Estimates in the US suggest that over 5 million people are currently living with some degree of impairment from an Acquired brain injury. Motor vehicle accidents and falls are leading causes and both teenagers and the elderly are especially vulnerable.
Severe injury to the brain causes swelling or hemorrhage and is readily seen on CT or MRI. Post-concussive syndromes are by far much more common, producing a diminished state of consciousness, impairment in cognitive abilities or physical functioning. Behavior and emotional functioning can be completely hampered rendering various levels of disability. Common symptoms include dizziness, headache, irritability, anxiety, sleep disturbance, attention deficits, poor concentration, impaired vision and speech.
Strokes inflict injury to the brain when a blood vessel burst causing injury to the brain much like in Acquired brain injury. According to Dr. Marvin Sams the resulting brainwave patterns shows in the damage in the form of “High amplitude, focal or generalized slow waves (signifying cortical and deep tissue damage), and multiple problems with Coherence, the brain's self-communication. In addition, Phase, the EEG measurement of how long it takes for electrical signals to travel from one brain region to another, may also reveal compromised brain function.”
Once the brain has suffered injury it may be more prone to seizure activity as the brain’s ability to regulate nerve impulses is hampered. Much of the regulatory function of the brain is to inhibit certain excitatory nerve impulses. Once the system is challenged by trauma the ability to control nerve impulses may be altered and electrical discharges in the form of seizures impair consciousness and bodily control.
Significant symptom reduction has been achieved by the use of neurofeedback, with patients who have had head injury, stroke, and seizure activity. The success of neurotherapy is due to our ability to assess brain function, monitor neurological activity and “feedback” information to assist the individual in decreasing those EEG patterns associated with dysregulation. The brain can learn to establish EEG patterns which allow it to function normally, restoring health.
In a stroke study at the Center for Behavioral Medicine at the University of West Florida, neurotherapy was shown to lead to significant reduction in slow-wave activity with resultant improvement in speech fluency, word finding, balance and coordination, attention, and concentration. At the same time depression and anxiety were greatly reduced. In another study with child victims of stroke, children receiving neurotherapy showed improvement in concentration, physical motion, short-term memory, and less mood swings.