of their physical and social worlds.

Neural plasticity and emotional memory.
   Post RM, Weiss SR, Li H, Smith MA, Zhang LX et al
   [Biol Psychiatry Branch, NIMH, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892-1272 ]
   Dev Psychopathol 1998 Fall;10(4):829-55
      The role of the amygdala in modulating emotional memory is
discussed, as well as some of its unique properties such as
metaplasticity (i.e., the differential direction of long-term
adaptation, either potentiation or depression) in response to the
same
input as a function of the prior history of stimulation. These
results highlight the importance of prevention and early
intervention.

Twin study of lifetime major depression in men and women.
   Kendler KS, Prescott CA
   [Dept of Psychiatry, Commonwealth U Coll of Med, Richmond VA]
   Arch Gen Psychiatry 1999 Jan;56(1):39-44
      Although women report higher rates of major depression than
men, major depression is equally heritable in men and
women. Most genetic risk factors influence liability to major
depression similarly in the both sexes, though some genes may exist
that act differently on the risk in men vs women.
----------------------------------------------------------------
                       Events & Locations

    EEG Biofeedback Training Course for Professionals:
            Addictions Specialty Course

FACULTY: Siegfried Othmer, Ph.D.; Sue Othmer, BCIA; Marty Wuttke, Bill Scott

       Encino, California       March 11-15, 1999
                                September 23-27, 1999

              DAY 1
             Thursday
                            AM       Introduction and history
                            PM       Mechanisms of brain regulation
                            EVE      Professional issues
              DAY 2
              Friday
                            AM       3-Axis model of brain function
                            PM       Demonstration - beta/SMR
                            EVE      Research results-addiction & EEG training
              DAY 3
             Saturday
                            AM       Protocols
                            PM       Practicum 1 - beta/SMR
              DAY 4
              Sunday
                            AM       Alpha-theta training - what & how
                            PM       Alpha-theta continued
                            EVE      Practicum 2 - alpha-theta
              DAY 5
             Monday
                            AM       Assessment & case management
                            PM       Integrated A/T into comprehensive tx
program
                                     Case histories

----------------------------------------------------------------
            Conferences for Neurofeedback Clinicians & Researchers

       CONFERENCE                    LOCATION                DATES
       AAPB 1999                   Vancouver, BC           Apr 7-11 1999
       SSNR 1999                   Myrtle Beach, SC   Sep 30-Oct 3, 1999
----------------------------------------------------------------

New Offices online

Alaska Neuro Lab - Anchorage, AK.  Specializes in EEG biofeedback
   treatment of ADD, learning disabilities, developmental delay,

   head injury, seizure disorder, headache, and chronic pain.
   - www.eegspectrum.com/affil/neurolab.htm

Del Sherlock & Don Brinkworth - Gympie, Queensland
   - www.eegspectrum.comaffil/brinkworth.htm

Abilities Center - Lake Oswego, OR -  A private clinic specializing
    in the treatment of attention and learning problems in the Portland
    Metro area. - www.eegspectrum.com/affil/mcmanus.htm
                             - - - - -

New Case Histories online

      CS - Reactive Attachment Disorder, Adult
          - www.eegspectrum.com/articles/casehx/fisher2.htm

      Baby Luke - Neurofeedback training with an infant
         - www.eegspectrum.com/articles/casehx/fisher3.htm
                             - - - - -
New Neurofeedback Clinicians / New Offices
Michael Peck, Ph.D.
10642 Santa Monica Blvd, Suite 300
Los Angeles, CA 90025-4833
(310) 475-3018

Crescent Community Care, Inc.
Alfred A. Olinde, MD
Deborah Piacsek, CNS; Andrew Ruth, RN, Ph.D.
1175 Old Spanish Trail Road
Slidell, LA
504-641-0505

Luise F. Jaki, M.S.
Progresso 18 E-41013
Sevilla  Spain
011 49 89 769 1368

Thomas DuHamel, Ph.D.
ABCD Inc.
2611 NE 125th St. #225
Seattle WA 98125-4357
(206) 361-6884

Paula Clinton, M.Ed.,LPC,LMFT
4334 New Expressway Ste 238
Oklahoma City OK 73116
405-843-8588

Greg Sharp, D.O.
Colville Healing Arts Center
143 Garden Homes
Colville, WA 99114
509-685-2300

Beverly Cross
2353 Townsgate Road #209
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360-5576
(805) 379-1009

Encino Center for Counseling & Psychotherapy
Lorraine Barak, MFCC, Martha Widawer, Ph.D.
16550 Ventura Blvd Ste 405
Encino, CA  91436
(818) 501-4435
Email: mwidawer@...
Ron Lopez, M.D., Darcy Dod-Cooper, C.N.A.
2843 Alternate 19
Palm Harbor, FL 34683
727-772-0038

Grand Marais, MN
Superior EEG Spectrum
Kathleen Lee Stewart, BSN, RN, CFNP
Karl Hansen, BA
4620 Sawbill Trail
Tofte, MN 55615-2129
218-663-7155  (May - October)
218-387-1247 (November - April)
Email: Kathleen Lee Stewart klm@...
Email: Karl Hansen solarkarl@...
Clint Hamlin    (new address)
Alaska Advanced Care Center
4105 Tudor Centre Drive
Anchorage, AK 99508
907-562-9099 or 907-561-9191
chamlin7@... or
E-mail:chamlin7@...
----------------------------------------------------------------
                  LAST WORD

         Eyeballs Wielding Grenades

              by David Kaiser

The other day I was playing an online first-person perspective
shoot'em-up game with 10 other players. The game's landscape
consisted of a series of interconnected hallways and each player
appeared in the game as an eyeball that scamped around on
tiny feet and sported grenades. When you spotted another player,
you tossed a grenade and ran for cover. Part of the fun of
the game was that you could not run backwards, so you had to toss
the grenade at your target, run past it and the intended
victim, and escape down a side corridor before the grenade
blew up. The grenade had a two-second delay and would destroy
everyone in the hallway. You knew you were a dead man when
you saw an eyeball pass your position on the run and turn
sharply out of view. I spent the majority of that day watching

eyeballs rush past me, ducking into side corridors, just as
everything went black.

Now this game may sound boring to those of us who have played
Doom, Quake, Duke Nukem, or a hundred other first-person
PC games, but the "other day" to which I referred was
in 1976, I was in sixth grade, and I was playing at MIT on
one of the largest computers in the world at the time. (Even
in those days MIT students knew how to put a computer to good
use -- hunting down friends in cyberspace.)

The eyeball game was played on "dumb" terminals connected
to a central computer which was located half a building away.
The central computer was the size of a VW van. It was brand new,
cost $4 million, and was cooled by a dozen industrial air
conditioners. You had to wear a sweater to stay in that room
for any length of time. Despite the cold, throughout the day a
dozen or so students and staff vainly tried to keep the damn
machine from crashing, which it did every 4 hours like clockwork.
Although the machine had less computing power than a Furbie does
today, it was state-of-the-art at the time and it intimidated
me more than any other creature I've encountered on this planet,
before or since. Yet here were students standing three feet
below floor level, running wires and connecting terminals to the
underbelly of the beast without a second thought. Hard work,
but they enjoyed it. This was a world, a campus, a small city in
itself, made up entirely of early adopters of computers and
technology.

What reminded me of this strange day of computer play, now
23 years forgotten, was a recent email message I received. It
was a message from an academic psychologist who had been sent a
number of papers on neurofeedback. He replied that until
a neurofeedback study was published in the Journal of Clinical
Psychology, the General Archives of Psychiatry, or some other
major journal, he would not pay attention to any results we found.
Regardless of the number of subjects involved! Unless the
AMA or some other austere organization told him what to accept,
and think, he would remain happy with his dated toolset.
(Did Australopithicus think this way? I imagined him crouched
over a waning fire, poking his meal with a stick or bone, where
off in the distance claypots and spearheads are being fashioned.)

The brain, once thought to be nothing more than a cooling organ,
has now grabbed center stage in the world of science.
Everyone in psychology and the mental health disciplines should
agree on this. And this growing focus on the 3-pound universe
cannot help but contribute daily to greater acceptance of
technologies that assess and alter the brain's functions such as
neurofeedback. As spiritual explanations (demonic possession) were
superseded by psychological explanations (id disorders)
in the early part of this century, psychological explanations will
themselves be superseded by biological and psychophysiological
explanations in the early part of the next century (e.g, neural
dysfunction). Yet today the world is still populated with stone
tool users and the various gods and superstitions they heed.

Some days I wonder what can ever change this.

According to some, change will come about in response to public
demand. The public, and not academia, does not have
careers or stock options at stake in determining what treatments
work and what treatments don't. The public seeks out what is
best for him or her. They are ready and eager to adopt the newest
technologies as long as they prove effective. Public demand
is creating supply. At one time it was predicted that the entire
world's computational power could be supplied by 5 computers
worldwide. But public demand turned that prediction into nonsense.
Likewise, the arguments we hear today for eliminating
abnormal brain function through rampant medication and surgery,
instead of training, will be met by the same derision. We are
all early adopters in this field. Early adopters work harder than
the rest -- but they also reap the greatest rewards. Early
adopters are the explorers and conquerors, institutions are the
homesteaders. Early adopters are like all those eyeballs that
raced ahead of me in the hallway that day, having already
dropped a bomb at my feet. I was stuck in place, and all went
quickly black, just as they were turning the corner.
----------------------------------------------
            Subscription Information
To unsubscribe, email webmaster@... and include
in the subject line of your message "unsubscribe WNIN"



------------------------------------------------------------------------
eGroup home: http://www.eGroups.com/list/wnin
Free Web-based e-mail groups by eGroups.com

What's New in Neurofeedback
 
            A Monthly Summary of News and Events
                  Vol. 2 No. 1 - January 1999

        This newsletter is sponsored by EEG Spectrum, Inc.
    Past issues are available at www.eegspectrum.com/newsletter/
     Copyright (C) 1998 by EEG Spectrum. All rights reserved.

|---------- For best viewing use monospace font (Courier)  -----------|
----------------------------------------------------------------
Announcements      - Journal articles from 1998, Weekly Alerts
In the Spotlight   - Being Available for Treatment
News & Reviews     - Books, journal papers, of interest
Events & Locations - Conferences,  Courses; New clinicians / offices
Last Word          - 1998 Year in Review (...and 100% Lewinsky-free!)
----------------------------------------------------------------

                 Announcements

  Journal articles Year in Review - organized by condition
       http://www.eegspectrum.com/nftoday/week/1998.htm
                               - - - - - -
Free Weekly Alerting News Service
       http://www.eegspectrum.com/html/communit.htm#alert
       Mental health & neuroregulatory news to your desktop.
---------------------------------------------------------------- 

                     IN THE SPOTLIGHT

               Being Available for Treatment

High attrition rates -- it may be the most difficult problem faced by
addiction counselors. You cannot treat a
patient who isn't there. A 50% drop-out rate for outpatient addiction
patients during the first week treatment is not unusual. One session and
they're gone! And we all know (intuitively or empirically) that the chance
to help someone escape from drugs improves with every week and month he or
she spends in treatment. Completing a
treatment program further boosts the likelihood of staying off drugs by 67%.

