Brain waves come at different frequencies measured in Hertz. These frequencies affect how we feel and function daily in life.
Researchers discovered that stimulating gamma oscillations at 40 hertz via flashing light and sound at this frequency decreased amyloid plaque formation among Alzheimer’s patients, marking an encouraging step in improving cognitive abilities in people living with AD.
Delta Waves
Delta Waves are the slowest brainwaves, and are most prevalent during deep, restful sleep. Delta waves typically account for 20% or more of EEG recordings during N3 (Slow Wave Sleep). Research has linked high delta wave activity with feelings of relaxation and mental calmness.
Delta waves are associated with restorative sleep and help the body rejuvenate during the nighttime hours. Your body uses this time to flush away toxins and replenish essential nutrients – an integral component to overall wellness and good health. Delta waves also have positive impacts on cognitive functions such as attention span and reaction time – essential components to memory recall.
Researchers found that when combined, trough-synchronized rTMS and tACS produced greater increases in resting-state delta power than either stimulation protocol alone, while increasing delta frequency range specifically. This indicates that using both techniques together was more effective at increasing delta frequency activity than either technique alone; and could potentially enhance other brain frequencies such as alpha or theta activity as well.
TMS delivers a brief, high-intensity magnetic pulse to the scalp that stimulates neuronal activation and produces an electric current in the brain, inducing brainwave changes at an induced frequency and producing long-lasting physiological effects; it does not alter preexisting oscillations. By comparison, tACS uses low intensity electrical current through electrodes to modulate spontaneous neuronal activity without directly stimulating it; in this way, tACS is able to entrain and enhance preexisting neural activity while producing longer lasting effects than TMS.
Researchers conducted five different stimulation protocols to test the impact of trough-synchronized rTMS combined with tACS on resting-state delta power as measured by EEG. They discovered that when combined, these stimulation methods proved more effective than either individually; significantly increasing delta frequency activity from frontal to temporal brain regions and producing long-lasting effects and increasing neuronal activity within this critical delta frequency band – an effect which ultimately enhanced sleep quality.
Theta Waves
Theta waves, usually associated with relaxation and dreaming, typically range in frequency between 4-8 Hz. This brain wave activity plays a role in unconscious information processing. They’re used in neurofeedback training to foster a healthier and meditative state.
These 8-12Hz waves are characteristic of healthy sleep cycles and associated with calm, relaxed mental states; studies have also indicated their potential effectiveness in relieving anxiety and depression symptoms. Neurofeedback training also uses these waves to promote restful slumber and increase concentration.
Beta waves are an integral component of healthy human brains and have been linked with alertness, problem solving, cognitive abilities and information processing. Furthermore, they have also been proven to improve memory retention and processing speed.
People suffering from ADD/ADHD have been found to possess excessive low frequency (delta and theta) brainwaves and not enough high frequency (beta) waves in certain regions of their cortex – which has been proven to be at the core of their symptoms and treated successfully using neurofeedback therapy.
At this painless test, sensors will be attached to your head and then connected to a computer that reads electrical signals from your brain cells. Your therapist interprets this data and provides feedback in various forms; for instance, watching movies or video games that change speed or volume depending on brainwave activity; hearing tones or audiobooks which fade in and out; or seeing images of your own brain functioning live.
Results from brain mapping and neurofeedback treatment can be life-altering. Neurofeedback therapy has proven its worth in treating PTSD, chronic pain and other conditions; thanks to its inherent neuroplasticity, brainwave patterns can retrain themselves for better attention, emotional regulation and cognitive ability.
Renew Neurotherapy in Ottawa, Pembroke and North Bay is an experienced therapy clinic offering brain mapping and neurofeedback to treat various conditions and health issues. Reach out today to discover more how neurofeedback could benefit you!
Beta Waves
An electroencephalogram (EEG) is a graph showing oscillating electrical voltages in the brain at different frequencies measured in cycles per second, or hertz. There are five widely recognized brain wave frequencies associated with different mental states or abilities; faster waves correspond to beta (12 to 30 Hz) and gamma (30-60 Hz), while delta (3-8Hz), theta (4-8Hz) and alpha (8-13Hz) are more mellow waves that correspond with certain mental states or abilities.
Gamma waves are associated with attention and perception, while beta waves are connected with cognition. Gamma waves may play an integral part in linking together images activated in various cortical areas into one coherent perception; similarly beta waves correlate to speed perception.
Beta waves differ from low frequencies by not being associated with slow depolarization of neurons but instead are produced by simultaneous rapid depolarization of multiple neurons at once, making the processing of information much faster and efficient. Beta activity can be found almost universally among healthy subjects, and its presence can be observed as an EEG spectrum peak; however, its prevalence might not always be as great due to scalp edema and skull defects that attenuate high frequency EEG signals.
Diffuse beta activity can often be observed during sleep or drowsiness and is the expected response to certain sedative medications like benzodiazepines. Furthermore, diffuse beta activity can be an indicator of neurological disorders like TBI or stroke.
The function of beta rhythm remains obscure, yet it appears to play an integral part in maintaining cortical homeostasis during waking consciousness. Multiple lab studies have found that obstructive sleep disorders tend to have higher beta levels while depression tends to have decreased ones; some research also indicates negative emotional stimuli can increase or decrease beta synchronization respectively – yet its impact remains unclear whether these findings represent two separate systems or simply interact with each other dynamically.
Gamma Waves
Gamma waves are one of the most penetrating forms of electromagnetic radiation. Their wavelength spans from less than 10 picometers (1×10-11 m) up to frequencies above 30 exahertz (3×1019 Hz), boasting the highest photon energy. Gamma waves can be generated naturally via nuclear decay or through natural events such as solar flares. Furthermore, high energy physics experiments and nuclear reactors also generate them artificially.
Gamma rays have long been employed as an imaging technique in medicine to image the human body. Their primary use is in diagnosing tumors or abnormalities in bones, lungs or other organs of the body – as well as early signs of cancer before it spreads throughout.
Technetium-99m radioisotope produces gamma rays used to diagnose and treat various forms of cancers, with these beams often administered via IV injection into patients and monitored for signs of bone pain or bleeding as well as to locate sources of cancerous cells for surgery. Their energy level allows resonance absorption in target nuclei; this process causes them to release energy back to nearby immobilized targets through resonance absorption processes that cause resonance absorption within target nuclei; in turn, this energy loss eventually causes resonance absorption between target nuclei; thus losing energy with surrounding immobilized targets nearby and the core nuclei; making these beams invaluable tools in both diagnosis and treatment of many cancer types.
