How does our consciousness and subconsciousness work? Our brain is made up of billions of neurons that communicate with each other through weak electrical currents. The combinations of these interactions are called brain waves.
Types of brain waves
Most researchers identify five main brain rhythms, which have different frequencies and have their own set of properties.
Alpha rhythm. Its frequency varies from 8 to 13 hertz. It is recorded mainly in the occipital and parietal regions, associated with the visual regions of the brain. Usually "turns on" when we close our eyes, we relax. “A person who has completed his task and sits down to rest is often in the alpha phase. A person who takes time out to reflect or meditate is usually in an alpha state. A person who goes for a walk in the garden during a break at a conference is also often in the alpha phase,”explains American researcher Ned Hermann, who developed models of brain activity and successfully used them in training management personnel.
Beta rhythm - the oscillation frequency varies from 14 to 40 hertz. If a person is in a normal state, it is poorly expressed. It is recorded in the region of the anterior and central gyri, spreading to the posterior central and frontal gyri. Beta waves are associated with higher cognitive processes and fixation of attention. “When the brain is energized and engaged in vigorous mental activity, it produces beta waves, which are the fastest of the brain waves,” Hermann describes. - A person who is in the process of active conversation “generates” beta waves. The person giving the speech, the teacher, the host of the show - they are all in the beta phase in this activity."
Gamma rhythms have a frequency of oscillations above 30 hertz, sometimes 100 hertz. They are recorded in the precentral, frontal, temporal and parietal regions of the cerebral cortex. A burst of gamma waves is usually observed when solving tasks that require maximum concentration. “Gamma waves are associated with the simultaneous processing of information from different areas of the brain and are associated with a high level of conscious perception,” writes American expert Christopher Bergland in his article “The Athlete's Way. Alpha Brain Waves Boost Creativity and Reduce Depression.
Delta rhythms are also called "slow waves". Their frequency ranges from 0.5 to 4 hertz. Delta waves are associated with recovery processes, for example, they are observed during sleep. “They never go down to zero: that would mean that you are completely stupid,” says Hermann. "But with deep sleep, devoid of dreams, the lowest frequency of delta rhythms is observed - usually 2-3 cycles per second." Delta waves occur when brain activity is low and are amplified in neurological and cerebral disorders. With an excess of delta waves, cognitive impairment occurs, for example, a decrease in concentration.
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Theta rhythm - ranges from 4 to 8 hertz. It is recorded in the frontal zones and the hippocampus. It is observed in a state of sleepiness, which is also called "twilight", since a person is on the verge of sleep and wakefulness. “A person who has carved out time in the process of solving a problem and begins to dream is often in the theta state,” says Ned Hermann. "A person who is driving on the freeway and cannot remember driving the last five miles is often in theta phase caused by driving … It can also happen in the shower or bath, or even while shaving or brushing his hair."
According to Ned Hermann, although one type of electrical rhythm always dominates in the brain, depending on the level of activity, the other three are also present, but in a weaker form.
By the nature of the brain rhythms, experts determine how the human brain works and whether there are malfunctions in its work. In a state of psycho-emotional stress with closed eyes, alpha activity decreases, being replaced by beta waves. It can even contribute to anxiety. Activation of theta rhythms indicates depression.
An increase in beta waves and a weakening of theta waves are characteristic of epilepsy, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, post-traumatic syndromes, and post-stroke disorders.
How to help the brain
Neuroscientists at Brown University (USA) in February 2015 released a practical guide called Attention Drives Synchronization of Alpha and Beta Rhythms between Right Inferior Frontal and Primary Sensory Neocortex, which they hope will allow people to learn by synchronizing their brain rhythms. for example, relieve pain or symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Christopher Bergland in The Athlete's Way. Alpha Brain Waves Boost Creativity and Reduce Depression writes that stimulating alpha waves in the brain can reduce depression and enhance creative thinking.
How to “regulate” your own brain waves? Experts from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine (USA) have found that a small dose of electric current (about 10 hertz) can increase alpha activity by 7.4%. Another way is meditation.
In turn, Professor of Psychiatry and Head of the Department of Psychiatry at Boston Medical Center Robert W. McCarley believes that the creation of mechanisms for the artificial regulation of electrical activity of the brain by acting on neurons with a laser will help in the treatment of mental diseases, in particular, schizophrenia, in which the formation of cerebral waves.
“Our brains need a firing sequence to organize the perception and analysis of the data we receive from the world around us,” McCarley says.
Irina Shlionskaya