I am collecting and compiling this info from many sources, combining tables or references, rewording stuff, condensing, etc. Credits should be given to Wikipedia.com, the BWGEN Yahoo group, 4mind4life.com blog, the public web-forum archives of Transparent Corp and MindPlace, a variety of white papers, other websites & blogs, Google for helping me find stuff, and especially lunarsight.com.
ALPHA - Greek letter used in many scientific ways, in thise case to represent a certain range of frequency of brainwaves. This spans the range of 8 Hz to 12 Hz. This is usually generated either in the right brain hemisphere, or in a synchronized pattern between both hemispheres. This is considered the dominant brainwave state for an adult with their eyes closed, or a relaxed adult, or children and teens.
AMFR - acronym for Amplitude-Modulation Following Response. This phrase is sometimes used in research papers instead of 'frequency following response'.
AMYGDALA - part of the limbic system which is part of the brain; relates to deep emotions and fear; associated with anxiety and depression.
ANS - Acronym for Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). Has two divisions, sympathetic (activating) and parasympathetic (deactivating). (Such as speeding up or slowing down the beat of the heart.)
AUDIBLE THRESHOLD - the human ear is believed, on average, to be able to hear frequencies between 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz (or 20 kHz).
AUDIOSTROBE - this is actually a trade name for a technology, and a company that makes products based on that tech, but it is also used almost generically, which is a little confusing. Audiostrobe is basically 'encoded signals for audio+LED-video' that allow brainmind machines to play both sound AND light -- or even, with their 'decoder', to take ordinary music CD input and just put visual 'strobe' to it (depends on volume/gain/pulse of the music is my understanding so far). (When I say 'brainmind machines' I always also mean an MP3+homemade goggles as well, with a little less money involved.) This appears to be the industry standard, so when product X says it is 'audiostrobe compatible' that means that any other product (Y or Z) that can export or import to that format, can then be compatible with product X via that common format. You can have a dozen people talking about a dozen products with a dozen methods and all referring to 'audiostrobe' with none of them actually using an audiostrobe product; but most using their file format or even just something that equates to that.
AVOID - here's a list of frequencies I've come across the various folks have said to avoid (or something akin to that). These are sometimes just 'frequencies' such as used with Rife/Abrams technology not necessarily sound/light! And probably ALL of this should be taken with a gigantic grain of salt (I mean mountain-sized). Much is from the lunarsight.com list. Consider all of these just hearsay. I just feel I ought to be recording this aspect of things just in case. [7.0 alleged to resonate & rupture organs at excessive intensity [TB];] [9.0, 11.0, 16.0 [bad] documented calcium ion migration (brain tissue) [SS] note there is disagreement on these, see http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bwgen/message/4592] [13.0 - Alleged sphincter resonance (mechanical)(not good) [TB];] [50-60 Hz - no specifics found but reference to 'documented negative effects too numerous to reproduce'. 55 associated with Kundalini. See entry for 'ELF'.] [Avoid 165-170 'and a bit to each side of that'. Product 'Awakening Mind II' allegedly will detail why.] [5000 Rife healing frequency but for short use only -- long exposures destroy red blood cells.] [388 MHZ - Alleged to cause damage/ disruption to humans [TB]]
BETA - Greek letter used in many scientific ways, in thise case to represent a certain range of frequency of brainwaves. There is some debate about this actual range and naming definitions. By consensus it begins at 12 Hz, but the other side of the span ranges from 24 Hz to 40 Hz depending on source. [Some feel 12.3-15.2 Hz is 'Sigma'. Some feel 25+ Hz is 'Gamma'. Date of publication seems to relate to this with newer writings having more uniquely-named spans.] Alleged increase in norepinephrine, serotonin (beta-endorphins) and an adrenal stimulant, with a decrease in melatonin. "High Beta" sometimes defined as 10 - 12 Hz. Beta is usually generated in the left-hemisphere of the brain. This is considered the dominant brainwave state for an adult with their eyes open.
BINAURAL (which I thought was 'bineural')- when two tones are presented together in order to cause the brain to 'internally create' a tone that is the mathematical difference between the two. Binaural tones are presented separately, with headphones, one to each hemisphere of the brain. Binaural tones are often used to enable the brain to create frequencies below the audible threshold and 'entrain' the brain but actually any of the tone-types can do that.
