BCIA Continuing Education Posts

The BioSource Faculty Explain Peer-Reviewed Science

Precision Psychopharmacology: Irritability and Rage

This case involves a 28-year-old male who presented with progressive irritability and explosive anger episodes that emerged following sequential trials of two antidepressants and subsequently a psychostimulant.

Psychopharmacology

Fred Shaffer

1 day ago18 min read

5-Min Science: The Role of Pacemaker Neurons in Networks Trained by Neurofeedback

Pacemaker neurons cycle between quiet and active phases on their own, creating brief bursts of action potentials that can set the tempo for larger populations.

Neurofeedback

Fred Shaffer

3 days ago11 min read

John Anderson and John Davis Answer Your Questions About Learning Processes and Mindfulness in Neurofeedback

John Anderson and John Davis discuss learning processes and mindfulness in neurofeedback.

Neurofeedback

John Anderson and John Davis

Nov 919 min read

John Anderson and John Davis Answer Your Neurofeedback Questions

Neurofeedback combines precise signal measurement with human learning.

Neurofeedback

John Anderson and John Davis

Nov 417 min read

The Clinician Detective: ASD or Brain Dysregulation Due to Dysbiosis and Mold?

A global drop in amplitude suggests either a disruption in metabolic support—such as mitochondrial failure—or widespread cortical inhibition.

Neurofeedback

Fred Shaffer

Oct 1618 min read

The Clinician Detective: How Did A FOXP4 Variant and A Sellar Cyst Complicate ASD?

The identification of the FOXP4 variant marked a turning point in the case formulation, shifting the clinical emphasis toward genomics, mitochondrial assessment, and integrative medicine.

Neurofeedback

Fred Shaffer

Oct 1323 min read

Interpreting the Raw EEG: Alpha Squeaks

We wish clinicians—particularly those interpreting pediatric EEGs—understood that alpha squeaks are normal, age-appropriate findings that reflect an active but immature visual-cortical network.

qEEG

Fred Shaffer

Oct 1211 min read

Interpreting the Raw EEG: Triphasic Waves

Triphasic waves are among the most recognizable and clinically meaningful non-epileptiform EEG patterns encountered in patients with altered mental status.

Neurofeedback

Fred Shaffer

Oct 714 min read

5-Min Science: Theta/Beta Ratio Neurofeedback

This study makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of the effects of neurofeedback on ADHD-related brain activity.

Neurofeedback

Fred Shaffer

Sep 253 min read

Lynda Thompson on Neurofeedback and Biofeedback Synergy

A growing body of research and clinical innovation has underscored the need to integrate multiple therapeutic modalities like neurofeedback and biofeedback when working with clients who present with complex psychological and physiological concerns.

Biofeedback

Fred Shaffer

Sep 143 min read

Interpreting the Raw EEG: Frontal Intermittent Rhythmic Delta Activity (FIRDA)

Frontal intermittent rhythmic delta activity (FIRDA) is not a diagnosis—it’s a clue.

Neurofeedback

Fred Shaffer

Jul 1012 min read

How Antipsychotics Affect the EEG

Ben's case exemplifies the core insight of Dr. Swatzyna’s clinician detective model: that not all psychiatric symptoms are psychiatric in origin, and that functional abnormalities in brain activity—detectable on EEG—can signal the presence of invisible, systemic pathology.

Psychopharmacology

Fred Shaffer

Jun 2020 min read

Interpreting the Raw EEG: Four Montages

All montages compare EEG activity between one or more pairs of electrode sites.

qEEG

Fred Shaffer

Jun 2016 min read

Interpreting the Raw EEG: Diffuse Beta Activity

The presence of diffuse beta is not inherently abnormal, but it does merit clinical consideration. It may reflect endogenous factors such as individual variability in cortical excitability, exogenous factors such as the use of CNS-active medications (e.g., benzodiazepines, barbiturates, certain anesthetics), or non-cerebral factors such as EMG contamination.

BioSource Faculty

Jun 1910 min read

Interpreting the Raw EEG: Rhythmic Mid-Temporal Theta of Drowsiness (RMTTD)

In recordings of drowsy subjects, RMTTD often coexists with slowing of the posterior dominant rhythm and the emergence of vertex sharp waves, further supporting its link to transitional drowsiness states rather than to epilepsy or cortical dysfunction.

Fred Shaffer

Jun 198 min read

Interpreting the Raw EEG: Slow Alpha

Not all slow alpha is a pathological sign. A subset of these slow rhythms, especially when reactive and morphologically stable, represents not a degradation of function but a subharmonic of the canonical posterior dominant rhythm (PDR), generated by the same resonant thalamocortical loop but oscillating at half the fundamental frequency.

BioSource Faculty

Jun 1914 min read

Interpreting the Raw EEG: Fast Alpha

The most pressing clinical issue surrounding fast alpha is its frequent misclassification, particularly when spectral peaks in the 18–19 Hz range are erroneously interpreted as beta spindling, pathological fast activity, or early signs of drug effects.

Neurofeedback

Fred Shaffer

Jun 1812 min read

Interpreting the Raw EEG: Temporal Intermittent Rhythmic Delta Activity (TIRDA)

The most common diagnostic pitfall occurs when TIRDA is misread as nonspecific temporal slowing. Many readers unfamiliar with its focal rhythmic structure mistakenly attribute it to background slowing due to prior injury or generalized dysfunction.

BioSource Faculty

Jun 1813 min read

Interpreting the Raw EEG: Occipital Intermittent Rhythmic Delta Activity (OIRDA)

We wish clinicians knew that OIRDA is not an epileptiform discharge. It does not reflect hyperexcitability or paroxysmal depolarization, and in isolation, it is not a seizure pattern.

qEEG

Fred Shaffer

Jun 1716 min read

The Clinician Detective: Investigation Begins with Careful Observation

Before a diagnosis of a mental disorder can be made, the clinician must rule out that the symptoms are not attributable to the physiological effects of a substance or another medical condition.

Biofeedback

Fred Shaffer

Jun 1614 min read