Alpha

Alpha is primarily found in the rear of the brain, over sensory areas.

Alpha is the bridge between conscious (beta) and subconscious (theta) states.  Alpha peaks should be around 10Hz.  Alpha would be expected to be higher in back and on the right (except that O1 is probably higher than O2).  The alpha frequency comes from the thalamic pacemaker (that’s what is meant by diffuse alpha projection system), and if you speed it up anywhere, you tend to speed it up everywhere.

People who don’t produce effective alpha are usually locked on one side or the other of the divide between conscious and subconscious states–theta processors get the ADD label because they have difficulty with the logical-rational language-based sequential processing states related to beta; beta processors are often locked away from their feelings and deeper memories. The ability to get into the alpha observer state allows one to consciously be aware of feelings.

Alpha is known in neurological terms as DPR (dominant posterior rhythm), because it dominates in most brains in the parietal and occipital lobes.  It has a pretty specific sinusoidal form, much smoother than most frequency forms, and it has a specific characteristic that identifies it.  When eyes are closed, in most brains it becomes very strong, and its amplitude tends to drop strongly (at least 30%) when eyes are opened.

So if the DPR appears in frequencies such as 6-10Hz, it’s still really alpha in terms of what alpha is like experientially.  The wave form looks like alpha, though slower.  And we can guess, seeing such a thing, that we are dealing with a rather young child, a very elderly adult or someone whose brain is quite tired.  In any case, the information has some important training implications.

One of the signs of aging in most brains is a slowing of the alpha rhythm so the peak frequency drops below 10 Hz.

Alpha is most natural in the parietal/occipital lobes.  Higher alpha frequencies in the back tend to relate to better working memory performance (and thus better scores in IQ tests), while higher peaks in the front relate to anxiety.  However, an alpha peak differential in one site may indicate damage there.

There is research that links posterior alpha production with serotonin release.

Slow Alpha

People with slow brains usually have slow alpha as well.  Slow alpha results in all kinds of cognitive problems.

When the peak of alpha is below 10 Hz (as we see in the TQ), semantic memory suffers, working memory suffers, you may become more depressed/low energy, sleep and ability to learn (related to working memory) will tend to deteriorate.  One way of looking at this is to look at the relationship between 8-10 Hz alpha and 10-12 Hz alpha.  If the ratio of high alpha to low alpha is 1 or a bit higher, that’s probably good.  If it’s below 1.0, then you’ll probably experience some of the above problems (also called age-related cognitive decline because it happens to many of us after we pass 50 or so).

The biggest alpha consideration in older adults is very likely that it is slower than it should be.  If you check for alpha peak frequency (you can do this directly with the EEG software), you will almost certainly find it below 10 Hz–perhaps well below.  Training the alpha peak frequency back up to 10 Hz in the back and 10 or higher in the front is one of the main things I have done with older adults.

According to Jay Gunkelman (and this actually seems to work), the best way to diminish slow alpha (8-10 Hz) is to increase fast alpha in the parietal/occipital area.  I like to train down 2-9.5 Hz and reward activity at 10-14 Hz at P4 or Pz or even O1 or Oz.  The idea is that alpha is generated by rhythm generators (sets of nuclei) in the thalamus–a different site for slow and fast alpha.  (BTW, slow theta, 4-6 Hz, and SMR–12-15 hz in the sensorimotor cortex–are also both generated by separate rhythm generators in the thalamus).  In either of these cases, when you train down slow alpha and train up fast alpha (or train down theta and up SMR), you are encouraging the cortical neurons we can see in the EEG to switch from linking to the slower generator to the faster generator.  Since alpha and SMR are regional rhythms, getting the neurons to switch in one area tends to get them to switch in others as well.

As alpha begins to slow–and often begins to move forward as well–the somatic effects begin to be felt.

Alpha Reversals

If alpha is reversed in the parietals–that is there is more on the left than on the right–that could be related to sleep problems and a kind of negative/depressive view of the world.

In the TQ Assessment, alpha asymmetries could be a likely candidate to cause These problems, either too much on the left or too much in the front.  Motivation problems are often related to alpha or excessive slow activity in the frontal midline area around Afz and Fz.  General slowing in the left frontal quadrant would also be likely, as could be generalized slowing around the brain. Low levels of alpha (especially EC) in the back of the head or very low slow-frequency coherences could also be related.

In Davidson’s article published in 2005, he extended his work showing the importance of alpha dominance in the right prefrontal in two ways.  First, he found that an alpha imbalance anywhere in the brain seemed to be related to the more negative, risk-averse, view of the world; second, he found that the imbalance in higher alpha (10-12 Hz) seemed much more important than in lower alpha.

