BCN flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Biofeedback definition

A behavioral training method in which a physiologic signal such as muscle tension, skin temperature, or heart rate is amplified and displayed in real time so the person can learn to change that response.

Operant conditioning in biofeedback

The learning mechanism behind biofeedback: a contingent, immediate signal reinforces increases or decreases in a target physiologic response, shaping control through repeated practice and feedback.

Surface EMG units

Surface electromyography measures muscle electrical activity in microvolts, usually displayed as a rectified and smoothed (RMS or moving average) value rather than the raw high-frequency signal.

Thermal biofeedback target

Finger temperature biofeedback trains peripheral vasodilation; a warming trend toward roughly 95 to 97 degrees Fahrenheit at the fingertip indicates reduced sympathetic vasoconstriction and greater relaxation.

Electrodermal activity

Skin conductance, measured in microsiemens, reflects eccrine sweat gland activity driven by sympathetic cholinergic fibers; conductance rises with arousal and emotional activation.

Paced breathing at six per minute

Breathing near six breaths per minute, about 0.1 Hz, amplifies respiratory sinus arrhythmia and baroreflex gain, producing a smooth high-amplitude heart rate oscillation used in HRV training.

Common biofeedback artifacts

Signals can be distorted by 50 or 60 Hz electrical interference, poor electrode contact, movement, and cardiac or respiratory pickup, so artifacts are ruled out before clinical interpretation.

Therapist scope of practice

Biofeedback certification verifies technical and clinical knowledge, but assessment, diagnosis, and treatment planning must remain within the clinician's own state licensure and training boundaries.

Standard EEG frequency bands

Conventional EEG bands are delta below 4 Hz, theta 4 to 8 Hz, alpha 8 to 13 Hz, beta 13 to 30 Hz, and gamma above 30 Hz, quantified by spectral analysis.

Sensorimotor rhythm (SMR)

SMR is EEG activity in roughly the 12 to 15 Hz range over sensorimotor cortex; SMR uptraining with theta downtraining is used in attention and hyperactivity protocols.

Theta/beta ratio

A spectral index computed as theta power divided by beta power at a specified electrode site; elevated ratios have been associated with inattention but are not diagnostic of any disorder.

Alpha/theta protocol

A relaxation-oriented neurofeedback protocol, usually eyes closed at posterior sites, that rewards alpha while theta is elevated, aiming to increase alpha and theta amplitude ratios.

10-20 electrode system

A standardized scalp landmark system (Fz, Cz, Pz, C3, C4, T3, T4, O1, O2) that lets clinicians place electrodes reproducibly and compare recordings across sessions and clients.

Neurofeedback reward threshold

The amplitude criterion that must be met to earn a reward; it is set so the client succeeds on roughly 70 to 80 percent of epochs and is adjusted as performance changes.

Eye blink artifact in EEG

Blinking and eye movement generate large frontal slow potentials, especially in delta and theta ranges, that can be mistaken for brain activity unless the clinician screens or rejects those epochs.

Quantitative EEG (QEEG)

A statistical comparison of a client's EEG spectral values with a normative database; it can guide protocol selection but is not by itself a diagnosis and depends on clean artifact-free data.

EEG arousal model

A heuristic linking bands to arousal: theta and alpha suggest relaxed or underaroused states, beta suggests alert focus, and excessive high beta or muscle artifact suggests tension.

Heart rate variability definition

HRV is the variation in time between successive heartbeats (R-R intervals); greater vagally mediated variability generally reflects stronger parasympathetic regulation of the heart.

RMSSD and pNN50

Time-domain HRV measures based on differences between consecutive N-N intervals; both primarily reflect short-term vagal (parasympathetic) activity and are relatively robust to slow trends.

SDNN meaning

The standard deviation of N-N intervals over a recording period; it reflects overall variability from all sources and grows with longer recording windows, so values are compared within the same duration.

HRV frequency bands

Conventional bands are VLF below 0.04 Hz, LF 0.04 to 0.15 Hz, and HF 0.15 to 0.40 Hz; HF power reflects respiratory sinus arrhythmia and vagal tone.

Resonance frequency breathing

The individual breathing rate, usually 4.5 to 6.5 breaths per minute, that produces maximal HRV amplitude; it is identified by paced-breathing sweeps and then used for training.

Respiratory sinus arrhythmia

The normal speeding of heart rate during inspiration and slowing during expiration, mediated by vagal outflow; it is the main contributor to high-frequency HRV power.

LF/HF ratio caution

The ratio of low- to high-frequency power is often called sympathovagal balance, but it is contested because LF includes baroreflex and vagal contributions, so it should not be interpreted alone.

HRV confounders

Age, posture, hydration, caffeine, time of day, and medications such as beta-blockers alter HRV, so trends are interpreted within a person rather than against a single population cutoff.

Pelvic floor EMG biofeedback

Surface electromyography of the pelvic floor, using a vaginal or anal sensor or surface electrodes, displays contraction and relaxation in microvolts to teach muscle control and coordination.

Accessory muscle substitution

Recruitment of abdominal, gluteal, or hip adductor muscles during a pelvic floor contraction; it appears as unwanted EMG activity and signals an incorrect or poorly isolated contraction.

Resting pelvic floor tone

Baseline EMG amplitude recorded before voluntary contraction; persistently elevated resting tone suggests hypertonicity or guarding, which calls for downtraining and relaxation rather than strengthening.

Pelvic floor hold and rest

A common training structure uses contractions held about 5 to 10 seconds with rest intervals of 10 seconds or more, adjusted to avoid fatigue and individualized to the patient's endurance.

Hypertonic pelvic floor training

When resting tone or pain indicates hypertonicity, biofeedback emphasizes relaxation, downtraining, and breathing rather than strengthening, because further strengthening may worsen symptoms.

Pelvic biofeedback contraindications

Internal sensors are deferred with active vaginal or urinary infection, recent surgery, or pregnancy-related precautions; informed consent and infection-control procedures are required before use.

Pelvic floor outcome tracking

Progress is documented with EMG amplitude, hold time, coordination, and validated symptom questionnaires, judged against the patient's own baseline rather than a universal norm.