Barry Sterman

Sponsored by Futurehealth Inc.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

 This course provides an in-depth review of the essential building blocks for understanding and proper application of quantitative electroencephalography in the areas of client evaluation and neurofeedback training. These components include a) the physiological basis of the EEG, b) the functional relevance of frequency/topography patterns and c) the evaluation of client status and change with training. For the latter it introduces and describes a new software program called the SKIL Topometric.

Dr. Sterman, a professor in the Departments of Neurobiology and Psychiatry at UCLA, is uniquely qualified to present this course. His basic studies of the EEG in animals have contributed significantly to current neurophysiological models, his past and ongoing studies of EEG functional dynamics in humans were germinal to the field of neurofeedback and are currently challenging some time-honored concepts in EEG, and his pioneering quantitative studies of the EEG as a tool for the evaluation of pathology and training outcomes in epileptics set the standards for the field of neurofeedback.

Grants and contracts from the US federal government supported all of this research. Further, as Dr. Sterman likes to say, all of the facts and concepts presented in this course are based on published articles in respected journals and on findings replicated at more than one facility. When he reaches into his extensive research and clinical experience to express an opinion, he makes it very clear that the jury is not yet in on that issue.

COURSE OUTLINE

I. A Brief History of the EEG and Neurofeedback

II. Physiological Origins of the EEG

A. Where Does the EEG Signal Come From?

1. Ionic current flow in neurons

2. EPSPs and IPSPs

B. Field Potential Changes at the Cortical Surface

1. Cortical pyramidal cells: structure, orientation, input

2. Cell orientation, dipoles and surface field potentials

C. Thalamic Oscillatory Mechanisms

1. Organization of thalamic relay systems

2. Relay cell behavior

3. Inhibitory burst discharge

4. The Nucleus Reticularis Thalami

5. Projections to cortex and cortical circuits

D. The "athalamic cat", isolated cortex, and slow EEG activity

E. Normal frequency modulation

1. Relationship of thalamic cell membrane voltage to frequency patterns

2. The Graded Polarization model

3. The Independent Generator model

F. Abnormal frequency modulation

1. Cortical hyperexcitability

2. GABA receptor types and characteristics

3. Video presentation

G. Problems with Terminology

III. The Normal EEG

A. Before QEEG: Basics from higher mammals

1. SMR

2. PRS

3. State progression

B. The Human EEG

1. Changes over Time

a. Developmental considerations

b. Sleep and waking

c. Biological cycles diurnal modulation

2. Functional correlates of frequency components

a. The dimension and elements of attention

b. Movement and motor states

IV. Methods and Issues in Quantitative EEG Analysis

A. Recording methods

1. Common-mode rejection

2. The issue of reference

3. Monopolar vs. Bipolar

B. Signal acquisition

1. Montages

2. Digitizing

3. Artifact

4. Signal extraction

C. Signal analysis

1. FFT and band-pass

2. Sampling rate

3. Windowing

4. Band construction

5. Averaged epochs

V. Collecting the Data

A. Patient records and intake interview

B. Patient preparation

C. Data protocols

D. Observing the patient

E. Educating the patient

 VI. Analysis of the Data

A. Visual Evaluation of the Raw Data

1. Artifact removal

2. Recognizing significant transients

3. Deriving initial functional correlates

B. Topographic Evaluation and Bands Selection

1. Topographic maps

2. Compressed spectral arrays

3. About normative databases

 VII. The SKIL Topometric

1. The Normative Database

a. Displays and statistical evaluation

b. State and transition corrections

c. Reliability

d. State comparisons

e. Coherence and covariance

2. Topometric Analysis: Some Clinical Characteristics

a. Seizure disorders

b. Attention deficit and related disorders

c. Head injury

d. Tourett Syndrome

e. Anxiety and Depression

f. Others

3. How to use the SKIL Topometric

a. Pt. Reports: The interactive index for report construction

b. Use of the database.

c. Interpretation and application to neurofeedback

VIII. Future Developments

A. The Event-related EEG Response: applications to evaluation and training

e-mail for more info or to register

$550 on-site,  $495 until Dec 30th, $525 until Jan 25th.

.Or, Register and buy a Mindset EEG at a combination discounted price (save $100 when combining registration and purchase.)

__Add the SKIL Sterman Topometric Database for $2000

Payment based on cash/check/ wire transfer . Add 3% surcharge if other payment method is used. No need to overnight mail. But clear postmark date must be legible.

This progression has paralleled the modern development of concept and technology in both electroencephalography and neurofeedback. It has led to both a theoretical and practical appreciation of what the EEG can tell us about the brain’s functioning and how it can be used appropriately as a tool for examining and altering brain function.

Accordingly, this workshop is directed to an understanding of what the EEG is, where it comes from, what it tells us about neural functioning, and how to use it effectively to assess functional status. Its objectives are to review methods and concepts in depth, with a view to proper use and rational interpretation based on documented findings and principles.

The QEEG is presented as a tool for evaluation within the context of neurofeedback protocols and strategies, and not for clinical diagnosis.

Important factors such as time of day, task engagement, sample variability, and functional organization are stressed, instead of shallow and limited actuarial-type statistical outcomes and superficial interpretations. Additionally, a new "Topometric Analysis System" will be introduced, which is directed to a functionally relevant and statistically