BRACING HABITS - also called dysponetic activity. This is when a person asked to relax instead tenses up more. Seen in people with muscle tension disorders such as TMJ. (Siever, Thomas 1988)
BRAIN STEM - part of the brain, contains the reticular activating system (RAS) which regulates sleep/waking.
BWE or BRAINWAVE ENTRAINMENT - Providing input to the senses which will cause a Frequency Following Response (FFR) of the brain. Commonly this is done through sound and light. Audio entrainment more strongly effects the temporal lobes where audio signals get processed. Visual entrainment more strongly effects the parietal and occipital lobes. The approach in Brainwave Entrainment (BWE) is to effect the whole brain, to shift the 'dominant' brainwave. This is (to vastly oversimplify) like saying the 'loudest' or 'overall average'. It isn't very specific; Neurofeedback technology (as opposed to brainwave entrainment technology) is used for specifics. However it is unreasonable in terms of price and complexity for most people so BWE, usually (eventually) with custom-made programs by the individual, is more common.
BWT - Acronym for 'Brainwave Transform' files. This is the file format created by products 'Brain Sound Studio' and 'Neural Noise Synthesizer' (Transparent Corp). They can be imported into their product NP2 (see NP2) but not edited there.
CER - Acronym for Cortical Evoked Response, which is a small electrical response to a stimulus. If the stimuli are strong enough, the evoked responses start to stack onto each other, producing a rhythm that the brain itself starts to follow (the FFR).
CEREBELLUM - part of the brain (located in the hindbrain) responsible for coordination, motor movements, and equilibrium. See also Cerebrum, Limbic System.
CBF - Acronym for Cerebral Blood Flow (see rCBF). Carries oxygen and glucose to the brain. The adult brain needs ~750 ml (nearly a quart) of oxygenated blood per minute for 'normal' activities. 20% of blood oxygen body-wide goes to the brain. Loss of blood to brain for 5-10 seconds can cause change in neuronal activity; interruption for 5-10 minutes can produce irreversible damage. Two pairs of arteries deliver blood to the brain. Underactive regions of the brain may have inadequate supplies of oxygenated blood; visible correlation between this in the brain and associated conditions such as OCD and ADHD exist, and for depression as well [left prefrontal regions for that instance]. Improving blood flow in that region (rCBF) is thought to enhance mental capacity. Blood flow decrease/increase is also referred to as an increase/decrease in brain 'metabolism'. In the case where rCBF was low in the left prefrontal cortex area, the regional brain electrical activity was as well; this is believed to correlate with the decline in capacity for pleasure, interest, goal-directed motivation, etc.
CHRONIC PAIN - indefinite (though intensity and 'flare' may vary) pain associated with some medical conditions. Examples would be fibromyalgia, lupus, arthritis, TMJ, or sometimes injuries such as from combat or car accidents. Both pain and depression have had significant reduction from ongoing BWE treatment in research (more is being done on this).
CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW - 80% of the oxygenated blood in the body is used for the brain. The blood carries oxygen and glucose {sugar/energy/food} to the brain. Electrical activity (neuro transmitter activity or 'communication') increases or reduces related to the flow. Some disorders have been correlated with reduced blood flow to a certain part of the brain (depression, OCD, ADHD). Brain stimulation (such as photic driving) has been shown to increase the blood flow to specific parts of the brain. Sappey-Mariner 1992 did this with 2 Hz photic, measuring with MRI, and noted that the glucose uptake increased much more in the brain than the oxygen uptake. They don't know why, they just pointed it out. {I find this interesting because if you reduce the oxygen of a human say via sleep apnea, so they don't have enough physical energy as a side effect, you would think they should be craving more-oxygen and breathing deeply but instead what they crave is carbohydrates (sugar: "energy-food"). Wonder if it's related. pj} David Noton mid-1990s had some research where he concluded that BWE improvements in various disorders was more related to increase blood flow than increased electrical activity (brainwaves).
CEREBRAL CORTEX - Part of the brain. Brain waves are a by-product of the neurotransmitter communication signals moving up toward the cerebral cortex then back down toward the thalamus, repeatedly (see EPSP and IPSP). There are millions of these neuronal signals going on at once. The EEG measures a teeny part of that. See also Cerebrum.
CEREBRAL SPINAL FLUID (CSF) - the fluid that the brain floats within and is nourished and cushioned by; signals received by most neurofeedback methods must travel through this fluid.
