September 22, 2020

Neurofeedback for Depression

Here at NeuraPerformance Brain Center in Denver, we offer a wide variety of brain training services, including neurofeedback. Neurofeedback can be an effective therapy for those with brain disorders, from migraines to epilepsy, ADD/ADHD, and more. Neurofeedback is one of our four core technologies, along with gyrostim, dynavision D2, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. While we specialize in sports performance, our patients come from all walks of life looking for relief from a variety of issues, including depression, anxiety, and PTSD.

In today’s blog post, we’re focusing on the unique ways that neurofeedback can be used to help alleviate depression. If you suffer from depression, you know how debilitating it can be and how difficult it is to break out of negative patterns of thinking. Neurofeedback can help. Continue reading to learn more, and if you’d like to schedule an appointment with our brain training center, contact us today.

What Is Neurofeedback?

Before we dive into neurofeedback for depression, it’s helpful to have a basic understanding of how neurofeedback works. A neurofeedback session involves placing sensors in strategic locations on your head in order to measure your brain activity. While these sensors are attached, you sit in a comfortable chair and perform tasks on a computer screen. For example, you may be “driving a car” on the screen, and the electrodes will measure how your brain reacts.

But the electrodes aren’t just measuring brain activity, they’re a form of biofeedback and send feedback back to you based on your performance. For example, if you veer the car off the road in the video game, your brain will receive negative visual and auditory feedback, such as pausing the game or stopping the music. Over time, your brain learns from the feedback, and this learning can promote structural changes within your brain, which you carry with you after you leave our brain training center. Learn more on our neurofeedback service page.

Neurofeedback for Depression

Studies have shown that mood is related to the frontal area of the brain, and if your mood is more positive, the left frontal area will be more active than the right frontal area. When you take part in neurofeedback, our team will be able to track the activity within your brain, specifically how your frontal area is related to your mood. Neurofeedback uses a non-invasive technique to measure your brain structure and function, helping us to see how various areas of the brain are communicating with one another. This is your “neural signature” and we then utilize neurofeedback to strengthen these connections by allowing you to observe and modify your brain activity in real-time. 

Advancements in neuroscience and imaging technology are allowing us to understand the way neural circuits relate to emotion, motivation, and mood better than we ever have before. Real-time monitoring of brain waves, as we do with neurofeedback, can be used to train patients in the self-regulation of these neural circuits related to mood, helping them to break out of the cycle of depression. Neurofeedback can dynamically target areas of the brain involved in emotional processing, giving you the information and feedback you need to train your brain. You can learn more about how neurofeedback helps patients develop different ways to self-regulate and create new patterns of emotion processing in this study published by the NCBI.

While more research needs to be performed, early research suggests that neurofeedback for depression — combined with other therapies —  can help patients develop more positive patterns of thinking. If you’d like more information or want to schedule an appointment with NeuraPerformance Brain Center in Denver, contact us today.

Brain Training at NeuraPerformance Brain Center

Here at NeuraPerformance, we specialize in brain health, recovery, and brain training. Our state-of-the-art brain training center in Denver specializes in enhancing sports performance and helping people recover from a variety of brain issues, including depression. We also perform baseline concussion testing and vestibular therapy. Here are our four core technologies:

Let us work to help you find relief from your depression symptoms. Schedule an appointment today!

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