Treating Postconcussion Syndrome with LORETA Z-Score Neurofeedback and Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback: Neuroanatomical/Neurophysiological Rationale, Methods, and Case Examples
Media attention has highlighted the critical problem of concussion injuries in sport and the challenge of treating and rehabilitating individuals with traumatic brain injury. The authors present a framework for the treatment of traumatic brain injury, using low-resolution electromagnetic tomography Z-score based neurofeedback and heart rate–variability biofeedback. The article advocates a comprehensive assessment process including the use of a 19-channel quantitative electroencephalogram, a heart rate variability baseline, and symptom severity questionnaires for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, depression, and anxiety. The initial medical assessment, neuropsychological assessment, and evoked potential studies also have potential for a more precise assessment of deficits in brain activation patterns, which assists the targeting of neurofeedback training.
A.N., male, age 35. Single-point analysis of spindling beta (25–30-Hz band) observed at F8 shows right uncus as source (from The Neurofeedback Book, Second Edition, Thompson & Thompson, in press).
Example of ERPs from a 21-year-old woman with presenting symptoms of motor dysfunction, memory complaints, and cognitive impairment, copied from an Evoke Neuroscience report. In this example the P300 after a concussion is low (amplitude) and slow (latency).
Relevant brain systems and networks (from The Neurofeedback Book, Thompson & Thompson, in press).
Michael Thompson
Lynda Thompson
Andrea Reid-Chung
Contributor Notes