It’s no secret that as you get older you may notice a drop in the sharpness of your memory. This is especially true if you find that you do not challenge your thought process as much as you used to. Like any other part of your body, you need to “work out” your brain if you want to see improvements. Neurofeedback is the process of learning to control your brain waves through a series of painless training sessions, giving you a sort of “memory training.”
For over 40 years neurofeedback research has been completed, and has shown positive results for individuals with ADD/ADHD, memory problems, migraines, learning disorders, fibromylagia, insomnia, and many other problems associated with the brain. Neurofeedback works by allowing insight into how your brain works, and what areas need to be strengthened. This painless and drugless treatment works by strengthening and the electrical pathways in your brain.
Your brain is the holding tank for all of the electrical signals that tell your body what to do and remember. The aging process involves the slow down of your nervous system, which means that many of these electrical signals will weaken, causing side effects, such as memory loss. Using electrodes on the surface of your scalp, it is now possible to track the different electrical signals going through your brain (a.k.a. brain waves). This non invasive procedure allows a virtual “window” into your brain, allowing a doctor to identify which brain waves are weakened or dysregulated and being used for the wrong tasks.
This is where neurofeedback data can be used to train your brain to use the proper brain waves for different tasks, this is called BrainCore therapy. While you are hooked up to the EEG sensors, you will watch a video or play a game. If you are using the proper brainwave in the appropriate way or amount, the game or video will continue, if you do not the game will freeze, get distorted, or shut off (i.e. using the theta wave, which should be used for falling asleep, instead of the beta wave, which should be used when you are alert). This process conditions your brain to only use the proper brainwaves.
Your memory works in three basic steps: getting the information into your brain, storing it for later, and finally retrieving it. This requires strong neuroplastic synapses, which tend to weaken as we become older. BrainCore helps this process by teaching you to learn how to use the proper brain wave for each of these steps, strengthening these synapses. By using to proper brain waves for each task, it will allow your brain to work in the most efficient way possibly, resulting in an increase of memory, along with improved focus and more regular sleep patterns (which also can improve memory retention).
If you are looking to improve your memory or are interested in learning more about neurofeedback, sign up for a free BrainCore consultation at the Parkside Health and Wellness Center today.