When you receive a hard blow to the head, the difference in motion between the brain and skull creates violence, resulting in traumatic brain injury (TBI). Frontal and temporal regions are more susceptible to bruises and bruises. In addition to the damage at the time of impact, an injury caused by the brain hitting the skull and coming back occurs and can cause a problem in the future. Disruption of the border between white and gray matter can cause axonal breaks.
The term Organic Brain Syndrome, or impingement-related disorders as expressed in DSM-IV, is defined in terms of the classification of residual symptoms (residual symptoms) that persist for 12 months and beyond, sometimes years after injury. Although minor head injuries are considered harmless, a significant proportion of people report complaints that last weeks or months, sometimes years after the injury, even though MRI and CT scans show no abnormalities.
The core of the problems in Organic Brain Syndrome are Attention Deficit, Adjustment Difficulties, and Mood Disorders. In addition, those suffering from these problems frequently reported memory and socialization problems, frequent headaches, and personality changes.
Patients;
Attention Deficit, difficulty maintaining mental strength.
Fatigue, exhaustion
Impulsivity, irritability
Quick disappointment
Temperament outbursts and mood changes
Learning and Memory problems
Impairment in planning and problem solving
Stubbornness, fixed thinking
Lack of initiative
Disruption between thought and action
Communication difficulties
Socially inappropriate behavior
Lack of insight and being “me” oriented
Problems in self-awareness
Unbalanced
Dizziness and dizziness pains
She complains of personality changes.
Despite these chronic symptoms, common conventional imaging tests such as CT scan and MRI may not show any evidence of brain abnormalities. As a result, this person may be classified as “angry, irritable” or someone with mood problems and/or anger problems, or as having a personality disorder or psychological problem.
EVALUATION OF ORGANIC BRAIN SYNDROME
QUANTITATIVE EEG (QEEG)
QEEG is the statistical evaluation of electrical activity in the brain. It is particularly suitable for the evaluation of Organic Brain Syndrome as it has been shown to diagnose and discriminate with a high degree of precision in various neurophysiological patterns of empirical, objective and mild traumatic brain injury and organic brain syndrome (head injury) related brain dysfunction.
A review of recently published scientific literature studies confirms that QEEG is much more successful in detecting brain dysfunction associated with mild traumatic brain injury and organic brain syndrome (head trauma) than other visual techniques.
Brain Injury probability index tells whether a person has mild traumatic brain injury with statistical probability. It also provides additional evidence to support the conclusion that the symptoms associated with organic brain syndrome are organically based. More than 34,000 studies on QEEG have been published since 1990. No negative results were obtained in these studies. The only negative critical area study regarding the clinical use of QEEG was published in 1997 by Newer of the Academy of Neurology.
The opinions expressed in that study were discredited by the Association for Clinical EEG and Clinical Neuroscience on the grounds of vague and mere suspicion and lack of supporting evidence, and were refuted without even thorough review.
ATTENTION VARIABLES TEST (TOVA)
The Attention Variables test (TOVA) is a computer-mediated continuous performance test. It is a test in which test participants are asked to press the button in their hands when they see the target on the computer, and to hold themselves when they do not see the target. Scores are compared according to appropriate age so that standardized ratings can be drawn and provide useful and objective information on the four variables of attention.
* Ability to concentrate and maintain mental effort
* Impulse control
* Reaction time
* Distraction (variability in responses)
TOVA, in the attention system It is an objective, stand-alone and empirical measure of the degree of deterioration.
TREATMENT OF ORGANIC BRAIN SYNDROME (HEAD TRAUMA)
The study in the October 2004 issue of the journal Clinical EEG and Neuroscience found that QEEG is the most sensitive visual tool in the evaluation of organic brain syndrome and Neurotherapy is used in organic brain syndrome. concluded that it was the most promising treatment.
MEDICINE, COUNSELING, AND COGNITIVE THERAPY
Medication can help with distress temporarily, and counseling can help some people understand impulse and anger control. However, there is no evidence in the literature that medication or cognitive therapy effectively improves cognitive problems or concentration in organic brain syndrome.