       So why do addict leave?

Staying with a treatment program is under the patient's direct control,
isn't it? Or is such reasoning flawed. We are talking about a spectrum of
disorders (psychoactive substance dependence and abuse) in which the
patient's behavior actually loses a normal sense of control and
voluntariness. Addicts spend most of their waking days either doing,
recovering from, or seeking out drugs. And not exactly due to choice.
Something in their system compels them to follow these self-destructive
behaviors. So how can we counter this compulsion? Should we meet it with an
equal but opposite external force? As it turns out, the best way to compel
an addict to change his or her behavior is not through legal means, but
through personal or financial means. When legally compelled to enter a
treatment program, drug use reduction is 60% less than when an employer or
health reasons are involved in the decision. These latter forces make the
addict more available for treatment.

As Woody Allen puts it, 90% of living is just showing up, being physically
available. "Showing up" for treatment is a lot to ask of addict. It requires
being emotionally and intellectually "available" to handle the
challenges of drastically altering the course of one's life. This is where
neurofeedback should work itself into the equation.

This weekend (Jan 23rd) EEG Spectrum will be presenting preliminary results
from a control research study on
addiction at the American Association for the Advancement of Science in
Anaheim, CA. This study investigates
the effectiveness of including both SMR/beta and alpha-theta neurofeedback
to addiction therapy. The press
release appears below:


ANAHEIM, January 21 - A behavioral research team
announced today that it has
doubled the recovery rate for drug addicts in a
study that gave patients feedback on their
brain's electrical activity in conjunction with
conventional treatment for drug abuse.

William C. Scott, principal investigator of the
study, said that across the country, drug
rehab programs have generally achieved a success
rate of 20 to 30 percent in relapse
prevention one to two years following treatment.
In the current study, in excess of 50% of
experimental subjects remained drug-free a year
later.

The study used neurofeedback, a technique that
trains patients to alter their brainwave
patterns as they receive information about those
patterns.  The researchers placed
electrodes on patient's scalps and displayed the
brain's electrical activity on a computer
monitor in the form of an audio-visual exercise.
The feedback process informed patients
about their success in making changes.

"Beyond the scientific implications of this
study, which are exciting, the real significance
is the hope it offers addicts, their families
and our communities," Scott said. "For those
who've tried and failed, here's a result that
says, 'try again, there are new possibilities.'
For families and communities, it's another
opportunity to free ourselves from the specter
of drugs."

The pioneering study was a collaboration between
CRI-Help, a North Hollywood
in-patient drug and alcohol rehabilitation
facility, and EEG Spectrum, sponsor of a
nation-wide network of neurofeedback providers.
The research team released its
preliminary results today at the annual meeting
of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science because of the potential
public policy implications.

Expressing his hope that other researchers would
move quickly to duplicate the study,
Scott said the research team would release a
final report within the next year upon
completion of a full two-year post-treatment
follow-up.

Following a standard controlled research design,
researchers from EEG Spectrum and
CRI-Help organized 135 drug rehab patients into
two matched groups, one experimental
and the second a control group against which the
test subjects could be compared. Both
groups received treatment based on the Minnesota
Model, a 12-step oriented program
supported by group, family, and individual
counseling. The experimental group also
received 40 to 50 neurofeedback sessions
directed toward improving cognitive function
and mood regulation. Controls received
additional individual and group sessions.

In addition to improving the success rate for
recovering addicts, the study documented
significant improvements in the ability of the
experimental group to focus their thinking
and process information. Moreover, the
experimental subjects exhibited significant
improvement in some relevant measures of
psychological functioning (Minnesota
Multiphasic Personality Inventory [MMPI-2]).
These gains may help to sustain the
subjects in the ongoing recovery process.

Scott points out that most drug addicts are
simply not either mentally or psychologically
"available" for drug rehab therapy. This results
in considerable attrition in conventional
programs as addicts abandon treatment. A key
finding in the current study is that the
addition of neurofeedback training to
conventional treatment reduced patient attrition
significantly. After only 45 days of treatment,
nearly one-third of the control group had
opted out of treatment prematurely and left the
residential facility, compared to only 6%
of the experimental group. Scott said, "Any form
of treatment which reduces the dropout
rate becomes a valuable rehab technique."

David A. Kaiser, Ph.D., the experimental
psychologist who designed the study, noted that
this work complements earlier findings on the
efficiency of neurofeedback in aiding
recovery among severe alcoholics. The present
study extends these findings to opiate
abusers, multiple-drug abusers, and users of
stimulant-type medications such as
methamphetamine and cocaine.

Siegfried Othmer, Ph.D., chief scientist at EEG
Spectrum, said that to his knowledge this
is the first large-scale, carefully controlled
study to date that measures the effectiveness
of neurofeedback as a treatment for drug
addicts. "I think these remarkable results
should motivate other researchers to replicate
our findings in large-scale populations," he
said.

The study was initiated by Marcus Sola, Chairman
of the Board of CRI-Help. In
reflecting on the results, Sola said: "It must
be recognized that we are dealing here not
with typical research subjects but rather with
the most difficult type of addict currently in
rehabilitation." Most had been assigned to
CRI-Help by courts, or their care was
otherwise mandated. "To have observed this kind
of improvement over what we consider
to be a model, state-of-the-art program already
is simply remarkable." Sola believes the
conclusion to be inescapable that when these
results are confirmed in other studies, "they
will change the standard of care in the field."

Source: Services Research Outcomes Study (SROS), a 5-year post-discharge
follow-up of
3,047 drug clients; see www.samhsa.gov/oas/sros/httoc.htm.

---------------------------------------------------------------- 
            News & Reviews

NEW BOOKS

Slaying the Dragon: The History of Addiction Treatment & Recovery in America
by William L. White

A comprehensive historical book on the history of addiction treatment and
recovery in America. Includes
numerous approaches of treating alcoholism and drug addictions, effective or
ineffective.

For more info, see http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/093847507X/top100
                               - - - - - -

The Chemical Dependence Treatment Documentation Sourcebook
   by James R. Finley, Brenda S. Lenz

Sourcebook to free addiction treatment professionals to spend more of their
time and energy helping clients instead of "re-inventing the wheel" on
admininstrative and documentation tasks.

For more info, see http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/00471312851/top100
                               - - - - - -

Caffeine Blues: Wake Up to the Hidden Dangers of America's 1 Drug
by Stephen Cherniske

The culmination of more than a decade of research into the effects, side
effects and "politics" of caffeine.
Cumulative effects of caffeine consumption may damage the body and mind and
coffee is hardly the only drink
containing it. Both the AMA and Center for Science in the Public Interest
have tried unsucessfully to convince
FDA to require accurate caffeine labeling.

For more info, see http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446673919/top100
                               - - - - - -

Where's the Evidence: Debates in Modern Medicine
   by William A. Silverman

A collection of critical essays written by Dr. Silverman previously
published in the journal Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology. These essays
focus on social and economic consequences of modern medicine, centering his
argument around intractable ethical issues and evidence-based problems. The
increasing and "gross maldistribution of power between patient/family and
medical techocrat; the problems caused by a "confusion of goals" within
medicine, and the processes by which medical authority is established are
discussed.

For more info, see http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0192629344/top100
                               - - - - - -

Perceptual Neuroscience : The Cerebral Cortex
   by Vernon B. Mountcastle

The cerebral cortex, which represents nearly three-quarters of our brain
mass, is key to any understanding of the workings-and disorders-of the human
brain. The first book to summarize what is known about the physiology of the
cortex in perception.

For more info, see http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0674661885/top100


---------------------------------------------------------------- 

JOURNAL PAPERS

A 'sticky' interhemispheric switch in bipolar disorder?
   Pettigrew JD, Miller SM
   [Univ of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, Australia.
j.pettigrew@... ]
   Proc R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 1998 Nov 22;265(1411):2141-8
    Support for a 'sticky' interhemispheric switching hypothesis stems from
recent observation that the rate of perceptual alternation in binocular
rivalry is slow in bipolar subjects compared with normals. The
interhemispheric switch rate may provide a trait-dependent biological marker
for bipolar disorder.

Baseline EEG asymmetries and performance on neuropsychological tasks.
   Hoptman MJ, Davidson RJ
   [Dept of Psychology, Univ of Wisconsin, Madison hoptman@... ]
   Neuropsychologia 1998 Dec;36(12):1343-53
      Asymmetries in EEG alpha activity were correlated with performance on
Verbal Fluency, the Tower of London, and Corsi's Recurring Blocks. Factor
analyses of topographic resting EEG asymmetries suggested that asymmetries
over anterior regions may be partly independent from those over posterior
scalp regions.

Attention, self-regulation and consciousness.
   Posner MI, Rothbart MK
   [Dept of Psychology, U of Oregon, Eugene. mposner@... ]
   Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 1998 Nov 29;353(1377):1915-27
      Focal (executive) attention is used to control details of our awareness
and is thus closely related to volition. Experiments suggest an integrated
network of neural areas involved in executive attention. During later
childhood the ability to regulate conflict among competing stimuli builds
upon the earlier cingulate anatomy to provide a means of cognitive control.

Are there cognitive subtypes in adult ADHD?
   Gansler DA, Fucetola R, Krengel M, Stetson S, Zimering R, Makary C
   [Dept of Psychiatry, Boston Dept of VA Med Ctr & Boston U School of Med]
   J Nerv Ment Dis 1998 Dec;186(12):776-81
      Adults diagnosed with ADHD/hyperactive impulsive (ADHD+) type and
patients diagnosed with ADHD/inattentive type (ADHD-) had different types of
executive system deficits. ADHD+ was associated with relative deficiency on
the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. ADHD- was associated with relative
deficiency on a measure of working memory. Different cognitive weaknesses of
ADD subtypes may be linked to dysregulation of separate frontal brain regions.

Functional brain electrical activity mapping in ADHD boys
   Silberstein RB, Farrow M, Levy F, Pipingas A, Hay DA, Jarman FC
   [Swinburne Univof Tech, Melbourne, Australia. rbs@... ]
   Arch Gen Psychiatry 1998 Dec;55(12):1105-12
      Neuroimaging investigation during a continuous performance task in
normal boys and in boys with ADHD. An increased speed of prefrontal neural
processing was found for children without ADHD whereas ADHD children showed
a deficit in such processes.

Age of onset of drug use and its association with DSM-IV drug abuse and
dependence
   Grant BF, Dawson DA
   [Div of Biometry and Epidemiology, Natl Inst on Alcohol Abuse &
Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD 20852-7003]
   J Subst Abuse 1998;10(2):163-73
      The likelihood of lifetime drug abuse and dependence among the total
sample of lifetime drug users was reduced by 4% and 5% with each year drug
use onset was delayed, from ages 13 and younger to 21 and older.

Independent inheritance of affective disorders and alcoholism
   Duffy A, Grof P, Grof E, Zvolsky P, Alda M
   [ Royal Ottawa Hospital, Dept of Psychiatry, U of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. ]
   J Affect Disord 1998 Sep;50(2-3):91-6
      The authors studied 814 first-degree relatives of 121 bipolar patients.
There seems to be no shared genetic liability between bipolar disorder and
alcoholism.