CEREBRUM - Most prominent part of the brain, divided into left and right hemispheres. The outer layer is about 3mm thick and is called the cerebral cortex. It's responsible for higher mental functions and is divided into four lobes in each hemisphere, named for the cranial bones above them and associated with specialized tasks. Underneath the cerebral cortex is the limbic system (see Limbic System).
CNS - Acronym for Central Nervous System. CNS is half of the 'Nervous System' and includes the brain and spinal cord (12 pairs of cranial nervous and 31 pairs of spinal nerves). See 'PNS' regarding the other half.
COLOR - visual perception differences in frequencies of light, based on which rods/cones in the eye are stimulated by the frequencies presenting. Much more research needs to be done here and there's a whole lot of old research and Eastern cultural habits relating to color-light and healing for example, that in the layman's world of BWE is forced into overlapping-ideas. So far about the only things known that I find in reading (including more scientific folks) are, curiously, almost-analogous to the assigned Chakra colors in the West; close enough it doesn't seem coincidence Red, Orange and Yellow increase arousal; red can associate with anxiety; yellow is better for creativity; violet with 'philosophical or contemplative' thought processes; blue and green with relaxation.
CORPUS CALLOSUM - the major connection between the two lateral (left/right) hemispheres of the brain. Women's tend to be up to 30% thicker with 'connections' between left and right brain. (I once read this was suspected to relate to testosterone in the developing fetus breaking this down.) See Lateralization.
CSF - Acronym for Cerebral Spinal Fluid
CYCLE TIME - how often a frequency repeats itself. It's more comprehensible to just example this: 1 Hz = 1 cycle (in this case one cycle per second). 10 Hz = 10 cycles per second (that is 0.1 second per cycle, or every 100 milliseconds: it's 1 divided by 10). See 'Duty Cycle'.
DAS - Acronym for 'digital audio synchrony'. Not sure if this is specific to the Procyon product or a general term yet. Might be. This ties into being able to access and play SynchroMuse sessions -- SM is a brand,
DELTA - Greek letter used in many scientific ways, in thise case to represent a certain range of frequency of brainwaves. This spans the range of 0 Hz to 4 Hz, though there is disagreement about this, with alternatives ranging from 0.1 to 3.0 Hz instead (some put .5 and lower into 'Epsilon'). These are usually generated in the right hemisphere of the brain. Believed to generate (HGH, DHEA, Melatonin) or reduce (Cortisol) certain biochemicals. This is the lowest known brainwave frequency range, the most relaxed, and are considered the dominant brainwave state for a person in the deepest stages (stages 3-4) of sleep, or for infants.
DENDRITE - the part of a neuron which accepts messages from neurotransmitters. See neurotransmitters. Also it is "speculated" (Russell, 1996) that with paralyzed people (such as from stroke/aneurism), "dendritic growth" may actually be happening as a result of BWE increasing blood flow etc. - this is a huge area for big-potential research but so far not too much has been done I think.
DEHYDRATION - Apparently brain-stim particularly photic (visual) is a bit dehydrating so a little more water intake should go on if doing much of this, including just before each session. (Multiple refs, no science ref found yet - pj)
DISASSOCIATIVE - a word for certain 'states of mind'. BWE can definitely bring on this easily even for healthy non-dissociative individuals {and I think in such a range we still need a century of research to figure it out - pj}, and BWE/NF can entrain or teach a person to control it (bring it on or vanish it at will).
DISASSOCIATIVE DISORDER - when certain 'states of mind' are so extreme and chronic that they are actually medical/psychological conditions. Five categories for this: amnesia; depersonalization; derealization; absorption; imaginative involvement.
