In biology class or different tv shows like “Galileo” we’ve all heard about how the human brain is divided into two halves – the two hemispheres. In general language use the left hemisphere is the analytical/logical thinking one and the right hemisphere the emotional and creative one. But is this actually true and what statements can be made about me on the basis of my brain activities?
Unfortunately it’s not as simple as that. The truth is, that even according to the current state of research the functionalities of the brain are not yet fully understood in depth, not even close. Broadly speaking we know that different regions of the brain are activated or engaged to different degrees, depending on the task at hand. In general though the brain should be looked at as one whole system that interacts and is highly interconnected. For example, language processing is mostly located in the left hemisphere but the right hemisphere also plays an important role in this.
Besides structure there is a lot to be said about the function of the brain. Neurons communicate with each other through electrical signals. Therefore electrical fields occur during neuronal activity. These electrical fields can be measured outside of the brain on the surface of the scalp. This measurement technology is called electroencephalogram (EEG). For this purpose singular electrodes are being placed on the scalp which record the electrical fields at different positions. A lot of information can be derived from the neuronal activity in different brain regions. In clinical practice functional disorders like epilepsy, ADHD or sleeping disorders are being diagnosed and treated with this method.
But not only in the medical field of work has this technology earned its place. If we know what kind of “brain type” we are, meaning how our brain works and where its strengths and weaknesses lie, we can make our daily life easier by adapting to that.
The so-called method of BrainMapping generates sort of a fingerprint of the brain with the help of EEG measurements. In order to do that the brain activities are being recorded under different conditions at 19 different positions for several minutes. The algorithms that we developed ourselves, convert the raw data into a brain profil, similar to a map. On the basis of the BrainMap we can see how the individual’s brain works and derive which conditions could be beneficial for, let’s say, increased concentration and which conditions are more likely to be counterproductive.
So far so good! Well, the next level would be reading minds … 😉
