So called Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) has been highlighted particularly in relation to head injuries as it is hard to quantify the severity of the injury and predict the likelihood of significant long term consequences. Whilst this has been in the news in relation to professional sport it is a significant clinical issue for the population at large. Diagnostic imaging has typically not proved reliable in identifying mTBI. We have known for a very long time that the EEG signal reflects the collective electrical activity of neurons firing in the brain even if the functional implications were not understood. Recent work with so called qEEG (Quantitative EEG) is showing promise as a way to correctly discriminate the brain injured person from ‘normals’. This presentation will look at some recent research in this area and the approaches to signal processing that make this area promising.

1. qEEG and
Neurofeedback
in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Derek Jones PhD MBA
Anatomical Concepts (UK) Ltd
Fixxl Ltd

2. Can we distinguish brain
injured from ‘normals’
based on their qEEG?
Can we use
neurofeedback to improve
function?
mTBI

3. … Not Just About Sport …
•Initial damage may seem
minimal .. but …
•Chronic effects in the longer
term
•Significant cognitive, sensory and
psychiatric dysfunction

4. EEG
Bioelectric potential
recorded at the surface of
the head using electrodes
and instrumentation.
Arising from the brain cells
in the cerebral cortex
epiphenomenon

5. EEG Signal
Acquisition
•80 year + Experience
•Good hardware
•Care needs to be
taken

6. qEEG
=
Quantitative
Electroencephalography
•Frequency domain representation
•Normative databases
•Coherence

7. Data
Acquisition
• Microvolt level signals
• Sensitive to error & protocols
• Standardised electrode positions
https://www.biofeedback-tech.com

9. moment-to-moment brain
function is directly linked to
EEG oscillations.
Trauma should be reflected in the
EEG pattern but needs to be
quantified - you can’t do this
subjectively

10. Frequency Spectrum
Representing the EEG
as consisting of
several “classical”
frequency bands
Delta - 0 to 4 Hz
Theta - 4 to 7 Hz
Alpha - 8 to 13 Hz
Beta1 - 15 to 21 Hz
Beta2 - 21 to 30 Hz
Gamma - 30 to 100 Hz
SMR 12-15 Hz

11. Frequency Domain

12. Classify..
Group A
Group C
Group B
“mTBI”
“normal”

13. Coherence
• Coherence (correlation) between regions tends
to be high due to high level of connectedness
• Connectivity reflects the amount of processing
that the brain is devoting to particular activities
• Could look at magnitude and phase of FFT

14. Human Connectome
Mapping Structure and Function
A wiring diagram of the brain

15. Normative Database
individual

16. Identify mTBI
Kirtley Thornton
“A QEEG activation methodology that obtained
100% accuracy in the discrimination of traumatic
brain injured from normal and does the learning
disabled show the brain injury pattern?”.
Neuroregulation, Vol. 1(3-4):209-218, 2014

17. 10-20

19. Neurofeedback
• Signals from the brain are “revealed” to the trainee
• Brain processes new information and learns
• Allows conditioning and signage to occur
• System needs to be intuitive and relatively simple
• There is engagement - but not “trying”
• EEG changes may occur but what matters is clinical
outcomes

21. Conceptual view of Neurofeedback
EEG
Brain
Events
Behaviour
Thought
Externalised
Internalised
Perceived as Thoughts
Perceived as Behaviour
Perceived as Neurofeedback

25. Derek Jones PhD MBA
Anatomical Concepts (UK) Ltd
Fixxl Ltd