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In connection with our work with the Veterans,
we thought it would be nice to get some of the usual kind of imagery that is now done on brain function.
in order to document the progress that we're making with neurofeedback.
so in this connection we are working with Dr. Daniel Amen who is known around the world for this kind of work.
he's looked at S.P.E.C.T. scans for a variety of clinical conditions.
including for P.T.S.D.
and so when one of our veterans was willing to do that,
we sent him down there for some S.P.E.C.T imagery, down to New Port Beach.
and after the neurofeedback another set
and we were just really struck by the difference
that we could see in the data.
now we were already excited about the progress that he had been making in the neurofeedback.
But it's ever so much better to see it in real color, in living color.
This shows the S.P.E.C.T. imagery, S.P.E.C.T. stands for Single Photon Emission Computerized Tomography.
and it shows us elevations in activity level
up here at the anterior cingulate cortex
in the basal ganglia
and at the thalamus
and a whole lot of activity back here at the cerebellum.
and this pattern, this diamond pattern,
is the characteristic pattern that we, or Dr. Amen expects to see typically in the case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
and this was before the neurofeedback.
and here we're seeing the same brain after a number of neurofeedback sessions.
so, in particicular, the anterior cingulate cortex has calmed down significantly,
the basal ganglia have calmed down
the thalamus is still lively.
but look at the cerebellum, it is just majorly decreased in activity level.
and we read that as being all to the good.
This is a calmer brain that is more able to control and regulate its own activity.
and that's very much the experience that this person has in his life.
he's just more in charge of his life
and so, the experience of neurofeedback for him has been nothing less than transformational.