DUTY CYCLE - how much of a given Cycle Time a stimulus is applied. Let us say you have 4 Hz (4 cycles per second) and your "on" pulse for your light is .25 seconds, every other cycle, so your duty cycle would be 50% and 0.50 seconds total (per 4 cycles, at this Hz frequency). Now let's say you reduce that to one (1) 0.25 second "on" pulse and the rest of the second is off. Now your duty cycle is 25% (with 75% 'off') and now it is 0.25 seconds (with 0.75 seconds 'off'). The "intensity" in photic or sonic tech is going to depend on not only the baseline brightness or loudness, but on how often/much that light/sound is on. Obviously, a light on 0.75 per 1.0 second is going to have a higher intensity than a light on 0.25 per 1.0 second. What this means is that the user may experience a brightening or dimming, or pitch raising and lowering, as this changes and that can affect the effect of the BWE (poorly, generally). A duty cycle too low or too high may not cause the desired BWE, by the way; this is entertwined with but a somewhat separate consideration from simple "hz" or "waveform". Now: you can "fix in place" EITHER the pulse width or duration, OR the duty cycle. The example just prior was fixing the pulse width or duration. If you fix the duty-cycle in place it's different. In that case you would be fixing "the percentage of the cycle that the pulse is ON". If you were on 50% of the time (50% duty cycle), this would be the same whether the frequency was 4 Hz or 40 Hz. The times on and off would 'stretch or shrink' as your raised or lowered the frequency. So the user would not be likely to perceive shifts in intensity of light or sound, since "comparatively" the ratio stays the same. Also it means you can aim for a duty cycle where you know BWE is most likely to happen.
DYSPONETIC ACTIVITY - see bracing habits.
DZIDRA GLASS - a tech product. 2 liquid crystals are used to block an external light source rythymically with shadow (instead of putting someone in the dark and flashing light at them, it puts someone in the light and flashes dark at them, is one way to think about it!). Glen Solomon in the 1980s published on this. They only went up to like 3 Hz in the study. All muscle tension headache subjects were totally cured but sinusitis & migraine subjects weren't affected.
EDR - Acronym for Epidermal Response. See GSR.
EEG - Acronym for Electroencephalograph - measures neuronal activity in the cerebrum (part of the brain).
EMG - Acronym for Electromyograph - measures neuronal activity or NT in muscles in the body or head.
ELF - Acronym for Extremely Low Frequency. Much research in this area is considered to be classified by various governments since the 1960s, when 'behavioral effects' (eg mind-control) were first discovered, particularly in the 50-60 Hz range.
ENDOCRINE SYSTEM - secretes hormones that activate bodily glands. Works with the Nervous System. Communicates with the CNS and receives messages from the Hypothalamus. Endocrine glands are adrenal, thyroid, parathyroid, pancreas, testes, and ovearies. Those located in the brain are the pituitary and pineal.
ENTRAINMENT - This is Transparent Corp's literal definition which I like better than what I had: "Entrainment is a principle of physics. It is defined as the synchronization of two or more rhythmic cycles. The principles of entrainment are universal, appearing in chemistry, neurology, biology, pharmacology, medicine, astronomy and more. While working on the design of the pendulum clock in 1656, Dutch scientist Christian Huygens found that if he placed two unsynchronized clocks side by side on a wall, they would slowly synchronize to each other. In fact, the synchronization was so precise not even mechanical intervention could calibrate them more accurately. A clock is a simple example of a system responding to entrainment, but the same rules apply to more complex systems such as the brain." Also they say: "Entrainment increases blood flow and metabolism, which can make you thirsty mid-session" and suggest drinking a glass of water before. Turns out that different people entrain at different frequencies; or don't; and this is correlated with a person's natural/default "alpha baseline" and beta activity. 10 Hz is considered the easiest point to entrain. It supposedly takes 6 minutes for entrainment to occur at alpha (the easiest entrainment level). I can't find any notes on how long for other states. I do find notes saying that as people adapt to BWE they can shift to a state much more quickly, and move through multiple changing or ramping Hz levels more quickly.
EPSILON - Greek letter used in many scientific ways, in thise case to represent a certain range of frequency of brainwaves. This spans the range of 0.5 and lower Hz. Many systems do not acknowlege this as a named span at all.
EPSP - Acronym for Excitatory Postsynaptic Potential. To simplify, when a neural chemical (neurotransmitter) gives a message to 'excite' the neuron next to it. This is half of the 'cycle' of the process of making brain waves. See also IPSP.
