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Touch, photic and auditory stimulation are capable of affecting brain wave activity. A large area of skin must be stimulated to affect brainwaves, which leaves both auditory and photic stimulation as the most effective and easiest means of affecting brain activity. Therefore, mind machines are typically in the form of light and sound devices. [1]
Brainwave entrainment, also referred to as brainwave synchronization or neural entrainment, refers to the observation that brainwaves (large-scale electrical oscillations in the brain) will naturally synchronize to the rhythm of periodic external stimuli, such as flickering lights, [1] speech, [2] music, [3] or tactile stimuli.
In rats, theta wave rhythmicity is easily observed in the hippocampus, but can also be detected in numerous other cortical and subcortical brain structures. Hippocampal theta waves, with a frequency range of 6–10 Hz, appear when a rat is engaged in active motor behavior such as walking or exploratory sniffing, and also during REM sleep. [3]
Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (PEMFT, or PEMF therapy), also known as low field magnetic stimulation (LFMS) is the use of electromagnetic fields in an attempt to heal non-union fractures and depression. [1] By 2007 the FDA had cleared several such stimulation devices. [2]
A mind machine (aka brain machine or light and sound machine) uses pulsing rhythmic sound, flashing light, or a combination of these. Mind machines can induce deep states of relaxation [1] or concentration. [2] The process applied by some of these machines is said to induce brainwave synchronisation or entrainment. [3]
Richard Caton discovered electrical activity in the cerebral hemispheres of rabbits and monkeys and presented his findings in 1875. [4] Adolf Beck published in 1890 his observations of spontaneous electrical activity of the brain of rabbits and dogs that included rhythmic oscillations altered by light, detected with electrodes directly placed on the surface of the brain. [5]
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a form of neuromodulation that uses constant, low direct current delivered via electrodes on the head. This type of neurotherapy was originally developed to help patients with brain injuries or neuropsychiatric conditions such as major depressive disorder.
Neurofeedback is a form of biofeedback that uses electrical potentials in the brain to reinforce desired brain states through operant conditioning. This process is non-invasive neurotherapy and typically collects brain activity data using electroencephalography (EEG).