How Coherence Training Helps Dyslexia And Executive Function Disorders   

We all want to do our best. We also want to be relaxed, focused and happy whether we are at school, at work or at play. Achieving this balance depends upon many factors including how efficiently our brains function. If we have long struggled with learning new information whether at school or at our jobs, our brains may be having difficulty processing the information we need to complete our task or project. The communication networks in our brains may be inefficient, working overtime, or not able to pass information through their circuits.
    Coherence measurements are used to locate areas affected by communication problems. Coherence is a mathematical ratio calculated for pairs of locations within regions of interest in the brain. (See  signal processing texts for an exact treatment of this topic). These measurements calculate the degree of similarity between two areas of the brain. If the areas are too similar, they are likely duplicating effort instead of each doing its own proper job. This is called hypercoherence If two areas of your brain are unable to collaborate appropriately, they are exhibiting a type of hypocoherence. The job of coherence measurement is to detect both hypercoherence and hypocoherence and to help reduce these limitations when they are found. Once the measurements have been made, you will begin training to help your brain work more productively. This training actually improves the connective pathways so that  information your brain gathers can be identified and assembled in a meaningful way. Generally, information flows from back to front along pathways in both brain hemispheres. When one of these communication pathways becomes restricted or blocked, information your brain should move forward cannot proceed to the frontal area to be analyzed and interpreted. For example, if someone is describing a task to be done, your brain may be unable to handle the input of auditory information and make a meaningful pattern; you likely will have difficulty analyzing and processing that mental task in a timely manner, such as a student understanding a new math concept.
 
  Many students experience this difficulty in school and may avoid their homework because they are unable to synthesize the information they have learned to complete their assignments. Reduced communication or coherence means that affected areas in our brains cannot fully share information about what each region is doing. This might show up as difficulty expressing ideas, reading faces, creating memories, or the inability to transition from one situation to another. You can compensate for some of these limitations, but eventually the extra effort takes its toll by slowing you down. An overworked brain can leave you exhausted or unexplainably irritable. Sometimes these difficulties can indicate dyslexia, executive function difficulties or nonverbal learning disabilities. Remember that difficulties processing information are not the same as difficulties paying attention. It is possible to have both processing and attentional issues, and each would be addressed by the appropriate method, usually within the same neurofeedback training sessions. Specialized neurofeedback methods called “coherence training” help reduce intercommunication problems, while traditional neurofeedback techniques can improve your ability to pay attention. For further information on this fascinating topic, please call or email us for a free demonstration and consultation.