NEUROTHERAPY
Slow brain wave activity and coherence abnormalities are more common in people with attention problems and mild traumatic brain injury. With the neurotherapy (EEG Biofeedback) operant conditioning method, patients are given visual/auditory rewards to produce more normal patterns in brain wave activity. Studies since the 1970s have shown that with neurotherapy, patients can learn to help develop normal function in their brains by normalizing dysfunctional brain wave patterns. The latest advance in neurotherapy is the ability to detect specific brain wave patterns that need to be corrected using QEEG.
Neurotherapy can also be used to improve mental performance and improve concentration in people without organic brain syndrome
3D BRAIN MAPPING
Three-dimensional brain mapping The technique was first applied in 1994. 3D (three-dimensional) Brain Imaging Methods in psychiatric diseases have been gaining importance in recent years.
3D Brain Mapping starts with EEG acquisition first. Then, the brain waves of the brain in the range of 1-40 Hz are analyzed with the QEEG (Quantitative EEG) program. The program compares the data of the person who was taken with a database of people who have no complaints and whose neuropsychiatric tests give normal results.
Wave frequencies of the brain are measured and then 3D Brain Mapping is applied. The activity of nerve cells and nerve impulses are displayed in three dimensions with S-LORETA. Taking these shots together provides both EEG and MEG (Magnetoencephalography) opportunities and 3D Brain Mapping images are obtained.
3D Brain Mapping, while giving an image of the brain, analyzes the functioning of the brain, its blood supply, blood flow, symmetry, impaired functions of the brain and impaired brain areas in 3D (three dimensions).
The areas where 3D Brain Mapping technique is used in children are primarily Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Dyslexia, Developmental Delays, Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, but this application has started to be used in diagnosis more and more.
Neuropsychiatric diseases seen in youth and adults especially Depression, Panic Attacks, Drug Use, Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Alzheimer’s Disease, Dementias, Aneurysms, Head Traumas, Brain Bleeding in Strokes and Strokes Brain Mapping is an extremely illuminating assessment method.
3D Brain Mapping Method is one of the advanced technological methods we currently have in “diagnosis, strengthening the diagnosis, measuring and evaluating the treatment results”. In many psychiatric diseases, 3D images are compared before and after treatment and treatment results can be evaluated quantitatively. Thus, choosing the appropriate treatment in mental illnesses ensures that the right decisions are made in the continuation or termination of the treatment.
NEUROGUIDE Does the brain wave database comply with Turkish norms
Brain wave data used to diagnose Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) by recording brain waves in 275 children and adolescents aged 6-17 years with attention and behavior problems base is approved by the FDA (American National Food and Drug Association).
This method, which will help doctors make a more accurate diagnosis with other data during ADHD diagnosis, has been developed by ‘Neuropsychiatric EEG-Based Assessment Aid (NEBA) Health’ from Georgia, USA.
FDA-approved NxLink Neurometric normative database developed by New York University in 1998, with EEG recordings from 650 individuals aged 6-90 whose function was confirmed by multi-disciplinary medical examinations through multi-disciplinary medical examinations. diseases such as head trauma, schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, alcohol and drug addiction can be distinguished with an accuracy of over 90 percent.
The Neuroguide database, FDA-approved by University of Maryland scientists, can distinguish between head trauma and learning difficulties with 90-94% accuracy, with EEG recordings taken from 775 people aged 2-83 years.
Scientists from the CNS (Central Nervous System) group developed an FDA-approved r (reference) EEG database and compared psychiatric drugs (anti-depressants, stimulants, antiepileptics, beta-blockers, and benzo group) to a person’s brain waves, and compared them to the individual’s brain waves. It detects that the drug will work with 75-80 percent accuracy.
r-EEG database was developed as a result of 17 years of scientific and objective research in the USA. It is in the background of a study that includes 1600 patients, 13 thousand drug treatments, and more than 6 months follow-up. With this aspect, it is a very valuable database. These methods, which analyze brain wave recording EEG in neurometric database;
1- Early diagnosis of many diseases,
2- Quantitative evaluation of abnormal brain behaviors (use in the selection of neurofeedback treatment protocols),
3- Monitoring of changes in the degree of abnormality over time,
4- Differentiation of normal and abnormal EEG as well as computer-assisted differential diagnosis of certain disorders,
5- Estimation of response to treatment (Medications, neurofeedback)
6- It has been shown to have great clinical success in the fields of quantitative estimation of treatment outcomes. But for whom? Of course
for the American people or their patients…
As a matter of fact, this issue left its mark on the 4th Pilots Workshop organized by the Turkish Airline Pilots Association (TALP A). Psychologist Afife Solak Uzel, who participated in the workshop, said, “Human psychology is not static, but dynamic. He said: “It is necessary to add to the health examinations and psychological tests that are carried out once a year, especially personality tests and tests that measure their ability to cope with stress.”