FIGHT OR FLIGHT RESPONSE - A neuroendrocrine event (see Nervous System, Endocrine System, Limbic System) that occurs after the thalamus records a perceived threat. (Real or imagined.) Centered originally in Thalamus which sends out 2 messages. First to limbic system for instant analysis; amygdala and hippocampus communicate and and that ends at the hypothalamus; the combined hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenal (endocrine glands) signal the endocrine system and sympathetic nervous system. These change muscle tension, breathing, brain wave frequency, blood pressure, heart rate, skin temporature, while the adrenals secrete corticoids (adrenaline, epinephrine, norepinephrine) and those inhibit digestion, immune system and tissue repair. The second message from thalamus goes to the frontal lobes (see Frontal Lobes) for assessment. This is a survival response and is very powerful, and a big part of understanding human function (and treatment). {Odd note to self for later. could bulemia, anorexia, and whatever the between-those syndrome is called, be based on an extended mild form of fight or flight response? pj}
FILE FORMATS - a list of file format acronyms that relate to this field or its techs.
imports: MP1, MP2, MP3, WAV, WMA, OGG, NPSND - sound files. NP2 imports these.
product specific formats: BTW - data files for audio/video of some Transparent Corp products. PRb - Procyon (MindPlace) 'album' files. PRk - Procyon 'archive' files. PRw - Procyon 'session' files. PR2 - code (software) updates for Procyon. PRL - Procyon log file.
exports: WAV - sound file NP2 exports. Convert to MP3 with some freeware/shareware converter you can find online if desired. Audio effectiveness not affected. Video is affected by bit rate. To use the file as/with/for audiostrobe (visual+audio) use the highest bitrate (320).
FFR or FREQUENCY FOLLOWING RESPONSE - see entrainment. FFR is when entrainment happens to the brain. Acronym AMFR sometimes used in science.
FRONTAL LOBES - the decision making area of the cerebral cortex (part of the brain). The fight or flight response has a message sent here for decision once the other bodily processes are underway related to that. (If it chooses to shut down that response it can take up to 3 minutes to reverse all the bodily processes. If it does not reverse it, fight or flight will happen. If fight or flight cannot happen, powerful emotions, dissociation, numbness, immobilization can happen and all energy is is abruptly halted and 'shock' sets in. At that point the parapsympathetic nervous sytem releases neurohormones (adrenaline, endorphins, etc.). Some people with anxiety problems are triggering the fight or flight response too often and any therapy thought to 'strengthen' the prefrontal lobes may help.
GAMMA - Greek letter used in many scientific ways, in thise case to represent a certain range of frequency of brainwaves. This spans the range of 38 Hz - 70 Hz although some sources vary the start of this span. This is considered a state of 'higher functioning' not seen dominant or for long except in experienced meditators, although some of it is usually found throughout the brain.
GUARDIAN RESPONSE - When a person feels apprehensive about a situation they're sitting in or preparing for. This can be brought on by new or uncomfortable experiences including dissociation which BWE can sometimes invoke.
GSR - Acronym for Galvanic Skin Response, also called EDR (Epidermal Response). This measure is one avenue used for biofeedback. It relates to the secretion of perspiration upon the surface of the skin and measures 'arousal'.
HEG - Acronym for Hemoencephalography, a type of bio/neuro-feedback measuring Regional Cerebral Blood Flow (rCBF) activity.
HERTZ [Hz] - A unit of frequency (a measure of oscillation of vibration). One (1) hertz (Hz) is equal to one (1) complete cycle per second. In neurotech this is used to refer to radio & audio frequencies. Hz can be prefixed; commonly used multiples are kHz (kilohertz, 103 Hz), MHz (megahertz, 106 Hz), GHz (gigahertz, 109 Hz) and THz (terahertz, 1012 Hz). On the various scales used in neurotech, pretty much the official Greek naming of spans goes to around 60-70 Hz (120 Hz if you count 'Lambda') but actual frequencies recorded as used go past that, past THz. Above 120 Hz the majority of references I see are involving chakras, planets, or occasional human body parts.
HGH or HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE - a biochemical usually generated during the deepest stages of sleep. Time spent in some areas of Delta is considered to release this and other hormones normally released during that sleep stage (including DHEA and Melatonin) and to reduce others (such as Cortisol). Some of the seemingly more reputable list/references related to this says that 7.83 (official Schumann Resonance) is highly associated with output of this, as is 1.05 Hz (a lower frequency of SR) and 31.32 Hz (a harmonic of SR).
HIPPOCAMPUS - part of the limbic system which is part of the brain; relates to memory and emotions.
INTERNATIONAL 10-20 SYSTEM - The official 'naming/locating' table for parts of the brain. (EEG sensors are placed based on this. Odd numbers on left brain, even on right. A slash between two locations means between them; a dash means on the same path or both.) I will get the various images and table of data and add them here when I get time.