Towards a functional neuroanatomy of conscious perception
   Silbersweig DA, Stern E
   [Functional Neuroimaging Lab, NY Hospital, Cornell Medical Center, NY 10021 ]
   Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 1998 Nov 29;353(1377):1883-8
      Auditory states of hallucinations, mental imagery, cortical deafness
modulated by attention, and hearing modulated by sedation, were
investigated. The results of these studies highlight the distributed nature
of the functional neuroanatomy that is sufficient, if not necessary, for
sensory awareness.

Excess mortality of mental disorder.
   Harris EC, Barraclough B
   [ Mental Health Group, University of Southampton. ]
   Br J Psychiatry 1998 Jul;173:11-53
      Deaths from natural causes are markedly increased for organic mental
disorders, mental retardation and epilepsy. The authors conclude that all
mental disorders have an increased risk of premature death.

---------------------------------------------------------------- 
                       Events & Locations

    EEG Biofeedback Training Course for Professionals:
            Addictions Specialty Course

FACULTY: Siegfried Othmer, Ph.D.; Sue Othmer, BCIA; Marty Wuttke, Bill Scott

       Encino, California       March 11-15, 1999
                                September 23-27, 1999

              DAY 1
             Thursday
                            AM       Introduction and history
                            PM       Mechanisms of brain regulation
                            EVE      Professional issues
              DAY 2
              Friday
                            AM       3-Axis model of brain function
                            PM       Demonstration - beta/SMR
                            EVE      Research results-addiction & EEG training
              DAY 3
             Saturday
                            AM       Protocols
                            PM       Practicum 1 - beta/SMR
              DAY 4
              Sunday
                            AM       Alpha-theta training - what & how
                            PM       Alpha-theta continued
                            EVE      Practicum 2 - alpha-theta
              DAY 5
             Monday
                            AM       Assessment & case management
                            PM       Integrated A/T into comprehensive tx program
                                     Case histories

---------------------------------------------------------------- 
            Conferences for Neurofeedback Clinicians & Researchers

       CONFERENCE                      LOCATION              DATES
       FutureHealth 1999 (see below)   Palm Springs, CA      Feb  5-9 1999

       AAPB 1999                       Vancouver, BC         Apr 7-11 1999


1999 FutureHealth Conference -- Palm Springs, February 5-9, 1999
  Advanced Winter Brain meeting: (5 days, Feb 5-9, 1999)
  Barry Sterman EEG Topographic Mapping course (Feb 2-4, 1999)
  Optimal Functioning Meeting: (3 days, 2/3-5/99)

For additional information and updates:
see http://www.futurehealth.org/99wbrain.htm or email bio@...
---------------------------------------------------------------- 
New Neurofeedback Clinicians / New Offices

  Oklahoma EEG Biofeedback            Heber C. Kimball, Ph.D.
  Barbara Drong, Ph.D.                1360 E. 1450 So.
  1140 E. Redwood Rd.                 Clearfield, UT 84015
  Lane, OK 74555                      (801) 773-0712
  (580) 889-3067                      Email: famcon@...
  Email: docdrong@...
                                      Anne Felden, Ph.D.
  Carole Kendall, Ph.D.               36100 Genesee Lake Road
  Clinical Psychologist               Oconomowoc WI 53066-9201
  120 Holiday Court, #3               414-569-5515
  Franklin, IN 37067
  (615) 791-1332                      Gregg D. Sharp, D.O.
  Email: CaroleKend@...           143 Garden Homes Drive
                                      Colville, WA 99114
  Harold L. Burke, Ph.D.              (509) 685-2300
  Clinical Neuropsychology            Email: gsharp@...
  2277 Townsgate Rd., Suite 220
  Westlake Village, CA 91361          Beverly Cross
  (805) 449-8777                      516 Pennsfield Pl., #105
  Email: hburke@...        Thousand Oaks CA 91360-5576
                                      (805) 379-1009
  Fred Bramble, Ph.D.
  198 Utica Square, Suite 306         Moorhead School
  Tulsa, OK 74114-1627                810 4th Ave So.
  (918) 749-9897                      Moorhead MN 56560
                                      (218) 299-6366
  Melinda Horn, MA, MFCC, Intern
  25 Crestview Lane                   Robert L. McRoberts, Ph.D.
  Santa Barbara, CA 93108             222 W. Gregory Suite 229
  (805) 565-5945                      Kansas City MO 64114-1110
  melhorn@...                     (816) 444-4887

  Marged Lindner, Ph.D.               Moshe Perl, Ph.D.
  Park Drive Manor #C2                14 Ripley Grove Caulfield
  633 W. Rittenhouse St               Victoria 3161 Australia
  Philadelphia, PA 19144              01161-3-9571-9933
  (215) 849-0735
  mlinder@...                Moshe Perl, Ph.D.
                                      992 Glenhuntly Road
  Jan Aura, Ph.D.                     Caulfield Melbourne Victoria 3161 Australia
  10811 Washington Blvd #280          01161-3-9571-9933
  Culver City, CA 90232
  (310) 559-0200                      Gerfried Schenner, Ph.D.
  Email: jaura@...         Herreng. 12/1/B A-3370
                                      Ybbs a.d. Donau Austria
  Jan Aura, Ph.D.                     43 0 7412 53725
  120 S. Euclid Ave #8
  Pasadena, CA 91101
  (310) 559-0200
  Email: jaura@...
----------------------------------------------------------------
                 LAST WORD

                 1998 Year in Review
     http://www.eegspectrum.com/newsletter/1998rev.htm

                    "In the Spotlight"

            Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
            Controversies in Neurofeedback (Part 1)
            Controversies in Neurofeedback (Part 2)
            EEG Biofeedback: The Adversarial Approach
            EEG and the Sun
            Evidence for Neurofeedback Efficacy Online
            Evidence for Neurofeedback Efficacy Revisited
            State of the Art, or State of Confusion: QEEG
            THX-1138: Coming to a School Near You
            The Placebo Effect
            The Surgical Model of (Mental) Health
            Who's in Charge of your Health, Anyway?

                   "Last Word"

          Call for Submissions for 2004 Neuroregulatory
          Health Conference: Deadline Dec 25, 1998
          Circumventing consciousness
          Ethics of Psychosurgery
          Just the facts, ma'am
          Mind - a recent invention
          Neurotherapy with or without neurometrics: The
          standard of practice?
          Other people's Last Words
          Re-evaluating one's belief system
          Rhythmic activation impacts neurological function,
          according to British law
          Speaking Responsibly
          The 2000 Case History Project

                      Book Reviews
A.D.D. Book                          History of Psychiatry
Alternative Medicine Handbook        Hyperactivity Hoax
Alternative Medicine and Ethics      Inattentional Blindness
Antidepressant Era                   Injured Brains of Medical Minds
Attentive Brain                      Last Resort
Brain, Vision, Memory                Making Sense of Illness
Brain-Disabling Tx in Psychiatry     Mental Ills and Bodily Cures
Brainstorms                          Neocortical Dynamics and Human EEG Rhythms
Clinton Syndrome                     Prozac Diary
Cognitive Neurosciences              Reducing the Risks for Substance Abuse
Discoveries in the Human Brain       Running on Ritalin
Divorce Casualties                   Shadow Syndromes
Drug Addiction and Its Treatment     Slaying the Dragon
Emotional Brain                      Talking Back to Ritalin
High-Performance Mind                Timing of Behavior


























































------------------------------------------------------------------------
eGroup home: http://www.eGroups.com/list/wnin
Free Web-based e-mail groups by eGroups.com

• Journal articles Year in Review - organized by condition

• Free Weekly Alerting News Service
  Weekly alerting service that delivers mental health neuroregulatory news to your desktop.
  Neurofeedback News Alert * Mental Health News Alert * ADHD LD * Addiction Alcoholism * Mood Anxiety Disorders * Cognitive Neuroscience * Pain, Fatigue, Injury

Source: Services Research Outcomes Study (SROS), a 5-year post-discharge follow-up of 3,047 drug clients; see www.samhsa.gov/oas/sros/httoc.htm.

NEW BOOKS

A comprehensive historical book on the history of addiction treatment and recovery in America. Includes numerous approaches of treating alcoholism and drug addictions, effective or ineffective.

For more info, see http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/093847507X/top100

The Chemical Dependence Treatment Documentation Sourcebook
  by James R. Finley, Brenda S. Lenz

Sourcebook to free addiction treatment professionals to spend more of their time and energy helping clients instead of "re-inventing the wheel" on admininstrative and documentation tasks.

For more info, see http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/00471312851/top100

Caffeine Blues: Wake Up to the Hidden Dangers of America's 1 Drug
  by Stephen Cherniske

The culmination of more than a decade of research into the effects, side effects and "politics" of caffeine. Cumulative effects of caffeine consumption may damage the body and mind and coffee is hardly the only drink containing it. Both the AMA and Center for Science in the Public Interest have tried unsucessfully to convince FDA to require accurate caffeine labeling.

For more info, see http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446673919/top100

Where's the Evidence: Debates in Modern Medicine
  by William A. Silverman

A collection of critical essays written by Dr. Silverman previously published in the journal Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology. These essays focus on social and economic consequences of modern medicine, centering his argument around intractable ethical issues and evidence-based problems. The increasing and "gross maldistribution of power between patient/family and medical techocrat; the problems caused by a "confusion of goals" within medicine, and the processes by which medical authority is established are discussed.

For more info, see http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0192629344/top100

Perceptual Neuroscience : The Cerebral Cortex
  by Vernon B. Mountcastle

The cerebral cortex, which represents nearly three-quarters of our brain mass, is key to any understanding of the workings-and disorders-of the human brain. The first book to summarize what is known about the physiology of the cortex in perception.

For more info, see http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0674661885/top100

JOURNAL PAPERS

A 'sticky' interhemispheric switch in bipolar disorder?
  Pettigrew JD, Miller SM
  [ Vision, Touch and Hearing Research Ctr, Univ of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, Australia. j.pettigrew@... ]
  Proc R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 1998 Nov 22;265(1411):2141-8

Oklahoma EEG Biofeedback
Barbara Drong, Ph.D.
1140 E. Redwood Rd.
Lane, OK 74555
(580) 889-3067
Email: docdrong@...

Carole Kendall, Ph.D.
Clinical Psychologist
120 Holiday Court, #3
Franklin, IN 37067
(615) 791-1332
Email: CaroleKend@...

Harold L. Burke, Ph.D.
Clinical Neuropsychology
2277 Townsgate Rd., Suite 220
Westlake Village, CA 91361
(805) 449-8777
Email: hburke@...

Fred Bramble, Ph.D.
198 Utica Square, Suite 306
Tulsa, OK 74114-1627
(918) 749-9897

Melinda Horn, MA, MFCC, Intern
25 Crestview Lane
Santa Barbara, CA 93108
(805) 565-5945
melhorn@...

Marged Lindner, Ph.D.
Park Drive Manor #C2
633 W. Rittenhouse St
Philadelphia, PA 19144
(215) 849-0735
mlinder@...

