Beyond Traditional Assessments
Personalized Treatment Plans with Advanced Functional EEG Evaluation
Our qEEG report is industry leading and includes EEG and ERP analysis using the HBimed database which is both age and gender specific. This non-invasive evaluation of one’s brain functioning provides valuable data for the establishment of a personalized treatment plan.
What is a functional EEG?
A functional EEG evaluation is an assessment that measures and analyzes the electrical activity of the brain in real-time. EEG (Electroencephalography) records the brain’s electrical signals using sensors placed on the scalp. The functional EEG is a combination of a qEEG and ERP evaluation. The qEEG provides data related to ongoing brain activity by measuring and quantifying the amplitude and frequency of EEG signals.
ERPs capture the brain’s electrical activity in response to the task, providing insights into the brain’s rapid processing of stimuli and cognitive functions.
During a functional EEG evaluation, we will record your brainwaves with your eyes open, with your eyes closed, and as you perform a simple task. The EEG data collected is then analyzed to identify patterns of brain activity associated with different cognitive functions, such as attention, memory, language processing, and emotion regulation.
Functional EEG evaluations provide valuable insights into brain function and connectivity, helping clinicians understand how the brain is functioning. This information can be used for diagnostic purposes, treatment planning, monitoring progress, and research purposes in various fields, including neurology, psychiatry, psychology, and cognitive neuroscience.
What are the benefits of a functional EEG?
A Functional EEG evaluation can provide valuable insights into brain function and cognitive processes in a variety of contexts.
Overall, the value of quantitative EEG and analysis of event-related potentials lies in their ability to provide objective, quantifiable data on brain function, which can inform diagnosis, treatment planning, outcome evaluation, and scientific inquiry in the fields of neurofeedback and neuroscience.
Here are several reasons why one might seek such an evaluation:
1. Treatment Planning
Understanding the brain’s response patterns through qEEG/ERP analyses, healthcare professionals can tailor treatment plans to individual patients’ needs. For example, in cases of ADHD, qEEG can provide information about ability to self-regulate and ERPs can provide insight into attentional processes, guiding the selection of appropriate interventions such as neurofeedback or medication. This personalized approach enhances the effectiveness of neurofeedback therapy by addressing the individual’s unique neurophysiological profile.
2. Diagnostic Purposes
Functional EEG evaluations can aid in the diagnosis of various neurological and psychiatric conditions. A qEEG and ERP analysis offers a non-invasive way to assess brain activity and detect abnormalities associated with conditions such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), schizophrenia, and cognitive impairments.This information can be valuable for educational purposes, particularly in assessing learning disabilities or cognitive deficits.
3. Monitoring Progress
Functional EEG evaluations can be used to track changes in brain function over time, allowing healthcare professionals to monitor the effectiveness of treatments and interventions. This longitudinal assessment can help refine treatment strategies and optimize outcomes for patients undergoing rehabilitation or therapy.
4. Research and Advancements
ERPs are widely used in cognitive neuroscience research to investigate various aspects of brain function, including perception, attention, memory, and language processing. Functional EEG evaluations contribute to advancements in understanding brain-behavior relationships and informing the development of new diagnostic tools and therapeutic approaches.
5. Rehabilitation and Neurofeedback
In rehabilitation settings, ERPs can guide neurofeedback training by identifying specific brain activity patterns associated with desired cognitive or behavioral outcomes. By targeting these neural signatures, individuals undergoing neurofeedback can learn to modulate their brain activity and improve functional abilities, such as attention, memory, and emotional regulation.
How does a comprehensive evaluation at Sadar Psychological stand out?
Functional EEG reports are the only reports in the field that include an analysis of simple ERPs and ERP components, and Sadar Psychological is one of very few practices in the United States that incorporates that data. These provide an additional window for looking at the complexity of the brain and its functioning, breaking the analysis down into visual, auditory, executive functioning activation, inhibition and monitoring components among others. This analysis allows for a meaningful understanding of a person’s day to day experience.
At Sadar Psychological we have the added benefit of being the US partner for HBimed which means that our reports take advantage of a database that is FDA cleared in the US and CE cleared in the EU. This comprehensive database is normed by both gender and age from 6-89.
In many cases, our patients also take advantage of the option to include a neurologist’s review of the EEG as part of the evaluation. This helps us to rule out any possible medical or neurological factors that are impacting the brain’s functioning.
Ready to schedule your functional EEG?
Patients can review basic pricing information here and providers can learn more about submitting EEG data for analysis here.
How do I prepare for my functional EEG?
A functional EEG at Sadar Psychological takes two hours to complete.
Preparation Instructions
- Get a good night’s sleep the night before the evaluation; a sleepy brain performs quite differently from a rested one.
- Eat a a healthy meal that includes protein prior to arrival at the office; protein increases the efficiency of neuron communication.
- Wash your hair several times with a PH neutral shampoo but do not use any conditioner or hair products after washing; oils and residues on the scalp make it more difficult to achieve a clear EEG signal.
In Office Experience
The test involves placing a cap with sensors that will read the electrical output of your brain on your head. The sensors measure the electrical impulses in the brain and sends signals to a computer that records the results.
These brain waves are recorded in three conditions:
- eyes opened
- eyes closed and
- during a task (22 minutes)
You are given opportunities for breaks, as needed.
The test is non-invasive and just requires that you sit in a chair.
About three weeks after your evaluation, you will meet with a psychologist to review our analysis of your results and discuss recommendations.