IPSP - Acronym for Inhibitory Postsynpatic Potential. To simplify, when a neural chemical (neurotransmitter) gives a message to 'inhibit' or 'depolarize' the neuron next to it. This is half of the 'cycle' of the process of making brain waves. See also EPSP.
ISOCHRONIC - a type of 'tones' which are evenly spaced from each other in an on/off pattern. Being 'tones' these are within the human hearing range. A strength of isochronic tones is that allegedly the brain 'entrains/follows' them more strongly or easily than the other types. [8 zillion web refs to this, not a single ref to legit research backing it up - pj. Also why does that help if these couldn't reach the levels that bineural could anyway I wonder. -pj] (Note that a simple light flashing on and off in a given pattern is a visual version of photic stimulation similar to the audio version of isochronic tones.)
LAMBDA - Greek letter used in many scientific ways, in thise case to represent a certain range of frequency of brainwaves. This spans the range of 60 Hz to 120 Hz (though some consider Gamma to go 70 Hz). Associated with the central nervous system, not much else known.
LATERALIZATION - the subject of the lateral (left/right) hemispheres of the brain and their specializations. Relates to symmetry and asymmetry of hemispheric functioning as well and is affected by the Corpus Callosum connections. See those and LH and RH. The left hemisphere is dominant in most humans. Some disorders appear to result from "too much equality" in the hemispheres in certain areas, including dyslexia and stuttering. Though it is popularly thought that left-hand-dominant individuals are right-brain dominant, actually only about 20% of them are; left handers have a higher incidence of language impairments, stuttering and dyslexia (so that might be related). Men and women ('in general') have significant differences between which (and how much) hemisphere they use for various activities (corpus callosum also relates to this).
LH - Acronym for Left Hemisphere (of the brain). Responsible for activity on the right side of the body. This is the 'dominant' hemisphere for 'most' humans. Associated with logic, math, grammar, word recognition, problem-solving, details, verbal skills, memory, auditory abilities. (See Lateralization)
LIMBIC SYSTEM - A multi-part section of the brain located under the cerebral cortex. Center of the 'fight-or-flight response'. It includes (among other things): amygdala (deep emotions and fear), hippocampus (memory and emotion), anterior thalamic nuclei (sensory processing), hypothalamus [just below the thalamus] (control center for autonomic nervous system and survival functions). (See Thalamus.)
LOBES - section of the cerebral cortex (of the brain); there are four outer lobes. These can also be divided into smaller units that may lie on the border separating the lobes.
MONAURAL - when two tones are presented together in order to cause the brain to 'internally create' a tone that is the mathematical difference between the two. Monaural tones are presented together such as with a speaker, or in mono. Monaural tones can also be generated 'by accident or design' as a 'leftover' result of other tonal interaction.
NERVOUS SYSTEM - the command center of the body. Sends messages between neurons in a chainlink fashion. See also ANS, CNS, Cerebrum.
NEUROPROGRAMMER - a commercial software product, see NP2
NEURON - the basic unit of the nervous system; cells which communicate in a linear series by passing biochemical ('neurotransmitters') between them.
NEUROTRANSMITTER - biochemicals which are 'messages' and which cause an excitatory or inhibitory response in the neuron they are communicating with (see EPSP, IPSP). Some of these are named serotonin, dopamine, GABA (that's an acronym), epinephine. They are stored in little sacs called 'vesicles' within the axon terminal of the nerve. In simpler english: the "terminal button" (the blunt sending-side) of a nerve, stores the chemicals that get sent as messages and has 'doorways' for the neurotransmitters to go in and out. The area 'between' the nerves/neurons is called the 'synapse' (the neurotransmitter travels 'across that area') and the part of the nerve-next-door that 'takes in' the message is the 'dendrite'. When the message has been given, the neurotransmitter 'cleans up' any extra chemical (the "reuptake" process, this so that the chemical does not continue to keep-giving-more-signal and the communication is crisp and clear) and goes back in the door to its vesicle in the terminal button.
NP2 - acronym for NeuroProgrammer 2, a product designed to generate both light and sound 'sessions' for brainwave entrainment (or even neurofeedback). Has a wide range of options both in the technical area (such as different kinds of wave forms, tones and beats, plus the ability to put these in noise, background sounds/music, etc.) and in the 'associated' areas (such as hypnotic scripting, recording, output etc.) and this can write to the common standard 'audiostrobe' file format that will be played by most any of the brainwave entrainment toys (eg Procyon), or even by LED glasses and headphones you can buy or create on your own. As of June 2009 the 'pro' version (not 'home' not 'commercial') is $60. It comes with a good deal of documentation both as product info and in a 'members' section and given the limited info on this subject available to the layman that alone has significant value I'd say.
