26 Jun Quantitative EEG (QEEG) and Its Application in Various Clinical Conditions
Quantitative EEG (QEEG) and Its Application in Various Clinical Conditions

There are thousands of research studies on QEEG for a wide variety of clinical conditions, including memory problems, anxiety, depression, traumatic brain injury (TBI), ADHD, and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Here’s a summary of these studies.
Attention Deficit ADD / ADHD
- Key Findings: Attention deficit has been associated with deviant activity in the frontal brain areas. Most research has shown that ADHD patients exhibit excess frontal theta activity and a high frontal theta/beta ratio. Other deviations include excess frontal beta activity and low-frequency alpha spikes.
- Notable Studies:
- Arns et al., 2015: High frontal theta/beta ratio in ADHD patients.
- Clarke et al., 2001: Excess frontal beta spindling.
- Arns et al., 2008: Low frequency of alpha spikes.
- Effective Treatments:
- Arns et al., 2009: Neurofeedback as an effective treatment for ADHD.
- Arns et al., 2012: QEEG-guided neurofeedback protocols showing a 76% response rate and an effect size of 1.78.
- Notable Studies:
Anxiety
- Key Findings: Anxiety disorder has been linked to increased beta activity, decreased alpha activity in occipital regions, and increased alpha activity in right fronto-lateral regions.
- Notable Studies:
- Isotani et al., 2001; Pavlenko et al., 2009: Increased beta and decreased alpha activity.
- Davidson et al., 2000: Increased alpha activity in right fronto-lateral regions.
- Efficacy of Treatments:
- Hardt & Kamiya, 1978; Wang et al., 2014: Increased alpha activity may have anxiolytic effects.
- Cheon et al., 2015: Effective neurofeedback protocols must be guided by the patient’s QEEG.
- Notable Studies:
Depression
- Key Findings: Depression is associated with increased alpha asymmetry in the frontal lobes, specifically increased alpha potency in the left frontal lobe and decreased alpha potency in the right frontal lobe.
- Notable Studies:
- Thibodeau et al., 2006: Alpha asymmetry in the frontal lobes.
- Effective Treatments:
- Baehr et al., 1997; Choi et al., 2011: Alpha asymmetry training.
- Walker and Lawson, 2013: Lowering theta and increasing beta activity.
- Saxby & Penniston, 1995: The Peniston protocol combining biofeedback, neurofeedback, and psychotherapy.
- Notable Studies:
Memory Disorders
- Key Findings: Memory disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, are linked to increased delta and theta potency and decreased alpha and beta potency.
- Notable Studies:
- Dauwel et al., 2010: Overview of EEG findings in memory disorders.
- Egner et al., 2005; Zoefel et al., 2011; Guez et al., 2015: High alpha training.
- Effective Treatments:
- Sensorimotor Rhythm (SMR) training and gamma potency training showing beneficial effects on long-term memory performance.
- Notable Studies:

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
- Key Findings: Autism is associated with a dysfunctional mirror neuron system, observed as a decrease in alpha power over the sensorimotor strip.
- Notable Studies:
- Oberman et al., 2005: Failure to show Mu suppression in autism.
- Pineda et al., 2008: Downtraining Mu activity.
- Effective Treatments:
- Kouijzer et al., 2009a, 2009b: Downtraining theta activity and uptraining beta activity.
- Coben and Padolsky, 2007; Jarusiewicz, 2002: QEEG-based neurofeedback protocols for autism.
- Notable Studies:
Dyslexia
- Key Findings: Dyslexia is mainly associated with deviant activity in left temporal brain areas, but can also involve other brain regions.
- Notable Studies:
- Klimesch et al., 2001: Deviant activity in left temporal areas.
- Ackerman & Dykman, 1995; Arns et al., 2007: Deviant activity in various brain regions.
- Effective Treatments:
- Arns et al., 2010: QEEG-guided neurofeedback protocols for treating dyslexia.
- Notable Studies:
Insomnia
- Key Findings: Insomnia is associated with increased beta and gamma potency, likely due to hyper-alertness.
- Notable Studies:
- Perlis et al., 2001; Bonnet et al., 2010: Overview of insomnia and EEG findings.
- Effective Treatments:
- Arns et al., 2014: Sensorimotor Rhythm (SMR) training and regulation of Slow Cortical Potentials (PCL).
- Hoedlmoser et al., 2008: Decrease in sleep latency and increase in total sleep time with SMR training.
- Notable Studies:
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Key Findings: OCD is associated with excess theta and alpha activity, and slow alpha activity.
- Notable Studies:
- Prichep et al., 2011; Surmeli et al., 2011: Excess theta and alpha activity.
- Bolwig et al., 2007: Excess slow alpha activity.
- Effective Treatments:
- Mills and Solyum, 1974; Glucek and Stroebel, 1975: Alpha enhancement neurofeedback.
- Koprivova et al., 2013: QEEG-guided protocols in double-blind, placebo-controlled trials.
- Notable Studies:
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
- Key Findings: TBI is a heterogeneous disorder with various EEG deviations and functional impairments depending on the cause, location, and degree of tissue damage.
- Notable Studies:
- Hoffman et al., 1996: QEEG-guided protocols for TBI treatment.
- Tinius & Tinius, 2000: Effectiveness of QEEG-guided neurofeedback for TBI.
- Current Status:
- No randomized controlled trials showing a superior effect of neurofeedback over placebo in TBI treatment. Patient-specific QEEG-guided protocols are recommended.
- Notable Studies:
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Craig Selinger
Owner at Themba Tutors
Meet Craig Selinger, the passionate owner behind Themba Tutors, a renowned practice specializing in executive function coaching and tutoring. Together with his team of multidisciplinary professionals, they bring their extensive knowledge to numerous locations: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Bronx, Westchester, Long Island, New Jersey, and Connecticut, as well as offering remote services. As a licensed speech-language pathologist in the state of NY, executive functioning coach, and educational specialist with an impressive track record spanning over two decades, Craig has professionally assisted thousands of families. Craig's proficiency encompasses a wide spectrum of areas, including language-related learning challenges such as reading, writing, speaking, and listening. He is also well-versed in executive functioning, ADHD/ADD, and various learning disabilities. What truly distinguishes Craig and his team is their unwavering commitment to delivering comprehensive support. By actively collaborating with the most esteemed professionals within the NYC metropolitan region – from neuropsychologists to mental health therapists and allied health experts – they create a network of expertise.
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