Quantitative Elecroencephalography (QEEG) is a non-invasive test that records electrical brain activity and has become an valuable tool in helping physicians and psychologists diagnosis and treat brain injuries.
This breakthrough technology outdates conventional imaging methods such as MRI and CT scans, because they can only reflect anatomical strutures and abnormalities. It is not uncommon for an MRI or CT scan to find nothing abnormal in a patient who complains that he or she has not been the same since an accident. Because a QEEG measures how the brain functions, it often can pick up the extent and location of a mild head injury where these other tests fail.
QEEG has also proven to be very accurate in the detection of brain dysfunction in patients with cerebrovascular disease, even more so than cerebral blood flow studies and conventional EEG recordings.
A person does not have to experience a major concussion to have serious consequences to a mild head trauma. Injuries that occur from a minor automobile accident, from whip lash, or from bumping one's head--all can cause serious behavioral, cognitive, and emotional problems.
Mild head injuries can cause a complex of symptoms such as: headaches, confusion, irritability, sleep disorders, memory loss, short attention span, confusion, apathy, and a whole host of other neurological problems that can plague the patient for months and sometimes years, interfering with work, relationships, school, and other daily activities.
MRI and CT scans, which areolder diagnostic tests, often cannot be sensitive enough to detect the subtle brain dysfunctions which can change a person's life.QEEG, then, is a recording of brain wave electrical activity, passed through a computer, and then displayed on a video monitor to be observed by both the patient and the doctor. This technology is a valuable tool for your physician or psychologist in diagnosing a neurological disorder. It also helps in developing a treatment protocol specific to the neurological disorder. QEEG can detect the exact location of a head injury. It can identify sleep disorders. It can pin point the source of short term memory difficulties, learning disabilities, attention deficit disorders, cognitive dysfunctions, and a host of other central nervous system problems that plague a person for a long time following an accident.
People can spend countless visits to doctors and be exposed to frightening amounts of medication without benefit. These medications can, at times, cause additional problems. Life can become a daily battle, interfering with work, school, relationships, and other activities a person once enjoyed.
Here's a check list of symptoms that accompany brain injuries. Not all the symptoms accompany every head injury. If you take this test and want it looked at by our team, contact Dr. Currieri (address and phone listed below), and he will talk with you about your responses to the Symptom Check List.
Check the symptoms that apply and rate them according to the following scale:
0-------1--------2--------3--------4-------5-------6-------7-------8--------9--------10
none..............mild....................moderate.....................severe.........................very severe
If a patient is experiencing any of the symptoms listed above and has not been helped by standard approaches, he or she may want to check out Neuro-functional analysis, using QEEG technology.
With QEEG available to provide new diagnostic information, we can design a neuro-functional treatment program of EEG Neurotherapy. Neurotherapy is designed to directly address only the areas of the brain that are affected. Unlike medication, which may not be selective and generally affects the entire system, Neurotherapy is an effective, selective, and non-invasive alternative treatment program.
A new technique for working with head injuries and other cognitive problems is a system developed by Len Ochs, Ph.D., called a LENS. This eeg-driven stimulation has been tested by many neurotherapists around the world; and the reports from them are that this system seems to have a significant response in some patients. It has been effective with patients who have suffered the effects of a closed head injury, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and other maladies that have impaired cognitive functioning. For a full description of this system you can check out the LENS web page: LENS . We have an FNS system at our offices.
Michael Currieri, Ph.D., can be reached at the Russian River Counselors, for a QEEG analysis or for neuorotherapy.His number is 707-543-8191. You can also reach him by email, by clicking here.
His web site is www.health-wise.net.
Maureen Wolfe, RN, can be reached at Russian River Counselors for the LENS neurotherapy. Her office number is 707-887-2838.