‘SHOULD BE ADAPTABLE TO THE LOCAL CULTURE’
Emphasizing that the psychological tests in the pilot candidate selection should be adapted to Turkish and Turkish culture, Uzel said, “Most of the psychotechnical tests administered in our country are in English. Now we have to do our own national tests. Otherwise, these tests have no validity. While we attribute different meanings to the same words even in our own language, it must not be possible to fully perceive and correctly answer the test applied in another language. Just testing is not enough. “There should be an interview before and after the test,” he said.
We also fully agree with Psychologist Afife.
But is there a database for our norms in our country? OF COURSE! For this, first of all, what is the neuropsychological test and what are the criteria;
What is neuropsychological testing?
Neuropsychological tests are psychometric tools that measure mental and psychological processes by associating them with brain structures and processes.
Which neuropsychological tests have scientific value? Which tests should be used in measurement and evaluation?
Adapted by considering social and cultural characteristics,
Those whose reliability has been demonstrated by studies conducted in our country,
Which mental and psychological processes it measures, that is, its validity has been revealed by studies conducted in our country ,
Those whose norm values for age and education groups have been revealed by research.
What is BİLNOT Battery?
BİLNOT stands for “Neuropsychological Test Battery for Cognitive Potentials”. In the field of psychometrics, the term “Battery” refers to a collection of tests that have been put together for a specific purpose. Some of the batteries measure different aspects of complex functions (such as executive functions), some are created to scan brain functions.
BİLNOT Battery was created to scan brain functions. In the context of this purpose, Battery also provides screening of basic mental/psychological functions.
How was the BİLNOT Battery created?
The battery was developed within the scope of a TÜBİTAK project (TÜBİTAK – TBAG/Ü, Project No 17-2). In this project, BİLNOT tests were studied on 2623 adults.
Comprehensive R&D studies have been carried out on BİLNOT Battery tests.
Reliability and validity studies of the tests were carried out.
Norm values of test scores were determined according to age and education level. The scores obtained by the individual in the BİLNOT Battery are compared with the norm values calculated from people of their own age and education level.
Nearly 200 studies have been conducted in our country on the tests it contains. The studies on adults were included in a book published in 2004, the 3rd edition of this book was recently published.
BİLNOT tests and studies on children were published in another two-volume work in 2011. R&D studies were carried out on 351 children.
In our country, there is no other neuropsychological or psychological test group that has been studied in this context.
The use of BİLNOT Battery in medical applications
The neuropsychological tests included in the BİLNOT Battery are used to measure and evaluate all psychiatric and neurological disorders and psychological problems where mental/psychological functions are affected and it is necessary to examine them.
BİLNOT tests are used in the field of health in the following ways.
As diagnostic aids
Monitoring the course of the disorder or disease
Evaluating the effectiveness of treatment
Planning and/or developing rehabilitation programs
BİLNOT tests are used in the evaluation of psychiatric, neurological or psychological disorders.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Schizophrenia
Major depression
Types of dementia
Anxiety disorders
Sleep disorders
Neurological neglect syndrome
Specific learning disorder
Use of BİLNOT Battery in healthy individuals
The neuropsychological tests included in the BİLNOT Battery, like all other psychometric tools, are used for measurement and evaluation purposes. used.
In this respect, BİLNOT tests are used in scientific research, R&D studies, thesis and projects to measure mental/psychological processes with brain reference.
In short, using the Neuroguide database for Neurotherapy is like selling snails in a purely Muslim neighborhood. For this reason, all QEEG interpretations, which are the first and only in Turkey, are made by our own experts, based on our own norms.