When you look at the Analyze page in the TQ8, you’ll see that all site pairs give the ratio for beta, alpha and high alpha.  I usually look for sites that are below 1 on most or all of these values as being prime places to train.

High Amplitude Alpha

It is possible to have too much alpha, and it shows up as high alpha/theta ratios, slow alpha, or poor alpha blocking.

We talk about alpha being the bridge between subconscious (theta) and conscious (beta). Very low levels of alpha equals no bridge, and the client remains unaware of subconscious processes. But very tall alpha bridges can be conceived of as a drawbridge stuck open: you STILL can’t get across from one side to the other. One of the characteristics of the high alpha person is a kind of anesthesia, like wrapping the brain in cotton, which very often in my experience results in a somaticization of the emotional material. Lots of fibromyalgia, chronic pain and chronic fatigue folks show this pattern–especially if the alpha peak is low, and especially if there is a lot of alpha in front.

Too much alpha can be as much a problem as too little, especially if it doesn’t block.  Very high alpha (especially when it is a bit slow and doesn’t block well–it still is dominant with eyes open) is the “drawbridge stuck open”. The drawbridge is that type of bridge that opens in the middle to let ships pass, then closes so vehicles can cross it. This is a kind of self-anesthesia which keeps a client from feeling emotional drive issues and dealing with them.  The result can be a kind of numbness emotionally, and often as the client reaches their 40s and above, it can be found in people with chronic pain or fatigue.

With high alpha, I would wonder about drug use or drinking, especially if it is also high in the frontals. Slow alpha being high could relate to marijuana use over a long period. The effect of the high alpha can be kind of like wrapping the brain in cotton batting, so the client doesn’t experience much, and cognitively it’s like shifting into auto-pilot when he should be landing the plane. Why the brain has chosen this pattern is an interesting question–sometimes a way of protecting against stressful events.

Long-term meditation might result in overall high levels of alpha, especially if it is synchronous.  Generally though that would be related more to back of the head sites, and it would block effectively with eyes open and at task.

Also, high levels of alpha that don’t block at specific sites can be an indication of a gray-matter head injury.

If it is high (especially slow alpha) everywhere, there is the possibility that it is the brain’s response to a trauma that has not been integrated (emotional trauma), and the brain is using the alpha as an “anesthetic” to keep from feeling it.

You can train down globally high alpha on the midline or on the left or toward the front–the areas of the brain that should be faster.  Take a look at the histograms and maps with eyes open and see if alpha is not still dominant.  I would generally try training it down with eyes open, though doing it with eyes closed may be useful as well.

It’s likely that anxiety is related to the high peak alpha frequencies.

High alpha in the temporals, especially if it stays high with eyes open, could certainly disrupt memory function or emotional responses which are linked to the temporal areas. Since F8 is an emotional regulation area, any excessive slow activity or alpha there (again, especially with EO) would indicate it was having difficulty doing its job.

You can absolutely have excessive alpha in the back.  There is a whole class of client who are anxious and even compulsive who have very high eyes closed alpha levels.  However, there are also heavy meditators who produce lots of it.  I’d say if the alpha/theta ratio is above about 2.5 with eyes closed in the P or O sites, that would lead me to try downtraining it.  Especially so if the drop when eyes open is not below 1.0–or if the ratio rises again at task.

Now in a relatively activated brain (perhaps more so in a very active brain) beta and alpha are antagonists.  When you are producing alpha (synchronized with the mid-brain) you will be blocking beta; when you produce beta in the cortex, you de-synchronize from the alpha generators in the thalamus.  Take a look at where the alpha is when it surges.  If it’s in the 8-10 range, that would go along with the sleepiness; but bursts of 10-12 Hz alpha shouldn’t be a problem.  If they still are, then try doing a squash, or training down the whole band.

Alpha at Task

Alpha should NOT go up at task, for sure!  Alpha is the resting ready state–and this primarily in the back of the head, not the front. When you perform a task, alpha should drop, or stay the same, depending on how well it blocked with eyes open compared with eyes closed.

Alpha Blocking

Alpha should attenuate (reduce in amplitude) when eyes are open.

When alpha looks the same with eyes closed and eyes open, especially when this is true in the back of the head, it may be one of two problems:

1. Failure to produce alpha with eyes closed; this suggests the neurons aren’t willing or able to let go of their beta processing speeds, even when there is no task requiring those speeds.

2. Failure to block alpha with eyes open or at task; this suggests the neurons aren’t able to shift out of their ready/resting state and actually kick into gear to perform a task.

