The Wonderful Brain

Brain Maps, Part 1: The Wonderful Brain

Each Human Brain is Unique in the way it processes information. This uniqueness accounts for the vast differences in ideas, beliefs and behaviors between individuals. Appreciating what makes each of us unique and understanding what makes one person’s behavior “normal” and another’s as being “abnormal” is part of the study of the human brain.

There are brains that are brilliant and very smart, and there are brains that are just average. Then there are brains that are below average. Most importantly, for the Senior Population, there are brains that used to function very well, but are not doing so any more. They used to have full abilities, but things have changed, and they are now having trouble in remembering things they used to know. Their brains have changed, and it is due to abnormal brain conditions.

The problems of memory loss, and the accompanying emotional conditions of worry, anxiety, and anger, are all symptoms of much larger problems that are happening in the brain.

Until recently, the brain’s exact function in matters of abnormal behavior was obscure.

But now scientists can isolate, identify and pinpoint the locations of the brain waves responsible for various behaviors.

By doing a recording of an individual’s EEG electrical brain waves, and through the use of specialized computer equipment and software, brain wave patterns can now be identified.

“Brain Maps” as seen above, provide quantitative diagnostic images of the brain.

Improving brain function, including improving memory, cognitive skills and communications, is the purpose of Memory Care of Arizona. We start by doing an EEG Brain Map to determine the neurological condition of the brain.

Obtaining Brain Map Information for You

The first step in brain mapping is conducting an Electroencephalogram, or “EEG”. An EEG measures fluctuating electrical activity in the brain’s hemispheres. The procedure is completely noninvasive and does not cause any pain. Brain wave activity is relayed from electrodes placed at strategic points on the scalp (see electrode location at right) to a computer where the data is recorded and stored.

From the surface of the scalp, scientists have developed medical devices so precise that the internal workings of the brain can be “seen” and placed into a computer where it can be analyzed.

This EEG data is then compared and charted within a specialized normative database, and then converted into a “Map” of the Brain that can be easily printed and analyzed by experts in the field of Brain Mapping and Neurofeedback. Neurologists analyze the information in the map to understand the brain waves and what is happening to them that causes memory loss and related areas of concern.

Learning About the Importance of Brain Waves

The brain has millions and millions of tiny neurons that send electrical signals to each other. Just as drops of water in the ocean combine to form ocean waves, the electrical signals in the brain, when viewed at a larger scale, form electrical waves or patterns.

We can view these electrical brain waves in a process called Brain Mapping. Small electrodes placed on the scalp measure the brain waves. A computer analyzes and displays this data as pictures.

Observing these pictures shows how the brain is working and can identify areas of the brain that are not working as well as they should. Medical practitioners have long used these methods to diagnose brain injuries.

Like ocean waves, brain waves can be fast or slow, or large or small. The particular shapes and speeds of brain waves in different parts of the brain also identify areas where the brain can be trained to improve and perform better.

For example, large slow brain waves may indicate a stroke or brain injury, with the symptoms that go with these problems. However, the correct sizes of waves will show up with mental alertness and abilities, but the small fast beta waves that are too large will cause anxiety and other similar conditions. As you can see, a Brain Map is the way to know what is happening within the brain.

Science gives these “brain waves” names, and each name has a specific meaning.

Beta: This is the smallest and fastest of all of the waves, and is measured as 12 to 40 Hz, and up to 100 Hz, meaning that in one second it will make between 12 and 40 wave cycles in that second.

Alpha: This is the next in size and is measured as between 8 to 12 wave cycles in a second.

Theta: This is a much larger wave and is measured between 4 to 8 waves a second.

Delta: This is the largest and slowest wave of all, and is measured as between 0 to 4 waves a second.

The Brain Wave Sizes

Normal Wave Sizes: In the first column of the chart in black, you can see what normal waves look like as to size and shape. This is referred to as the amplitude (size) of the wave. When a person has these brain waves, life is good.

Waves That are Too Large: The chart shows these waves in red, as in OVER ACTIVITY, and the waves are much larger than normal. These over size waves cause a lot of problems, such as Anxiety, Confusion, and Loss of Memory, and are seen in many conditions, including strokes, brain injury, and coma.

Waves That are Too Small: The chart shows these waves in blue, as UNDER ACTIVITY. These waves are much smaller than normal waves, and they cause other types of problems, such as seizures, manic and bipolar conditions, and even difficulty in relaxing as in alcoholics.

So why is all of the above important to You?

In order to understand why loss of memory is occurring, you need to understand what is happening within the brain. When a neurologist looks at the brain waves, as to size and speed, he can see where the brain is having problems and can then describe in a set of treatment protocols what to do about it. Like a mechanic checking under the hood of a car to see why it isn’t running, the neurologist looks at the EEG of the Brain Map to see why the brain isn’t working as it should.

With the problems of memory loss, the center column in red (below) the brain waves show up as being too large, as in strokes and brain injury. These large brain waves are the culprits that cause problems, and they show up as very large after strokes and even mini-strokes.

The problem with mini-strokes is that a person is hardly aware of them, but they cause damage nevertheless in the brain, showing up as confusion, language problems, with a loss of words, to gaps in memory and other cognitive processing.

It is important to know that these symptoms are not a part of normal aging, but are signaling conditions of underlying problems that are occurring in the brain and should be investigated quickly as to why the problem is happening, in order to stop the condition.

The Brain Waves can be Seen in the Chart Below