Regarding neuro-feedback.

I was offered therapy by two different masters degree level therapists. Both based their clinics on the Lexicor database and technology.

My neurologist, F LaMarr Heyrend, M.D. has a databse from his own clinic of over 6000 subjects. His research goes back over 30 years with Donald Barrs, Ph.D. and C. Dene Simpson, Ph.D. Dr. Heyrend and his tech do not need computer analysis like many clinics. Their head knowledge of the minute differences in the Qeeg data is amazing.

Dr. Heyrend could actually tell me my symptoms without referring to my medical history. Based on my QEEG including a repeat QEEG a few months later to verify the data, my history and my success at prior self rehabilitation, he did not find any areas where neuro-feedback would be suggested.

Most of my problems result from a dysfunctional gating of information between lobes. If the brain is not able to direct the information properly, then any efforts to train the brain into using a different area of the lobe would be fruitless. For example, visual, tactile, and auditory sensory information flows through my brain without any gating. This overloads the receiving area of the brain.

My frontal lobe is so powerful at handling information that he diagnosed me as having an IQ in the top one percent. Other testing shows he was right. My frontal lobe functions at ten times the normal rate. The organic damage is mostly in the occipital lobe. It functions at 25% of normal. This imbalance between front and back can be as high as 40 to 1. Side to side imbalance is mostly 4 to 1. The memory functions of my brain are extremely week at the memory imprinting stage. Many have memory problems due to inattention to the information. I am very aware of the information. It just does not get imprinted into memory. For others, this inattention problem is very treatable with neuro-feedback.

Dr Heyrend goes beyond the relative power in the various ranges. He understands what is happening in the minute different parts of the wave form. For example, for me, the relative power may be within normal limits but is out of phase or drops out of phase before the process is completed. It is like there is no follow through in the wave form. There is a defective wave form, not necessarily an under or over powered wave form

As he said, I still have most of my high intelligence intact. I have my biggest problem receiving and processing new information. I also struggle with lack of short term memory. I have become dyslexic for the first time in my life. My motor skills are very dyslexic. I easily mix up the letters to a word when I type. I can get motor control of right and left hands mixed up without any noticeable triggers.

My abilities at the computer are far better than anywhere else. I use the computer screen as my short term memory. I can start a thought but lose the last part of it before I finish communicating it. If I am talking, the idea is lost. If I am typing, I can read what I have already typed and continue on.

My communicational organization skills are weak. Verbally, I often leave people confused by my poor flow of ideas. With the computer, I can go back and cut and paste my ideas into a understandable format.

My Occupational Therapist, Speech Therapist and other therapists are trying to teach me more accommodations and work-arounds. The therapy exercises they try to use are worthless. I can do them almost if not perfectly in a clinical setting.

My biggest problem is avoiding the occasional overload and crash. For someone who understands computer architecture, I have buffer over-runs, general protection faults, clock failures, and failure to write to memory errors.

Over the last 40 years, I have usually been able to rehab my brain with self rehabilitation exercises. This last time in 2001, everything went haywire fast and without any recover ability.

For those of you who can afford neuro-feedback, it is worth the effort