NPS, NPSCRIPT, NPSND - Neuroprogrammer (product) file formats
NT - Acronym for Neuronal Transmission. The neuron is the basic unit of communication. NT is an electrochemical event, which can be measured. This is recorded in microvolts (amplitude) and cycles per second (frequency, Hz). The EEG is a visual measure of cerebrum activity, the EMG of activity in any muscles in body or head (see EEG and EMG).
PITCH - frequency which in the audible range translates to a musical note. The 12 notes of fixed frequency used in Western music currently are named from A to G, with "sharps" and "flats" (also called "incidentals") in between. A "pitch" would be a given note, for example "A". This pitch could be played in different "Octaves". See 'Musical Notes, Octaves and Frequencies' in this list.
MUSICAL NOTES, OCTAVES AND FREQUENCIES
(This applies to modern Western music)
The physical cause of music is vibration and those vibrations are measured in hertz (Hz). 1 Hz = 1 complete vibration per second. Twelve notes of fixed frequencies are used. These are mathematically related to each other. They are defined around the central note, A4 which is 440 Hz officially (varies in practice). For more reference see the tables below, "Octaves, General Frequency" and "1 Octave Chromatic Scale on C4". [Thanks to wikipedia for much of this info, though I've combined multiple sources and tables.]
PHOTIC - visual; photic stimulation refers to the use of flashing lights (usually through closed eyelids, though not always) to achieve the same frequency following response (FFR) or 'brain entrainment' that can be achieved with audio approaches. The light 'pulses' can be be different colors or different waveforms, and can be presented together or separately [the visual version of bineural] to target different effects for different hemispheres of the brain. So far all the refs I find suggest that Photic is stronger than Sonic and that if both are present at the same time, Photic will dominate and/or be the frequency taken up. Note that the "photic convulsive response" can happen in people sensitive to this (like an epileptic seizure). It is most easily brought on by red-colored light at 15 Hz; this can be reduced by adding some blue light. [Takahashi, Tsukahara 1976]
PHOTIC DRIVING - using photic stimulation to entrain the brain. A 'wide, uniform visual field' produces the best photic driving. Using sinusoidal, white light and stimulating the entire visual field, it appears at least 200 lux intensity is necessary to create entrainment. Too much or too little light during this process is less effective. Stimuli with pulse widths of 20% to 60% is most effective.
PHOTIC RANGE - the visual range of a given tech product. For example in the Procyon the photic range is RGB (3 colors) and 0.1 to 80.0 Hz in 0.1 increments [as of Jun '09].
PNS - Acronym for Peripheral Nervous System, which has two divisions: somatic (voluntary) and autonomic (involuntary). See also 'ANS'.
POSITION - two things here. 1) Position of EEG electrodes; see EEG and related topics. 2) Position of a user experiencing BWE. Don't do it with someone standing. People can have mild seizures esp. from light and not even know, it might have even felt neat. Falling in the middle would be bad for several reasons.
PROCYON - a physical technology product commercially sold by MindPlace.com and its resellers. Includes audio tech for presenting any kind of tone (isochronic, monaural, or bineural), plus goggles with three LEDs each with 255RGB range (for a total of millions of colors). Has software that allows users to design custom programs, plus allows them to integrate the product with other popular tone/visual products in this genre.
RAS - Acronym for the Reticular Activating System, a part of the brain which regulates sleep/waking.
rCBF - Acronym for Regional Cerebral Blood Flow activity. This is measured using HEG biofeedback. This (vs. the 'electrical activity' measured via EEG) is a growing area of therapeutic interest.
RH - Acronym for Right Hemisphere (of the brain). Responsible for activity on the left side of the body. Associated with face recognition, spatial skills, music, auditory skills (as is LH), nonverbal expression, social encoding, emotional processing. Singing, swearing, humor, creativity, intuition, insight, empathy, are associated with this. (See Lateralization)
SBD - Acronym for Slow Brainwave Disorder. This is a group of health disorders that are associated with having too much of the lower-Hz brainwaves present or dominant. They include PMS [at clinical levels], ADD, CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome), and minor head injuries.