Jan Aura, Ph.D.
10811 Washington Blvd #280
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 559-0200
Email: jaura@...

Jan Aura, Ph.D.
120 S. Euclid Ave #8
Pasadena, CA 91101
(310) 559-0200
Email: jaura@...

Heber C. Kimball, Ph.D.
1360 E. 1450 So. 
Clearfield, UT 84015
(801) 773-0712
Email: famcon@...

Anne Felden, Ph.D. 
36100 Genesee Lake Road  
Oconomowoc WI 53066-9201 
414-569-5515

Gregg D. Sharp, D.O.
143 Garden Homes Drive
Colville, WA 99114
(509) 685-2300
Email: gsharp@...

Beverly Cross 
516 Pennsfield Pl., #105  
Thousand Oaks CA 91360-5576
(805) 379-1009

Moorhead School 
810 4th Ave So.  
Moorhead MN 56560 
(218) 299-6366

Robert L. McRoberts, Ph.D. 
222 W. Gregory Suite 229  
Kansas City MO 64114-1110 
(816) 444-4887 

Moshe Perl, Ph.D. 
14 Ripley Grove Caulfield  
Victoria 3161 Australia 
01161-3-9571-9933

Moshe Perl, Ph.D. 
992  Glenhuntly Road 
Caulfield Melbourne Victoria 3161 Australia 
01161-3-9571-9933

Gerfried Schenner, Ph.D. 
Herreng. 12/1/B  A-3370 
Ybbs a.d. Donau  Austria 
43 0 7412 53725

What's New in Neurofeedback for December 1998
   (continued -- this section was partly cut off by listserver)


A Commentary on the Current QEEG Controversy

In a posting to the PsyPhy list server, Ted LaVaque asserted some time ago that
on the basis of the QEEG there may be no good reason to do beta/SMR training at
all. Here is Sig Othmer's reply:

"The field of neurofeedback is probably between $50 and $100 million in terms of
annual services delivered around the world. Probably the majority of this is in
the realm of SMR/beta training-perhaps 70% or more.  This work involves more
than a thousand clinicians plying their trade. Do all these folks not know what
they are doing, and are they duping the public and misleading themselves, and
imagining the amazing results that they are claiming? Of course not, but it is
revealing that a researcher is apparently still capable of entertaining such a
hypothesis thirty years after Sterman demonstrated seizure reduction in cats
with SMR-training in controlled studies.

If on the other hand La Vaque's judgment is mistaken, what would that indicate?
It would be another among  numerous historical instances of misinterpretation of
the implications of the QEEG. Just because the QEEG does not change grossly and
predictably in the training band (in the SMR-beta range) does not mean that a
challenge to brain function in that frequency range is not useful. Rather, it
means that the functional brain constrains frequency amplitudes in these
frequency ranges rather precisely -- not to a single value, but to what the
brain needs it to be at a particular moment. If we assume a functional role for
the instantaneous degree of rhythmicity in regulating both local activation and
central arousal, then precise control of such amplitudes would follow. The brain
simply won't allow an arbitrary change in EEG parameters because that would have
profound functional implications! So there is no contradiction here at all.

So if we have one individual who responds nary at all in terms of beta
amplitudes, and another who responds profoundly, are we to conclude that the
second was somehow the better, more compliant and more successful subject? More
likely, the latter simply came with the much less stable brain!

One of the first things we did after getting into this field was to track
changes in theta, beta, and in theta-beta ratios in our subjects. After plotting
up results for some 167 clients, we found that most subjects didn't change a
great deal at all (80% showed changes less than +-20%) and the changes were
about equally distributed between upward and downward changes! We showed these
results at AAPB in 1992, and they were predictably dismissed as heresy at the
time. We have not allowed our work to live or die by that parameter since
(actually, we never did, and neither did Barry Sterman).

Incidentally, this statement should not be seen as a contradiction of what Lubar
was claiming at the time, either. Lubar pre-selected his subjects to have high
theta-beta ratios at the outset of training. Under those circumstances, some
normalization of that parameter is expected to occur, and does so as well at our
hands. Where we differed with Joel is with respect to the requirement of
pre-selection. Whereas such pre-selection may have uncovered a class of children
who were particularly likely to respond favorably to the training (the
head-injured most prominently among them), it was not capable of distinguishing
those who would be responsive to the training from those who would not be.


-Siegfried Othmer, Ph.D.

====end===

------------------------------------------------------------------------
E-group home: http://www.eGroups.com/list/wnin
Free Web-based e-mail groups by eGroups.com

                    What's New in Neurofeedback

             A Monthly Summary of News and Events

                   Vol. 1 No. 12 - December 1998

        This newsletter is sponsored by EEG Spectrum, Inc.
    Past issues are available at www.eegspectrum.com/newsletter/
    Copyright (C) 1998 by EEG Spectrum. All rights reserved.

|---------- For best viewing use monospace font (Courier)  -----------|
----------------------------------------------------------------
Announcements    - School Program, Dissertation, New clinicians/offices
In the Spotlight - THX-1138: Coming to a School Near You
News & Reviews   - Books, journal papers, of interest
Online Dialogue  - Newsgroups, online news
Offline Dialogue - Conferences, training courses
Last Word        - A Commentary on the Current QEEG Controversy
----------------------------------------------------------------

                       ANNOUNCEMENTS

Program Evaluation of EEG Neurofeedback at New Visions School -
1997-98 - Summary of the results of  neurofeedback training for
75 New Visions School students during the 1997-98 school year
using the TOVA, Conners-CPT, client self-reports, teacher
evaluations, and parent communications.

Online Dissertation on Topographic EEG - Interest in Films as
Measured by Subjective & Behavioral Ratings and Topographic EEG
by David Alan Kaiser, UCLA, 1994. Chapters on EEG methodology
and EEG correlates of cognitive processing may be particularly
helpful. At www.eegspectrum.com/research/dakdiss/

EEG Spectrum Specialty Courses. In additional to monthly
Comprehensive courses, EEG Spectrum now has
coursed dedicated to treating Trauma & Attachment Disorders,
Addictions, and ADD & Learning/Behavior Problems.
At www.eegspectrum.com/course/
                         ---------------------

     New Neurofeedback Clinicians / New Offices

Charles Passler, D.C.                        Ladell Lybarger, R.N.
80 East 11th Street, Suite 501               1221 Birch Lane
New York, NY 10003                           Des Moines, IA 50315-3019
(212) 995-5525                               (515) 244-1883
Email: cpassler@...              
                                              (change of address only)
John McManus, Ph.D.                          Barry Belt, M.A., Lic.
Psychologist
Abilities Center                             Ctr for Educ. & Personal Dev't
15100 S.W. Boones Ferry Rd, Suite 700        Floral Vale Professional Park
Lake Oswego, OR  97035                       503 Floral Vale Blvd
(503)636-0111  Fax: 977-9583                 Yardley, PA 19067
Email: abilitiescenter@...         (215) 497-0240; F-0259
                                              Email: BABelt@...
Elizabeth Moncrieff, M.A.                   
180 Washington St.                           (not affiliated with EEG Spectrum)
Norwich, CT 06360                            Linda C. Vlay M.S.,R.N., C.S.,
N.P.P. A.N.P.
(860) 589-7258                               Snug Harbor Counseling Associates
                                              1212 Route 25A
Fernando Augusto, Ph.D.                      Stony Brook, New York  11790

Angell Street Wellness Collaborative         (516) 751-7474   Fax: (516)
689-7931
469 Angell St.                               Email: colleena@...
Providence, RI 02906                        
(508) 677-0493                               Attention Disorders
Neurofeedback Centre (ADNC)
Mailing: P.O. Box 251                        Kimberly Druckman B.A., M.Ed
Somerset, MA 02726                           201-2245 W. Broadway,
                                              Vancouver, B.C.,
Brian Carrico                                V6K 2E4 
21707 Hawthorne Blvd, #103                   CANADA
Torrence, CA 90503                           604-730-9600
(310) 792-6236                               Email: mikmac@...


---------------------------------------------------------------- 

                 IN THE SPOTLIGHT
  
    
    THX-1138: Coming to a School Near You

Which of the following classic science fiction films best reflects our
future?

   1.2001: A Space Odyssey
   2.Blade Runner, or
   3.THX-1138

If you chose the third title, Lucas' first feature film from 1971, you
are correct... or so the NIH Consensus Conference would have you
believe. (If you didn't choose this title, you probably have an
attentional or reading disorder yourself...)
THX-1138 takes place in the 25th century. By this time the State has
taken control of our mental health and everyone is drugged into a
continual stupor. Loudspeakers in the home and at work constantly remind
individuals to take the appropriate amount of
sedatives. Avoiding one's "medication" is a crime. Near the end of the
film our fate is tied to one of the men who has fought the
system and failed. He's about to be arrested and "re-educated." With
nowhere else to go or hide, he sits alone in a lobby,
calmly awaiting the authorities. We see a line of children ride up an
escalator near him. The children are noticeably subdued,
passive, almost without curiousity. The camera focuses on an IV-tube
strapped to each of their right arms. One of the children
appears frightened and confused and approaches our man for help. His IV
tube has come loose. Our man, drained of all his fight, reattaches
the IV tube and with a sweet smile sends the child on
his way... Perhaps this way is best for all of us, his weak
smile conveys...

Last month the National Institutes of Health held an invitation-only
conference called the "Consensus Development Conference"
from which they "determined" what is known and not known about the
diagnosis and treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
The Conference was sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse,
the National Institute of Mental Health, and the NIH Office of Medical
Applications of Research (and assorted co-sponsors). This conference
brought together national and international experts in the fields of
relevant medical research and health care as well as representatives
from the public. EEG Spectrum was contacted by one of the participants to
provide him information about alternative treatments -- although none
of this information appears to have trickled into the consensus.

A draft of the consensus statement can be found at

http://odp.od.nih.gov/consensus/cons/110/110_intro.htm.
Here are some of the key points of "agreement":

First, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is recognized as
the most commonly diagnosed behavioral disorder of
childhood, affecting 3 to 5 percent of school-age children. This
translates to about 3,000,000 children. The core symptoms of
ADHD include a "developmentally inappropriate level of attention and
concentration and developmentally inappropriate levels
of activity, distractibility, and impulsivity. Children with ADHD usually
have pronounced difficulties and impairment resulting
from the disorder across multiple settings in home, at school, and with
peers as well as resultant long-term adverse effects on
later academic, vocational, social-emotional, and psychiatric outcomes. "

Some people claim ADHD doesn't exist at all, others that it is
overdiagnosed or a catch-basin for other childhood problems.
The rate of increase in the number of diagnosed ADHD children would
suggest that we are in an ADHD epidemic, one that --
if the rate does not subside -- will include the entire school-age
population in the US within 10 to 15 years. Treatment of this
condition is most controversial as respectable scientists call for
pharmacological solutions to childhood.

One of the major controversies regarding ADHD concerns the use of
psychostimulants to treat the condition. Psychostimulants,
including amphetamine, methylphenidate, and pemoline, are by far the most
widely researched and commonly prescribed treatments for ADHD.
The use of methylphenidate and amphetamine nationwide has increased
six-fold since 1990, intensifying the concerns about use, overuse,
and abuse of this stimulant. According to the federal Drug Enforcement
Administration, more than one in every 30 Americans between 5 and 19
years old has a prescription for Ritalin. Of particular concern to
parents is that the long-term effects of taking Ritalin are not known.
The manufacturers of Ritalin warn: SUFFICIENT DATA ON THE
SAFETY AND EFFICACY (EFFECTIVENESS) OF LONG TERM USE OF RITALIN IN
CHILDREN ARE NOT YET AVAILABLE." (Quoted from CIBA Pharmaceutical
Company in a product information release.)

The consensus statement addressed the following key questions:

   1.What is the scientific evidence to support ADHD as a disorder?
   2.What is the impact of ADHD on individuals, families, and society?
   3.What are the effective treatments for ADHD?
   4.What are the risks of the use of stimulant medication & other treatments?
   5.What are the existing diagnostic and treatment practices, and what
      are the barriers to appropriate identification, evaluation, and
      intervention?
   6.What are the directions for future research?

In this article I will only address points 1,3, and 4.

1. What Is the Scientific Evidence To Support ADHD as a Disorder?

"The diagnosis of ADHD can be made reliably using well-tested
diagnostic interview methods. However, we do not have an
independent, valid test for ADHD, and there are no data to indicate

that ADHD is due to a brain malfunction. "

This is the kind of wording which makes me dislike scientists
(excluding myself and my friends, that is). It is arrogance dressed
up as fact. There are no data..." Unless the statement is purposely
unclear and turns on a limited interpretation of "malfunction" it
would appear to say that there is no data showing that ADHD children
differ from non-ADHD on any measure of brain
function. I know of a dozen papers off the top of my head which refute
this point. For example:

     Clarke AR, Barry RJ, McCarthy R, Selikowitz M
EEG analysis in ADHD: a comparative study of two subtypes.
Psychiatry Res 1998 Oct 19;81(1):19-29

     Lazzaro I, Gordon E, Whitmont S, Plahn M, Li W, Clarke S, et al.
Quantified EEG activity in adolescent ADHD.
Clin Electroencephalogr 1998 Jan;29(1):37-42

     Amen DG, Carmichael BD
High-resolution brain SPECT imaging in ADHD.
Ann Clin Psychiatry 1997 Jun;9(2):81-6

    Chabot RJ, Serfontein G
Quantitative electroencephalographic profiles of children with ADD.
Biol Psychiatry 1996 Nov 15;40(10):951-63

Research from the world's best scientific institutions -- Stanford,
UCLA, Yale, NYU -- and most find the same results: frontal slowing or
decreased activity depending upon the measure (QEEG, PET, SPECT).

How can the Conference dismiss 80 or so papers (since 1996) which
find differences between ADHD and non-ADHD brains?
Was I reading a scientific report or a nifty propaganda piece? How can
they draw firm conclusions about certain points with
little evidence (see below) and ignore results wholesale from others?
Swanson et al (1998; Current Opinions in Neurobiology,
8(2):263-71) reported that certain regions of the frontal lobes (anterior
superior and inferior) and basal ganglia (caudate nucleus
and globus pallidus) are about 10% smaller in ADHD groups than in
controls. Swanson was a speaker at the conference but
still there was "no data" of neurobiological impairment in ADHD.
Zametkin and Liotta (1998) of NIMH performed a
comprehensive review of the neurobiological basis of
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and came to the conclusion that
CNS abnormalities are associated with ADHD. How can respected scientists
be overlooked and their work dismissed
entirely?

3. What Are the Effective Treatments for ADHD?

     "A wide variety of treatments have been used for ADHD including, but
not limited to, various psychotropic medications, psychosocial treatment,
dietary management, herbal and homeopathic treatments, biofeedback,
meditation, and perceptual stimulation/training... Of these treatment
strategies, medications and psychosocial interventions have been the
major focus of research and the only ADHD research I am aware of
funded by NIH or NIMH sources."

They remind us that stimulant treatments do not "normalize" the
entire range of behavior problems, and children under treatment
still manifest a higher level of some behavior problems than
normal children. And, notably, "there is little improvement in
academic achievement or social skills" with stimulant treatment.
Also, there are no long-term studies testing stimulants or

psychosocial treatments nor information on long-term outcomes
of medication-treated ADHD individuals in terms of educational
and occupational achievements, or other areas of social
functioning. Biofeedback is mentioned in passing and at no
place do they say that it deems more research. However,one of
the most respective and prolific ADHD researchers was
prepared to spend five years at the peak of his career to study
neurofeedback's effect on ADHD children. Neurofeedback
alone! I doubt a respected scientist would have planned such an effort
had medications and psychosocial treatments been
sufficient or even desirable for the majority of ADHD children.

4. What Are the Risks of Stimulant Medication and Other Treatments?

"Although little information exists concerning the long-term effects of
psychostimulants, there is no conclusive evidence that
careful therapeutic use is harmful. When adverse drug reactions do occur,
they are usually related to dose."

Perhaps this is true (though "no conclusive evidence" is lawyerspeak
for my client is guilty but you can't prove it). I think it is
true to the extent that people are placing too much burden on stimulant
medication to solve their problems. Trying to pass off
various conduct and emotional problems as attentional issues underlies
the overdiagnosing of ADHD. Dr. Breggin, who also
attended the conference, mentions that a multimillion dollar program is
now promoting the use of Ritalin for the control of
disruptive behavior. THX-1138 is coming...

The following effects of stimulant treatment are thus judged as
non-harmful: "decreased appetite and insomnia. a negative effects
on growth rate, and motor and vocal tics: The growth rate change
concerns me the most because they qualify this obviously
unusual side effect with the following "but ultimate height appears not
to be affected." How do they know this? How arrogant to
make a statement like this with little or no data! Rao et al (1998) found
a small but significant effect on growth due to stimulant
medication in their patient population under study. Spencer et al (1998)
reported the small but significant differences in height
between children with and without ADHD but concluded this effect appears
to be mediated by ADHD and not by its treatment. Six years earlier
Spencer concluded that children "treated (chronically) with MPH
sustained height deficits that attained statistical significance".
So we have conflicting results. Maybe there is no permanent effect --
but the jury is still out and the statement should be qualified accordingly.
They say "Further, it is concluded that there is a low probability of
long term effects on human body stature when the minimal therapeutic dose
is used in clinical practice. " This is the most telling aside as it
appears that fewer and fewer children are being prescribed the "minimal
dose".

Another issue is abuse and addiction. When children pop psychotropic
pills every 90 minutes or so, do you think they are more
or less likely to try other mind-altering substances? NIH says no effect
-- no more or no less. "There is little evidence that

current levels of production have had a substantial effect on abuse. "
Then why is methylphenidate one of the most frequently
reported controlled pharmaceuticals stolen from licensed handlers.
(Source: Dept of Justice) . And what should we make of the
increasing reports of Ritalin-abuse on college campuses and secondary
schools (see http://www.student.com/article/ritalin , The
Ritalin Racket)? In 1994, a national survey indicated that more seniors
in the U.S. abused Ritalin than are prescribed it
legitimately. Hmmm.... According to the Physician's Desk Reference Guide,
the standard text for medical reference, "chronic
abuse [of Ritalin] can lead to marked tolerance levels and psychological
dependence with varying degrees of abnormal behavior." Hmmm, again....
In the consensus statement, we are cautioned that "there is a need to
be vigilant in monitoring the national indices of use and abuse among
high school seniors and Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) emergency room
reports." According to DAWN statistics, an estimated 2700 emergency room
mentions of methylphenidate occurred between 1990 and 1993. And finally,
in March of 1995, two deaths in Mississippi and Virginia were associated
with students giving and selling their medication to classmates who
were crushing and snorting the powder like cocaine (Source: Drug
Enforcement Administration press release

http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/pressrel/pr951020.htm.
Hmmm, very strange for a non-addictive substance.

Much of the report is clear and reasonable, based in scientific evidence,
but here and there a bit of dogma seemed to be dressed up in academic garb.

-DK
----------------------------------------------------------------
                   NEWS & REVIEWS

** New Books **
 
The Hyperactivity Hoax: How to Stop Drugging Your Child
and Find Real Medical Help
   by Sydney Walker
   St Martin's Press, 288 pp, $17

Sydney Walker III, M.D., a board-certified neurologist and
psychiatrist and Director of the Southern Cal
Neuropsychiatric Institute, has treated "ADHD" children for
more than 30 years. He argues that a wide range of problems --
metabolic and genetic disorders, heart conditions, infections,
anemia, hearing and vision problems, and toxic exposure can
produce supposed ADHD symptomatology (e.g., hyperactive
behavior, inattention) and masquerade as the ADHD.
Accordingly, he cautions against the "label-and-drug" fad that
has currently swept through U.S. child psychiatry the last
decade or so. Children are too often placed on "powerful and
potentially harmful mind-altering drugs without the benefit of
any real medical diagnosis." He offers step-by-step advice about
determining what form of care your child needs.

More info, http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0312192878/
                       ----   

Drug Addiction & Its Treatment: Nexus of Neuroscience & Behavior
  by Bankole A. Johnson & John D. Roache (eds)

The editors examine the behavioral and biological processes
involved in drug addiction and suggests ways of integrating
behavioral and pharmacological treatments. The

book is divided into four sections: behavior, neurobiology,
trends in neuroscience, and treatment applications.
The third section in particular may be of interest to
neurofeedback clinicians as they describe state-of-the-art
research techniques for studying the neurobiology of drug
addiction including topographical brain mapping.

More info, http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0397517645/
   [TRUNCATED - SEE WEB VERSION FOR MORE BOOKS]
                       ---- 
          
                   JOURNAL PAPERS
Neurofeedback treatment of pseudoseizure disorder.
  Swingle PG
  [Dept of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, USA. ]
  Biol Psychiatry 1998 Dec 1;44(11):1196-9
It took only 30 years for someone at Harvard to take note of
Sterman's remarkable epilepsy research. Pretty quick of
them ... Once per week three patients underwent SMR training,
along with psychotherapy -- always an effective way to keep
neurons from kindling. Swingle reported a correlation between
reduced seizure activity and smaller theta-SMR ratios and he
concluded that neurofeedback -- in conjunction with
psychotherapy! -- is an "effective adjunctive treatment for
pseudoseizure disorder".
                       ---- 

The functional neuroanatomy of major depression: an fMRI study
using an emotional activation paradigm.
  Beauregard M, Leroux JM, Bergman S, et al
  [Dept de Radiologie, U Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ]
  Neuroreport 1998 Oct 5;9(14):3253-8
Viewing sad material activated medial and inferior prefrontal
cortex, temporal cortex, and the caudate in both depressed
and normal subjects. However, in depressed subjects, emotional
material produced a greater activation in left medial prefrontal
cortex and in the right cingulate gyrus compared to controls,
which suggests that these two cortical regions might be part of
a network implicated in the pathophysiology of major depression.
                       ---- 

EEG analysis in ADHD: a comparative study of two subtypes.
  Clarke AR, Barry RJ, McCarthy R, Selikowitz M
  [Psychology, U of Wollongong, NSW, Australia ]
  Psychiatry Res 1998 Oct 19;81(1):19-29
ADHD children exhibit greater theta activity and reduced alpha
and beta activity compared to controls. Inattentive
ADHD subtype differed from the Combined subtype in the same
measures, appearing to be closer to controls. The authors
argue that these results support a maturational lag model of
the central nervous system in Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity
Disorder and that subtype differences reflect severity rather
than dysfunctional differences.
                       ----
Brain's Ability To "Rewire" Itself After Strokes Or Injuries
(Large-scale sprouting of cortical connections after peripheral
injury in adult macaque monkeys.)
  Florence SL, Taub HB, Kaas JH
  [Psychology, Vanderbilt U., sherre.l.florence@... ]
  Science 1998 Nov 6;282(5391):1117-21
The adult brain has a surprisingly robust built-in capacity for
change, creating the possibility for innovative treatments for
brain disorders. A Vanderbilt study shows that neurons in the
adult brain can sprout new axons which can travel and make

contact with new targets at distant sites in the brain. New
cell growth was believed to be initiated in response to massive
change in activity patterns, not from the injury itself. This suggests
that natural processes (such as neurofeedback) can coax
flexibility out of the adult brain -- in contrast to research where
chemicals are administered to facilitate cell growth.
   [TRUNCATED - SEE WEB VERSION FOR MORE PAPERS]
----------------------------------------------------------------
               ONLINE DIALOGUE

Clinics Online

More clinicians have added information online. 62 offices online.

Ernesto Miselevich, MD - Haifa, Isreal
   A Child, Adolescent and Family Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist specializing
    in treating children and adults with Neurofeedback.

Al Mumma, M.S. - North Mankato, MN
    Treating PTSD, especially survivors of childhood abuse, addictions and ADHD

Life's Journey Center - Palm Springs, CA
    Life's Journey Center strengthens the recovering persons continuing
sobriety,
    spiritual healing and value to self, family and
    community, with counseling and programs tailored to each patient's needs.

Jane Doner, MA - Saline, MI
    Specializing in treating many mental health and related disorders with EEG
    Biofeedback without using medications.

Dane Nielsen, LPC - Lawton, OK
    The Center offers help in all of these areas: Work Hardening, Physical
Therapy,
     EEG Biofeedback, Pain Management, Functional Capacity Evaluations.

EEG Spectrum of Calgary - Calgary, AB

    See www.eegspectrum.com/offices/ for URLS
----------------------------------------------------------------

EEG Biofeedback Training Course for Professionals

EEG Spectrum presents the emerging field from a perspective well-grounded in
clinical phenomenology, but it is also based on a neurophysiological model
of efficacy originally proposed by M. Barry Sterman, Ph.D., and recently
augmented by Andrew Abarbanel, M.D. The clinical database and the model
combine to yield a variety of protocols which have proven to be effective in
the treatment of behavior, mood, pain, attention and learning problems,
seizure disorder and the consequences of brain injury. A coherent picture
emerges about how protocol choices may be made in the face of complex
presenting symptoms.

The training also includes the all-important practicum section which focuses
on actual operation and use of instrumentation. Additionally, opportunity is
provided outside the formal curriculum for practitioners to experience
training on themselves as well as discussing professional issues, marketing,
and the particulars of establishing a financially successful practice based
on this modality.

Faculty: Siegfried Othmer, Ph.D., BCIAC; Susan Othmer, BCIAC; M. Barry
Sterman, Ph.D.; Nancy White, Ph.D. ; Julian Isaacs, Ph.D.; Pat Fields,
Psy.D.; Martin Wuttke, BCIAC; William Scott, CCDP; David Kaiser, Ph.D.

        LOCATION                 DATES
     Encino, CA               Jan  7-11, 1999 (Attachment Disorders)**
     San Diego, CA            Jan 21-25, 1999
     Orlando, FL              Feb 18-22, 1999

Info about accomodations www.eegspectrum.com/course/hotel.htm

TOPICS COVERED
* EEG Biofeedback Theory: Neurophysiological Basis; Research History
* Clinical App's: Assessment, Protocol Selection, Practicum & Case Review
* Specialty App's: For Behavior Modification & Performance Enhancement

COST (5-Day Course): $995.00 (** except for Specialty courses)
  Additional Attendees from Same Facility: 30% discount 
  Reattendees: $200.00

To enroll, contact Dennis Campbell at denniscampbell@...
  or call EEG Spectrum at 800-789-3456 or (818) 788-2083.
  ------------------------------------------------------

  CONFERENCES                    LOCATION            DATES
  FutureHealth (see below)       Palm Springs, CA    Feb  5- 9, 1999
  AAPB 1999                      Vancouver, BC       Apr  7-11, 1999
                          --------
1999 FutureHealth Conference: Palm Springs, February 5-9, 1999

     Advanced Winter Brain meeting: (5 days, 2/5-9/99)
     EEG Foundations Course: (1 day, 2/5/9)
     Optimal Functioning Meeting: (3 days, 2/3-5/99)

For additional information and updates: bio@...

In a related note, the FutureHealth 1998 abstracts are online at

http://www.futurehealth.org/97eegab1.htm
----------------------------------------------------------------
                 LAST WORD

   A Commentary on the Current QEEG Controversy

In a posting to the PsyPhy list server, Ted LaVaque asserted
some time ago that on the basis of the QEEG there may be no
good reason to do beta/SMR training at all. Here is Sig
Othmer's reply:

"The field of neurofeedback is probably between $50 and $100
million in terms of annual services delivered around the
world. Probably the majority of this is in the realm of SMR/beta
training-perhaps 70% or more. This work involves more than a
thousand clinicians plying their trade. Do all these folks not
know what they are doing, and are they duping the public and
misleading themselves, and imagining the amazing results that
they are claiming? Of course not, but it is revealing that a
researcher is apparently still capable of entertaining such a
hypothesis thirty years after Sterman demonstrated seizure
reduction in cats with SMR-training in controlled studies.

If on the other hand La Vaque's judgment is mistaken, what
would that indicate? It would be another among numerous
historical instances of misinterpretation of the implications
of the QEEG. Just because the QEEG does not change grossly and
predictably in the training band (in the SMR-beta range) does
not mean that a challenge to brain function in that frequency
range is not useful. Rather, it means that the functional brain
constrains frequency amplitudes in these frequency ranges rather
precisely -- not to a single value, but to what the brain needs
it to be at a particular moment. If we assume a functional role
for the instantaneous degree of rhythmicity in regulating both
local activation and central arousal, then precise control of
such amplitudes would follow. The brain simply won't allow an
arbitrary change in EEG parameters because that would have

profound functional implications! So there is no contradiction
here at all.

So if we have one individual who responds nary at all in terms
of beta amplitudes, and another who responds
profoundly, are we to conclude that the second was somehow the
better, more compliant and more successful subject? More
likely, the latter simply came with the much less stable brain!
One of the first things we did after getting into this field
was to track changes in theta, beta, and in theta-beta ratios
in our subjects. After plotting up results for some 167 clients,
we found that most subjects didn't change a great deal at all
(80% showed changes less than +-20%) and the changes were about
equally distributed between upward and downward changes!
We showed these results at AAPB in 1992, and they were
predictably dismissed as heresy at the time. We have not allowed
our work to live or die by that parameter since (actually, we
never

------------------------------------------------------------------------
E-group home: http://www.eGroups.com/list/wnin
Free Web-based e-mail groups by eGroups.com

                    What's New in Neurofeedback

             A Monthly Summary of News and Events

                   Vol. 1 No. 12 - December 1998

        This newsletter is sponsored by EEG Spectrum, Inc.
    Past issues are available at www.eegspectrum.com/newsletter/
     Copyright (C) 1998 by EEG Spectrum. All rights reserved.

|---------- For best viewing use monospace font (Courier)  -----------|
----------------------------------------------------------------
Announcements    - School Program, Dissertation, New clinicians/offices
In the Spotlight - THX-1138: Coming to a School Near You
News & Reviews   - Books, journal papers, of interest
Online Dialogue  - Newsgroups, online news
Offline Dialogue - Conferences, training courses
Last Word        - A Commentary on the Current QEEG Controversy
----------------------------------------------------------------

                       ANNOUNCEMENTS

Program Evaluation of EEG Neurofeedback at New Visions School -
  1997-98 - Summary of the results of  neurofeedback training for
  75 New Visions School students during the 1997-98 school year
  using the TOVA, Conners-CPT, client self-reports, teacher
  evaluations, and parent communications.

Online Dissertation on Topographic EEG - Interest in Films as
  Measured by Subjective & Behavioral Ratings and Topographic EEG
  by David Alan Kaiser, UCLA, 1994. Chapters on EEG methodology
  and EEG correlates of cognitive processing may be particularly
  helpful. At www.eegspectrum.com/research/dakdiss/

EEG Spectrum Specialty Courses. In additional to monthly
  Comprehensive courses, EEG Spectrum now has
  coursed dedicated to treating Trauma & Attachment Disorders,
  Addictions, and ADD & Learning/Behavior Problems.
  At www.eegspectrum.com/course/
                          ---------------------

      New Neurofeedback Clinicians / New Offices

  Charles Passler, D.C.                        Ladell Lybarger, R.N.
  80 East 11th Street, Suite 501               1221 Birch Lane
  New York, NY 10003                           Des Moines, IA 50315-3019
  (212) 995-5525                               (515) 244-1883
  Email: cpassler@...
                                               (change of address only)
  John McManus, Ph.D.                          Barry Belt, M.A.
  Abilities Center                             Ctr for Educ. & Personal Dev't
  15100 S.W. Boones Ferry Rd, Suite 700        Floral Vale Professional Park
  Lake Oswego, OR  97035                       503 Floral Vale Blvd
  (503)636-0111  Fax: 977-9583                 Yardley, PA 19067
  Email: abilitiescenter@...         (215) 497-0240; F-0259
                                               Email: BABelt@...
  Elizabeth Moncrieff, M.A.
  180 Washington St.                           (not affiliated with EEG Spectrum)
  Norwich, CT 06360                            Linda C. Vlay M.S.,R.N.
  (860) 589-7258                               Snug Harbor Counseling Associates
                                               1212 Route 25A
  Fernando Augusto, Ph.D.                      Stony Brook, New York  11790
  Angell Street Wellness Collaborative         (516) 751-7474   Fax: (516)
689-7931
  469 Angell St.                               Email: colleena@...
  Providence, RI 02906
  (508) 677-0493                               ADNC
  Mailing: P.O. Box 251                        Kimberly Druckman B.A., M.Ed
  Somerset, MA 02726                           201-2245 W. Broadway,
                                               Vancouver, B.C.,
  Brian Carrico                                V6K 2E4
  21707 Hawthorne Blvd, #103                   CANADA
  Torrence, CA 90503                           604-730-9600
  (310) 792-6236                               Email: mikmac@...


---------------------------------------------------------------- 

                 IN THE SPOTLIGHT


     THX-1138: Coming to a School Near You

Which of the following classic science fiction films best reflects our
future?

    1.2001: A Space Odyssey
    2.Blade Runner, or
    3.THX-1138

If you chose the third title, Lucas' first feature film from 1971, you
are correct... or so the NIH Consensus Conference would have you
believe. (If you didn't choose this title, you probably have an
attentional or reading disorder yourself...)
THX-1138 takes place in the 25th century. By this time the State has
taken control of our mental health and everyone is drugged into a
continual stupor. Loudspeakers in the home and at work constantly remind
individuals to take the appropriate amount of
sedatives. Avoiding one's "medication" is a crime. Near the end of the
film our fate is tied to one of the men who has fought the
system and failed. He's about to be arrested and "re-educated." With
nowhere else to go or hide, he sits alone in a lobby,
calmly awaiting the authorities. We see a line of children ride up an
escalator near him. The children are noticeably subdued,
passive, almost without curiousity. The camera focuses on an IV-tube
strapped to each of their right arms. One of the children
appears frightened and confused and approaches our man for help. His IV
tube has come loose. Our man, drained of all his fight, reattaches
the IV tube and with a sweet smile sends the child on
his way... Perhaps this way is best for all of us, his weak
smile conveys...

Last month the National Institutes of Health held an invitation-only
conference called the "Consensus Development Conference"
from which they "determined" what is known and not known about the
diagnosis and treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
The Conference was sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse,
the National Institute of Mental Health, and the NIH Office of Medical
Applications of Research (and assorted co-sponsors). This conference
brought together national and international experts in the fields of
relevant medical research and health care as well as representatives
from the public. EEG Spectrum was contacted by one of the participants to
provide him information about alternative treatments -- although none
of this information appears to have trickled into the consensus.
A draft of the consensus statement can be found at
http://odp.od.nih.gov/consensus/cons/110/110_intro.htm.
Here are some of the key points of "agreement":

First, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is recognized as
the most commonly diagnosed behavioral disorder of
childhood, affecting 3 to 5 percent of school-age children. This
translates to about 3,000,000 children. The core symptoms of
ADHD include a "developmentally inappropriate level of attention and
concentration and developmentally inappropriate levels
of activity, distractibility, and impulsivity. Children with ADHD usually
have pronounced difficulties and impairment resulting
from the disorder across multiple settings in home, at school, and with
peers as well as resultant long-term adverse effects on
later academic, vocational, social-emotional, and psychiatric outcomes. "

Some people claim ADHD doesn't exist at all, others that it is
overdiagnosed or a catch-basin for other childhood problems.
The rate of increase in the number of diagnosed ADHD children would
suggest that we are in an ADHD epidemic, one that --
if the rate does not subside -- will include the entire school-age
population in the US within 10 to 15 years. Treatment of this
condition is most controversial as respectable scientists call for
pharmacological solutions to childhood.

One of the major controversies regarding ADHD concerns the use of
psychostimulants to treat the condition. Psychostimulants,
including amphetamine, methylphenidate, and pemoline, are by far the most
widely researched and commonly prescribed treatments for ADHD.
The use of methylphenidate and amphetamine nationwide has increased
six-fold since 1990, intensifying the concerns about use, overuse,
and abuse of this stimulant. According to the federal Drug Enforcement
Administration, more than one in every 30 Americans between 5 and 19
years old has a prescription for Ritalin. Of particular concern to
parents is that the long-term effects of taking Ritalin are not known.
The manufacturers of Ritalin warn: SUFFICIENT DATA ON THE
SAFETY AND EFFICACY (EFFECTIVENESS) OF LONG TERM USE OF RITALIN IN
CHILDREN ARE NOT YET AVAILABLE." (Quoted from CIBA Pharmaceutical
Company in a product information release.)

The consensus statement addressed the following key questions:

    1.What is the scientific evidence to support ADHD as a disorder?
    2.What is the impact of ADHD on individuals, families, and society?
    3.What are the effective treatments for ADHD?
    4.What are the risks of the use of stimulant medication & other treatments?
    5.What are the existing diagnostic and treatment practices, and what
       are the barriers to appropriate identification, evaluation, and
       intervention?
    6.What are the directions for future research?

In this article I will only address points 1,3, and 4.

1. What Is the Scientific Evidence To Support ADHD as a Disorder?

"The diagnosis of ADHD can be made reliably using well-tested
diagnostic interview methods. However, we do not have an
independent, valid test for ADHD, and there are no data to indicate
that ADHD is due to a brain malfunction. "

This is the kind of wording which makes me dislike scientists
(excluding myself and my friends, that is). It is arrogance dressed
up as fact. There are no data..." Unless the statement is purposely
unclear and turns on a limited interpretation of "malfunction" it
would appear to say that there is no data showing that ADHD children
differ from non-ADHD on any measure of brain
function. I know of a dozen papers off the top of my head which refute
this point. For example:

      Clarke AR, Barry RJ, McCarthy R, Selikowitz M
EEG analysis in ADHD: a comparative study of two subtypes.
Psychiatry Res 1998 Oct 19;81(1):19-29

      Lazzaro I, Gordon E, Whitmont S, Plahn M, Li W, Clarke S, et al.
Quantified EEG activity in adolescent ADHD.
Clin Electroencephalogr 1998 Jan;29(1):37-42

      Amen DG, Carmichael BD
High-resolution brain SPECT imaging in ADHD.
Ann Clin Psychiatry 1997 Jun;9(2):81-6

     Chabot RJ, Serfontein G
Quantitative electroencephalographic profiles of children with ADD.
Biol Psychiatry 1996 Nov 15;40(10):951-63

Research from the world's best scientific institutions -- Stanford,
UCLA, Yale, NYU -- and most find the same results: frontal slowing or
decreased activity depending upon the measure (QEEG, PET, SPECT).

How can the Conference dismiss 80 or so papers (since 1996) which
find differences between ADHD and non-ADHD brains?
Was I reading a scientific report or a nifty propaganda piece? How can
they draw firm conclusions about certain points with
little evidence (see below) and ignore results wholesale from others?
Swanson et al (1998; Current Opinions in Neurobiology,
8(2):263-71) reported that certain regions of the frontal lobes (anterior
superior and inferior) and basal ganglia (caudate nucleus
and globus pallidus) are about 10% smaller in ADHD groups than in
controls. Swanson was a speaker at the conference but
still there was "no data" of neurobiological impairment in ADHD.
Zametkin and Liotta (1998) of NIMH performed a
comprehensive review of the neurobiological basis of
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and came to the conclusion that
CNS abnormalities are associated with ADHD. How can respected scientists
be overlooked and their work dismissed
entirely?

3. What Are the Effective Treatments for ADHD?

      "A wide variety of treatments have been used for ADHD including, but
not limited to, various psychotropic medications, psychosocial treatment,
dietary management, herbal and homeopathic treatments, biofeedback,
meditation, and perceptual stimulation/training... Of these treatment
strategies, medications and psychosocial interventions have been the
major focus of research and the only ADHD research I am aware of
funded by NIH or NIMH sources."

They remind us that stimulant treatments do not "normalize" the
entire range of behavior problems, and children under treatment
still manifest a higher level of some behavior problems than
normal children. And, notably, "there is little improvement in
academic achievement or social skills" with stimulant treatment.
Also, there are no long-term studies testing stimulants or
psychosocial treatments nor information on long-term outcomes
of medication-treated ADHD individuals in terms of educational
and occupational achievements, or other areas of social
functioning. Biofeedback is mentioned in passing and at no
place do they say that it deems more research. However,one of
the most respective and prolific ADHD researchers was
prepared to spend five years at the peak of his career to study
neurofeedback's effect on ADHD children. Neurofeedback
alone! I doubt a respected scientist would have planned such an effort
had medications and psychosocial treatments been
sufficient or even desirable for the majority of ADHD children.

4. What Are the Risks of Stimulant Medication and Other Treatments?

"Although little information exists concerning the long-term effects of
psychostimulants, there is no conclusive evidence that
careful therapeutic use is harmful. When adverse drug reactions do occur,
they are usually related to dose."

Perhaps this is true (though "no conclusive evidence" is lawyerspeak
for my client is guilty but you can't prove it). I think it is
true to the extent that people are placing too much burden on stimulant
medication to solve their problems. Trying to pass off
various conduct and emotional problems as attentional issues underlies
the overdiagnosing of ADHD. Dr. Breggin, who also
attended the conference, mentions that a multimillion dollar program is
now promoting the use of Ritalin for the control of
disruptive behavior. THX-1138 is coming...

The following effects of stimulant treatment are thus judged as
non-harmful: "decreased appetite and insomnia. a negative effects
on growth rate, and motor and vocal tics: The growth rate change
concerns me the most because they qualify this obviously
unusual side effect with the following "but ultimate height appears not
to be affected." How do they know this? How arrogant to
make a statement like this with little or no data! Rao et al (1998) found
a small but significant effect on growth due to stimulant
medication in their patient population under study. Spencer et al (1998)
reported the small but significant differences in height
between children with and without ADHD but concluded this effect appears
to be mediated by ADHD and not by its treatment. Six years earlier
Spencer concluded that children "treated (chronically) with MPH
sustained height deficits that attained statistical significance".
So we have conflicting results. Maybe there is no permanent effect --
but the jury is still out and the statement should be qualified accordingly.
They say "Further, it is concluded that there is a low probability of
long term effects on human body stature when the minimal therapeutic dose
is used in clinical practice. " This is the most telling aside as it
appears that fewer and fewer children are being prescribed the "minimal
dose".

Another issue is abuse and addiction. When children pop psychotropic
pills every 90 minutes or so, do you think they are more
or less likely to try other mind-altering substances? NIH says no effect
-- no more or no less. "There is little evidence that
current levels of production have had a substantial effect on abuse. "
Then why is methylphenidate one of the most frequently
reported controlled pharmaceuticals stolen from licensed handlers.
(Source: Dept of Justice) . And what should we make of the
increasing reports of Ritalin-abuse on college campuses and secondary
schools (see http://www.student.com/article/ritalin , The
Ritalin Racket)? In 1994, a national survey indicated that more seniors
in the U.S. abused Ritalin than are prescribed it
legitimately. Hmmm.... According to the Physician's Desk Reference Guide,
the standard text for medical reference, "chronic
abuse [of Ritalin] can lead to marked tolerance levels and psychological
dependence with varying degrees of abnormal behavior." Hmmm, again....
In the consensus statement, we are cautioned that "there is a need to
be vigilant in monitoring the national indices of use and abuse among
high school seniors and Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) emergency room
reports." According to DAWN statistics, an estimated 2700 emergency room
mentions of methylphenidate occurred between 1990 and 1993. And finally,
in March of 1995, two deaths in Mississippi and Virginia were associated
with students giving and selling their medication to classmates who
were crushing and snorting the powder like cocaine (Source: Drug
Enforcement Administration press release
http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/pressrel/pr951020.htm.
Hmmm, very strange for a non-addictive substance.

Much of the report is clear and reasonable, based in scientific evidence,
but here and there a bit of dogma seemed to be dressed up in academic garb.