The best way to tell which is happening is by looking at the alpha/theta ratios.

If the ratios are low with eyes closed and in range with eyes open or at task, that suggests option 1 is occurring.  Train for that by increasing alpha in the parietals.  If the ratios are in range with eyes closed and high with eyes open or at task, that suggests option 2.  Train for that by blocking alpha with eyes open in the front or central areas.

Also be aware, though, that ratios can be thrown off by very slow peak frequencies (as we would expect in children).  If you look at the histogram and see the “alpha pattern”–high with EC, drop with EO and stay down at task–it may not only occur in the 8-10 and 10-12 Hz bands.  It may be at 6-8 and 8-10, or even lower.

Alpha shouldn’t be high with eyes open.  If someone is uncomfortable training with eyes closed, I’d wonder, instead of what’s NOT there (e.g. alpha), what IS there that could be trained down. Alpha and the betas don’t coexist well.

Too much alpha is better seen in a failure to go away (or block) when you open your eyes and perform a task. Alpha should be about 30% higher with eyes closed than open. Frontally, your theta/alpha ratio will usually run between .8 and 1.25 with eyes closed. If alpha amplitudes rise when you perform a frontal task (e.g. memorizing) that’s a sign of failure to shift out of the speed when you should.  Alpha is a kind of “auto-pilot” state, and people who stay in auto-pilot when they should be “flying” the plane, often experience that “in one ear and out the other” sense when they try to process information.

A 30-50% drop is an expected level. More important is that the eyes-open and task levels of A/T are below 1.0 in the back. If the client has high alpha EC and blocks to that level, then even if the drop is 70%, that’s fine. May indicate the client is a meditator, has high alpha coherence, etc. Also, as Karen mentioned, the very high alpha eyes closed can be indicative of anxiety or, as I just posted, chronic pain or fatigue

Intelligence and Alpha

High FREQUENCY posterior alpha has been correlated in some studies with higher scores on IQ tests and improved working memory.  That’s not the same as high AMPLITUDE alpha.

I don’t say that low alpha peaks are related to low intelligence.  Only that, in some studies, faster alpha peaks have correlated with better scores on IQ tests and working memory tasks.  In some studies, not.  But there is a definite change that occurs (what Tom Budzynski calls “age-related cognitive decline” as alpha peak drifts down below 10 Hz.  Usually semantic memory is one of the first things to be affected, but there is also a description in many clients of the brain feeling fuzzy or foggy, difficulty learning new material, completing tasks, etc.  This has no more to do with a person’s intelligence than does ADD.  Very intelligent people can have either issue, but either will tend to compromise their ability to “show” their intelligence to its fullest extent.

When I mentioned senile dementia, it was because one of the definitions of this in terms of EEG is an alpha peak in the low 8’s or lower.  Again, even highly intelligent people can be affected by this.

Meditation and Alpha

The Zen master pattern shows strong synchronous alpha and gamma, alpha high with eyes closed, blocking efficiently at task and with eyes open.  Not much high-beta. Most prominently is the ability to be still and present most of the time, shift into focus on a task when one is at hand, and ability to shift back again when the task is finished.

Some people with low slow-wave activity do well training up slow activity (6-10 or 6-13) on the right side and in the rear of the head while limiting beta/high beta or even (in the 2C design) 13-38. Others who have slow wave activity, can train to reduce 9-13 or 12-16 with eyes closed to block fast alpha.

One of the keys, from my point of view, is to recognize that there is a relationship between activation patterns and mind states.  If you can find the observer place within you: a state of still, calm, presence in the moment–no thought, no judgment, no “trying”–you’ll usually find that you produce the EEG you are trying to train.  Consider the feedback as a mirror to show you when you are there.

In an alpha state, one becomes an observer–able to separate from an ego state.  Holding on to any emotional experience and sense of what someone “did to” me, blocks me from entering the observer state.  And I would argue that, with all due respect for psychology, that acceptance of my feelings about something that happened to me is not the same as letting the feelings dissolve. Not hiding them or denying them, but simply letting them go is, in my experience, the ultimate freedom.

Alpha Synchrony

Highly synchronous alpha can produce harmonics at 20 (and sometimes smaller ones at 30 and/or 40).  It’s also an artifact of the EEG measurement.  Beta can often go up with alpha due to what are called harmonics. Activity at 10 Hz has a “shadow” effect at 20 Hz, etc. This may result in seeing a beta increase.

In the brain, especially sinusoidal waveforms (like alpha and particularly synchronous alpha) can set up harmonics, which are resonances that occur at multiples of the waveform itself.  These are like the overtones, or harmonics, that give music its timbre.  So beta at, say, 30 Hz can be beta, or it can also be a 2nd harmonic of a strong 10 Hz alpha activity.  Since the former is likely to occur with eyes closed (when we would not necessarily expect to see a high degree of beta at 30 Hz), it is more likely to be a harmonic frequency response.  Also, harmonics tend to be narrow.  Ordinarily we don’t expect to see that kind of picture in the brain, since the EEG usually looks more like a class picture, with a variety of amplitudes clustered around one another, than like a picture of a Lombardi Poplar in Nebraska, with a single tall item with nothing around to support it.

Alpha Ratios

Alpha/theta ratios with eyes closed in the front would be expected to be around 1.0 to 1.5 (in the back, 1.5-2.5).  With eyes open they should drop to around 0.7 in the front and 1.0 or below in the back.

If alpha is very high in front, especially if it doesn’t block 30-50% when eyes are opened or task is performed, especially if it is slow (8-10 Hz) alpha, those are all patterns that could relate to low motivation and difficulty with control functions as well as attention.

If you look at the Histograms page and see that the level of “SMR” is much higher with eyes closed and drops with eyes open, then you may be dealing with fast alpha, not with SMR.  Especially if this appears in the front half of the brain and the client wants to deal with anxiety, then you may want to train to change it.

Whenever you look at a ratio, it’s worth seeing whether the ratio is high or low because one side is very low or the other is very high.

If the alpha/theta ratio is high, it could be that alpha is roughly in the range in terms of amplitude as it is elsewhere in the brain, but the theta is very low.   Or it could be that the alpha is much higher than elsewhere.

If theta is low–especially in the back–that suggests that there is subconscious material the client is cutting off. Especially if alpha is slow and doesn’t block well with eyes-open or at task, training to let the brain come in contact with that material is a good thing.

If alpha is particularly high–especially in all three states–in one spot or contiguous spots or even opposite spots on the head (e.g. O2 and F3), that may well be the result of gray-matter head injury sometime in the past.

A large spike of alpha in the occipitals can also suggest that there is traumatic experience–usually visual–that is being dissociated.

Alpha Beta Relationship

Beta and alpha are antagonists.  A neuron not involved in a task can resonate to the brain’s alpha generators.  A neuron performing a task produces beta.  It can’t do both at once.  As you are able to release the fast activity, the alpha may start up, or you can train it up.

If increasing beta does not decrease alpha, this is an indication that the brain is under-aroused. When beta rises and alpha falls (or vice-versa), brain activation is in a good range.

It’s fine to use something like 19-38 or 23-38 Hz inhibits and 6-13 or 9-13 rewards, but don’t be surprised if the “reward” band doesn’t go up–or even goes down.   You are asking the brain to pat its head and rub its belly at the same time. (re:  training down beta and up alpha at t3/t4)

Alpha and Brain Injury

When alpha shows a spike at a site relative to the rest of the head, one of the first things to rule out is a closed head injury.   Gray matter damage (neurons, not axons) results first in reduced amplitudes in all frequencies (fewer neurons to fire), but as the neurons are replaced the amplitude comes back–though the connections don’t–and it’s not uncommon to see a spike of alpha.

Mu

Mu is just a normal variant of alpha. It shows up in about 20% of young adults. It often seems to exist in EEGs with a lot of frontal slowing–as you might expect in ADHD. However, when you train SMR up, regardless of the frequency, you aren’t necessarily impacting mu–even if there were some reason NOT to do so. Alpha and mu both exist in the same frequency band, but training up alpha doesn’t necessarily affect mu.

So you could try hitting the slow frontal activity first, which could help reduce the mu and improve impulse control; or you could just find your SMR rhythm and don’t worry about mu; or you could have the client imagining himself moving while he sits very still and relaxed, which should raise SMR and block mu at the same time.

Mu should be found in the sensory-motor cortex over the dominant hemisphere, more than likely the Left. In which case, training at C4 over the right hemisphere shouldn’t affect it anyway.

Every 5-year-old I’ve ever trained has figured out in a matter of minutes that moving a finger or hand will make it go away.  The only way to separate out Mu waves, if you really want to, is to look at the morphology of the wave forms or just have the client move his/her hand.  If the activity drops as long as there is movement, it’s Mu.

Mu isn’t a problem, so don’t waste your time training it.

Alpha or MU?

If you want to worry about Mu waves, then you need to look at the raw EEG tracing. That’s the only way to tell the difference between alpha and mu. Mu has what is described as a “wicket” shape. They can occur in the frontal sensorimotor cortex or other motor areas, so they may be actually slowed SMR pulses.