When we consider brain health at HPA we are looking at how the brain functions in three main areas of our daily lives: interpretation of our senses and control of our movements; maintenance of our cognitive, mental, and emotional processes; and maintenance of normal, productive social and/or behavioral patterns. Brain health in our view is really defined as the preservation of optimal brain integrity and mental and cognitive function in the absence of brain disease.
A number of factors can affect the optimal functioning of the brain including traumatic injuries or concussions, psychological trauma including mental or physical abuse, and substance abuse induced trauma including cravings or addictions. Many times these conditions can be accompanied by debilitating depression or anxieties such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
One of our focuses at HPA is on helping our patients achieve and sustain optimal brain functioning along with optimal mental health functioning. To that end, we have recently partnered with a firm with a national footprint, Brain Health Restoration, that specializes in advanced, non-invasive neuromodulation treatments to begin researching a new brain health program called AlphaBrainCare. In combination with our extensive counseling, assessment, and mental health programs, AlphaBrainCare is a unique and proprietary program that is showing significant improvements in Major Depressive Disorders, Substance Use Disorders, Sleep Disorders and other conditions.
Currently, we are evaluating the effectiveness of this comprehensive treatment modality in several ways:
1. Pilot Cognitive Evaluation – Quantitative Electroencephalograph (Q-EEG)
One of the services that we offer at HPA are comprehensive psychological and cognitive evaluations. Through our partnership with Brain Health restoration, we are able to offer a unique addition to a standard cognitive or psychological evaluation - a baseline eeg reading. This reading, which takes about 30 minutes, will give your practitioner a good indication of the current status of your brain’s neuronal communication system and could also identify some undiagnosed or imminent brain impairments. It is non-invasive, pain-free and is designed by HPA and BHR to enhance the overall effectiveness of your brain care treatments and to contribute to a thorough evaluation of your cognitive functioning. The additive effects of this type of evaluation are being evaluated in a small joint pilot program with BHR. It may also be covered by insurance. If you’d like to find out more, click here Q-EEG.
2. Pilot Therapy Research Program
HPA and BHR will also conducting a small and ongoing joint pilot program involving 6-8 HPA patients at any one time who have been diagnosed with treatment resistant depression. These patients will have generally failed to respond to courses of two anti-depressant classes of medication (typically SSRIs or SNRIs) or cannot tolerate these drugs, are currently manifesting significant depressive symptoms, and are undergoing counseling with HPA professionals. Other criteria may apply. The pilots will be conducted for 8 weeks and involve regular MeRT stimulation treatments (daily @ 30 minutes per day) in addition to regular therapy. Baseline eeg/ekgs will be performed on the patients along with standard psychological evaluations. These evaluations will be repeated every two weeks during the program with a jointly authored report issued at the conclusion to evaluate the additive benefit of MeRT treatment. This program may also be covered by your insurance carrier.
If you are interested in any of these pilot programs or if you would like to find out more about “ABC”, please do not hesitate to contact Health Psychology Associates at (775) 448-6828 or Brain Health Restoration at (775) 507-7024 or visit us here: AlphaBrainCare.