The technology and science of State Changer
Starring: the Prefrontal Cortex
The Prefrontal Cortex (PFC), the brain’s executive center lying behind the forehead, controls attention and blocks distractions. It integrates a constant flow of sensory, emotional and memory material and decides what it means and what to do about it. It screens outgoing physical, verbal and emotional impulses. It regulates mood. It’s a key to working memory. It’s the center for motivation, planning and organizing.
You can think of the PFC as the captain of the ship and the rest of the brain as the crew; the PFC integrates and analyzes incoming information by way of neuronal connectivity, and mediates other brain area functions with the goal of optimizing survival.
Why train the Prefrontal Cortex?
When you concentrate, make decisions, prioritize, take an action block an impulse, ignore distractions or solve problems, your PFC turns on. Its brain cells fire fast enough to control everything else your brain is doing for as long as they have enough oxygen and glucose to keep them working. Like your heart and lungs when you are doing aerobic activity, your PFC needs a constant flow of blood to activate and maintain it.
But there are also times when trying to control what can’t be controlled can make your PFC a problem—when thinking actually interferes with performance. Feeling anxious or stressed, getting stuck on runaway thinking or repetitive actions are examples of the PFC wasting energy in ways that make your life more difficult. At those times, reducing blood flow is valuable. Doing exercises like yoga, tai chi or pilates are examples of teaching your body stillness.
And that’s why you should train your PFC, to gain the ability of change states between stay calm and stay focused that affords you the opportunity to strengthen your innate abilities and perform at your best.
“Anyone can learn brain exercise; it is easy, simple and as real as the ground we stand on”.
Hershel Toomim Sc.D, Neuroscientist, Innovator, Giant Psychophysiologist at 90 (6/19/1916-7/19/2011).
What is nIR HEG
Hemoencephalography (HEG) is the study of voluntarily controlled brain blood flow and corresponding changes (in oxygenation) that are fed back to the user. It can trains targets brain areas in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) that correspond with particular challenges. HEG measures changes in levels of metabolic activity in the PFC. As HEG readings rise during a session, the PFC is activating, increasing blood supply and blood oxygen levels. To measure your brain activity and send the data to the game app the State Changer headset uses specifically nIR HEG technology. With nIR (near infrared spectroscopy) HEG it is measuring the relationship between red and infrared light picked up at the sensor combined with the infrared temperature of the area being trained.
The nIR HEG technology is totally safe, and the degree of infrared entering the skull is less than we get from the sun. HEG neurofeedback allows the trainee to activate their brain which increases blood circulation and thereby strengthens neural connections. Blood delivers oxygen and the basic nutrient glucose (sugar), at life-sustaining levels to the brain. Our brains have an amazing ability to supply extra blood preferentially to areas in current use. Even in repose, the brain consumes about 1/5 of all energy used in the body. Metabolized energy resulting from brain activity causes the brain temperature to rise in the used (venous) blood. If we used the entire brain at one time it would overheat and be severely damaged. The flow of blood cools the brain and prevents overheating.
HEG Diagram
How it works with State Changer
You wear the State Changer headset that emits red lights; one infrared, the other visible.
The lightwaves penetrate the skull, and then bounce back towards the headset.
The headset has a photoreceptor that collects the bounced back light. The properties of the reflected light indicate the amount of blood flow directly behind the skull.
The rate of bloodflow is projected on your computer with State Changer game app.
Being able to see the actual realtime bloodflow of a specific area of the PFC represented on the State Changer game on your computer screen, you can increase it by simply wishing it to increase.
If you see the bloodflow increase on your computer screen, that means the exact area of the brain behind the headset has increased mental activity.