-DK
----------------------------------------------------------------
                   NEWS & REVIEWS

** New Books **

The Hyperactivity Hoax: How to Stop Drugging Your Child
and Find Real Medical Help
    by Sydney Walker
    St Martin's Press, 288 pp, $17

  Sydney Walker III, M.D., a board-certified neurologist and
psychiatrist and Director of the Southern Cal
Neuropsychiatric Institute, has treated "ADHD" children for
more than 30 years. He argues that a wide range of problems --
metabolic and genetic disorders, heart conditions, infections,
anemia, hearing and vision problems, and toxic exposure can
produce supposed ADHD symptomatology (e.g., hyperactive
behavior, inattention) and masquerade as the ADHD.
Accordingly, he cautions against the "label-and-drug" fad that
has currently swept through U.S. child psychiatry the last
decade or so. Children are too often placed on "powerful and
potentially harmful mind-altering drugs without the benefit of
any real medical diagnosis." He offers step-by-step advice about
determining what form of care your child needs.

More info, http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0312192878/
                        ----

Drug Addiction & Its Treatment: Nexus of Neuroscience & Behavior
   by Bankole A. Johnson & John D. Roache (eds)

The editors examine the behavioral and biological processes
involved in drug addiction and suggests ways of integrating
behavioral and pharmacological treatments. The
book is divided into four sections: behavior, neurobiology,
trends in neuroscience, and treatment applications.
The third section in particular may be of interest to
neurofeedback clinicians as they describe state-of-the-art
research techniques for studying the neurobiology of drug
addiction including topographical brain mapping.

More info, http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0397517645/
    [TRUNCATED - SEE WEB VERSION FOR MORE BOOKS]
                        ----

                    JOURNAL PAPERS

Neurofeedback treatment of pseudoseizure disorder.
   Swingle PG
   [Dept of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, USA. ]
   Biol Psychiatry 1998 Dec 1;44(11):1196-9
It took only 30 years for someone at Harvard to take note of
Sterman's remarkable epilepsy research. Pretty quick of
them ... Once per week three patients underwent SMR training,
along with psychotherapy -- always an effective way to keep
neurons from kindling. Swingle reported a correlation between
reduced seizure activity and smaller theta-SMR ratios and he
concluded that neurofeedback -- in conjunction with
psychotherapy! -- is an "effective adjunctive treatment for
pseudoseizure disorder".
                        ----

The functional neuroanatomy of major depression: an fMRI study
using an emotional activation paradigm.
   Beauregard M, Leroux JM, Bergman S, et al
   [Dept de Radiologie, U Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ]
   Neuroreport 1998 Oct 5;9(14):3253-8
Viewing sad material activated medial and inferior prefrontal
cortex, temporal cortex, and the caudate in both depressed
and normal subjects. However, in depressed subjects, emotional
material produced a greater activation in left medial prefrontal
cortex and in the right cingulate gyrus compared to controls,
which suggests that these two cortical regions might be part of
a network implicated in the pathophysiology of major depression.
                        ----

EEG analysis in ADHD: a comparative study of two subtypes.
   Clarke AR, Barry RJ, McCarthy R, Selikowitz M
   [Psychology, U of Wollongong, NSW, Australia ]
   Psychiatry Res 1998 Oct 19;81(1):19-29
ADHD children exhibit greater theta activity and reduced alpha
and beta activity compared to controls. Inattentive
ADHD subtype differed from the Combined subtype in the same
measures, appearing to be closer to controls. The authors
argue that these results support a maturational lag model of
the central nervous system in Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity
Disorder and that subtype differences reflect severity rather
than dysfunctional differences.
                        ----
Brain's Ability To "Rewire" Itself After Strokes Or Injuries
(Large-scale sprouting of cortical connections after peripheral
injury in adult macaque monkeys.)
   Florence SL, Taub HB, Kaas JH
   [Psychology, Vanderbilt U., sherre.l.florence@... ]
   Science 1998 Nov 6;282(5391):1117-21
The adult brain has a surprisingly robust built-in capacity for
change, creating the possibility for innovative treatments for
brain disorders. A Vanderbilt study shows that neurons in the
adult brain can sprout new axons which can travel and make
contact with new targets at distant sites in the brain. New
cell growth was believed to be initiated in response to massive
change in activity patterns, not from the injury itself. This suggests
that natural processes (such as neurofeedback) can coax
flexibility out of the adult brain -- in contrast to research where
chemicals are administered to facilitate cell growth.
    [TRUNCATED - SEE WEB VERSION FOR MORE PAPERS]
----------------------------------------------------------------

               ONLINE DIALOGUE

Clinics Online

More clinicians have added information online. 62 offices online.

Ernesto Miselevich, MD - Haifa, Isreal
    A Child, Adolescent and Family Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist
    specializing in treating children and adults with Neurofeedback.

Al Mumma, M.S. - North Mankato, MN
     Treating PTSD, esp. survivors of childhood abuse, addictions & ADHD

Life's Journey Center - Palm Springs, CA
     Life's Journey Center strengthens the recovering persons continuing
     sobriety, spiritual healing and value to self, family and community,
     with counseling and programs tailored to each patient's needs.

Jane Doner, MA - Saline, MI
     Specializing in treating many mental health and related disorders
     with EEG  Biofeedback without using medications.

Dane Nielsen, LPC - Lawton, OK
     The Center offers help in all of these areas: Work Hardening,
     Physical Therapy,  EEG Biofeedback, Pain Mgmt, Functional
     Capacity Evaluations.

     See www.eegspectrum.com/offices/ for URLS
----------------------------------------------------------------

EEG Biofeedback Training Course for Professionals

EEG Spectrum presents the emerging field from a perspective well-grounded in
clinical phenomenology, but it is also based on a neurophysiological model
of efficacy originally proposed by M. Barry Sterman, Ph.D., and recently
augmented by Andrew Abarbanel, M.D. The clinical database and the model
combine to yield a variety of protocols which have proven to be effective in
the treatment of behavior, mood, pain, attention and learning problems,
seizure disorder and the consequences of brain injury. A coherent picture
emerges about how protocol choices may be made in the face of complex
presenting symptoms.

The training also includes the all-important practicum section which focuses
on actual operation and use of instrumentation. Additionally, opportunity is
provided outside the formal curriculum for practitioners to experience
training on themselves as well as discussing professional issues, marketing,
and the particulars of establishing a financially successful practice based
on this modality.

Faculty: Siegfried Othmer, Ph.D., BCIAC; Susan Othmer, BCIAC; M. Barry
Sterman, Ph.D.; Nancy White, Ph.D. ; Julian Isaacs, Ph.D.; Pat Fields,
Psy.D.; Martin Wuttke, BCIAC; William Scott, CCDP; David Kaiser, Ph.D.

        LOCATION                 DATES
      Encino, CA               Jan  7-11, 1999 (Attachment Disorders)**
      San Diego, CA            Jan 21-25, 1999
      Orlando, FL              Feb 18-22, 1999

Info about accomodations www.eegspectrum.com/course/hotel.htm

TOPICS COVERED
* EEG Biofeedback Theory: Neurophysiological Basis; Research History
* Clinical App's: Assessment, Protocol Selection, Practicum & Case Review
* Specialty App's: For Behavior Modification & Performance Enhancement

COST (5-Day Course): $995.00 (** except for Specialty courses)
  Additional Attendees from Same Facility: 30% discount 
  Reattendees: $200.00

To enroll, contact Dennis Campbell at denniscampbell@...
  or call EEG Spectrum at 800-789-3456 or (818) 788-2083.
   ------------------------------------------------------

  CONFERENCES                    LOCATION            DATES
  FutureHealth (see below)       Palm Springs, CA    Feb  5- 9, 1999
   AAPB 1999                      Vancouver, BC       Apr  7-11, 1999
                          --------
1999 FutureHealth Conference: Palm Springs, February 5-9, 1999

      Advanced Winter Brain meeting: (5 days, 2/5-9/99)
      EEG Foundations Course: (1 day, 2/5/9)
      Optimal Functioning Meeting: (3 days, 2/3-5/99)

For additional information and updates: bio@...

In a related note, the FutureHealth 1998 abstracts are online at
http://www.futurehealth.org/97eegab1.htm
----------------------------------------------------------------
                 LAST WORD

    A Commentary on the Current QEEG Controversy

In a posting to the PsyPhy list server, Ted LaVaque asserted
some time ago that on the basis of the QEEG there may be no
good reason to do beta/SMR training at all. Here is Sig
Othmer's reply:

"The field of neurofeedback is probably between $50 and $100
million in terms of annual services delivered around the
world. Probably the majority of this is in the realm of SMR/beta
training-perhaps 70% or more. This work involves more than a
thousand clinicians plying their trade. Do all these folks not
know what they are doing, and are they duping the public and
misleading themselves, and imagining the amazing results that
they are claiming? Of course not, but it is revealing that a
researcher is apparently still capable of entertaining such a
hypothesis thirty years after Sterman demonstrated seizure
reduction in cats with SMR-training in controlled studies.

If on the other hand La Vaque's judgment is mistaken, what
would that indicate? It would be another among numerous
historical instances of misinterpretation of the implications
of the QEEG. Just because the QEEG does not change grossly and
predictably in the training band (in the SMR-beta range) does
not mean that a challenge to brain function in that frequency
range is not useful. Rather, it means that the functional brain
constrains frequency amplitudes in these frequency ranges rather
precisely -- not to a single value, but to what the brain needs
it to be at a particular moment. If we assume a functional role
for the instantaneous degree of rhythmicity in regulating both
local activation and central arousal, then precise control of
such amplitudes would follow. The brain simply won't allow an
arbitrary change in EEG parameters because that would have
profound functional implications! So there is no contradiction
here at all.

So if we have one individual who responds nary at all in terms
of beta amplitudes, and another who responds
profoundly, are we to conclude that the second was somehow the
better, more compliant and more successful subject? More
likely, the latter simply came with the much less stable brain!
One of the first things we did after getting into this field
was to track changes in theta, beta, and in theta-beta ratios
in our subjects. After plotting up results for some 167 clients,
we found that most subjects didn't change a great deal at all
(80% showed changes less than +-20%) and the changes were about
equally distributed between upward and downward changes!
We showed these results at AAPB in 1992, and they were
predictably dismissed as heresy at the time. We have not allowed
our work to live or die by that parameter since (actually, we
never did, and neither did Barry Sterman).

Incidentally, this statement should not be seen as a contradiction
of what Lubar was claiming at the time, either. Lubar pre-selected
his subjects to have high theta-beta ratios at the outset of
training. Under those circumstances, some normalization of that
parameter is expected to occur, and does so as well at our hands.
Where we differed with Joel is with respect to the requirement of
pre-selection. Whereas such pre-selection may have uncovered a
class of children who were particularly likely to respond favorably
to the training (the head-injured most prominently among them), it
was not capable of distinguishing those who would be responsive to
the training from those who would not be.

-Siegfried Othmer, Ph.D.


************************************************************
To unsubscribe, email webmaster@... and include
in the subject line of your message "unsubscribe newsletter"
************************************************************


------------------------------------------------------------------------
E-group home: http://www.eGroups.com/list/wnin
Free Web-based e-mail groups by eGroups.com

Test

-----
Free e-mail group hosting at http://www.eGroups.com/
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Free Web-based e-mail groups -- http://www.eGroups.com