SCHUMANN RESONANCE - a standing wave in the Earth-ionosphere cavity with a wavelength equal to the circumference of the Earth. The higher resonance modes are spaced at approximately 6.5 Hz intervals, a characteristic attributed to the atmosphere's spherical geometry. The eighth overtone lies at approximately 59.9 Hz. Greatly created by global lightning activity. The frequency can vary slightly. (In oversimplified English, this seems to be the default frequencies of planet earth, in some respects.) The principal background in the electromagnetic spectrum between 3–69 Hz, this appears as distinct peaks at extremely low frequencies around 7.83, 14.3, 20.8, 27.3 and 33.8 Hz.
SIGMA - Greek letter used in many scientific ways, in thise case to represent a certain range of frequency of brainwaves. This spans the range of 12.3 Hz - 13.2 Hz (normally in the 'beta' span). Many systems do not acknowlege this as a named span at all.
SOMNATIC SHOCK - An effect (as-yet unexplained) that can happen if a person in a session (especially the deeper the brainwave state) is abruptly startled. This can happen if the session ends abruptly, which is why they should be designed to fade-out (over 30-90 seconds) instead. It is thought that the mind is not using ordinary filters at that point to deal with such experience. Disorientation and nausea are not uncommon. 'Somatic Trauma' is another term sometimes used. (See the 'fight or flight response' and 'Thalamus' entries. This may be a 'lite' effect of that from the sudden cessation of a bunch of energy/activity in the brain.)
ST - Acronym for Skin Temperature. This particular measure is one used in biofeedback. Not to be confused with GSR or EDR biofeedback which also are sensors on surface of skin.
STROBOSCOPE - An electronic machine that flashes light (strobe-light). Used in 1940's research for example on photic stimulation response.
SYNCHRONIZATION - in this context, meaning the vibrating frequency of both lateral (left/right) hemispheres of the cerebral cortex (brain) take up the same or harmonic 'dominant' frequency. Nearly all forms of brainwave stimulation cause some degree of this including all tone types used with BWE (isochronic, monaural, binaural). The first ref I find to "brainwave synchronizer" product/term is Sidney Schneider "Brain Wave Synchronizer" 1959 (published about the effects with William Kroger). (The first goggles-with-bulbs 1972 Richard Townsend.)
TACTILE STIMULATION - tactile = touch; you can invoke FFR via repetitive stimulation of the body as well as of eyes or ears. Dempsey and Morison (1942) is the ref though I can't find the paper. They used the sciatica nerve
THALAMUS - part of the brain and Limbic System (I think). Records 'fight or flight response' (see that entry). See also Cerebral Cortex for more related to Thalamus.
THETA - Greek letter used in many scientific ways, in thise case to represent a certain range of frequency of brainwaves. This spans the range of 4 Hz - 8 Hz, although there is debate, with named spans ranging from 3 to 8 (and some introducing a 3.0 - 5.5 Hz as 'Theta I' and 5.5 - 8 Hz as 'Theta II'). These brainwaves are usually generated in the right hemisphere of the brain. This is considered the dominant brainwave state for a person in relaxed dream-state sleep.
THETA II - Greek letter used in many scientific ways, in thise case to represent a certain range of frequency of brainwaves. This spans the range of 5.5 Hz - 8 Hz. Many systems do not separate the Theta span.
TYPES OF BIOFEEDBACK - a collection of the acronyms of various common BF processes. See entries under them. EEG; EMG; EDR; GSR; HEG; ST; MRI or fMRI; PET; SPECT;
VISUAL CORTEX - part of the cortex, of the brain. Thought to consist of ~300 million neurons. This area can be measured via BF to determine the "natural Alpha range" of the individual -- their default brainwaves. I'm not sure why, but the findings are that the wider the range of 'natural' alpha in this area, the narrower the range of 'photic stimulation' that person's brain will actually entrain to, and vice-versa. Everyone seems to have a strong photic FFR response at their own natural frequency (as measured in the visual cortex) which is somewhere between 9 Hz and 11 Hz but is different for each person. Note that even though 'entrainment' may not be happening that doesn't mean effects are not. For example a person might enter a deep trance at a certain Hz but not have BWE.
VOCAL RANGE - 70 Hz to ~9,000 Hz is considered the range of the human voice.
PJ
.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment