Filtering and Processing In the Brain-Trainer system we split attention into two groups that are ends of a continuum: Filtering and Processing. Processing and Filtering are the two categories we use to cover what is commonly called ADHD. Filtering people can’t manage the interface between the outside world and their inside world. They are easily […]

Monopolar (or referential) montages are channels in which one electrode (usually the active, but that’s not necessarily true) is placed over an active EEG site on the head. Bipolar (or sequential) montages are channels in which BOTH active and reference electrode are placed over active EEG sites. T3/A1 has one electrode over a head site […]

Sites on the Scalp and Cortical Functions The Brain-Trainer approach uses the standard international 10-20 system that neuroscientists and neurologists use. This system is basically an address book to find specific locations on the scalp and the brain function that can be detected at that site. The 10-20 sites are, in turn, located on larger […]

Brain-Trainer Approach The Brain-Trainer approach is more than just a full-brain workout. It is a unique and important way of understanding the brain’s electrical habits of being and how to shift those for optimal performance.

Tone Tone, as used in the TQ Assessment, refers to autonomic tone and relates to emotional stress building over a significant period of time, resulting in disruptions of the autonomically-mediated functions of the body, as well as relatively ongoing levels of anxiety or depression. It’s important not to confuse the Tone category, which does include […]

Alpha peak frequency is the dominant frequency in the range. For example, if you looked at bars on the power spectrum in the alpha range, the bar that was tallest would be the peak frequency. This is another way of looking at level of activation. Alpha peak frequency should be around 10Hz (especially in the […]

Frontals The pre-frontal is the part that lies behind the forehead.  Everything from the central sulcus, which runs from ear to ear across the middle of the central sensory motor strip, to the very front of the head is frontal lobes–about half the cortex.  The PFC (pre-frontal cortex) is the executive center of the brain, […]

Graphing and Charting versus Real Life Most people want to become less anxious, or pay attention better, or sleep more effectively, or stop obsessing over things or whatever. If they are showing better average scores in their sessions, but those things aren’t changing, do you really think you can convince them the training is “working”? […]

Anterior Cingulate Since the anterior cingulate is active in controlling the flow of emotional material to the prefrontal–like a mixing valve for intellectual and emotional elements in the decision-making process–when it is stressed by trying to block lots of material, it can get “hot” (Daniel Amen’s term), and this is often a period of anxiety […]

Identifying Progress I’ve also seen lots of people who got so wound up in the tracking and judging of their “progress” that they got frustrated when they “weren’t making any.” Not all progress is graphable. And it’s not, in my experience, necessary to cognitively interact with a process to have it be beneficial. Meditation, for […]