Recently my younger brother shared some news with me, he said; "Alex, I have been studying brain waves, epilepsy and seizures. I finally understand what you have been going through." This small interaction got me thinking... My brother has grown up with me, not fully understanding; so how can we expect other people to understand what we go through? Therefore I decided to do a general, broad study of brain waves myself.
The brain consists of continuous electrical activity, sending messages from one neuron to another. If one looks at a neuron under a microscope, one will notice the signals (made up of ions,) are sent through protein channels. These are known as neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters consist of two types of receptors; excitatory receptors and inhibitory receptors. Excitatory receptors, open pathways in the brain allowing messages through, while inhibitory receptors close pathways, blocking messages coming through. The flow of electrical activity creates a rhythm, which is then recorded as waves.
You get four types of brain waves; alpha, beta, theta and delta. These waves are measured in hertz and / or cycles per second. Alpha waves are calm rhythmical waves, which occur at 8-13 cycles per second. They are moderate in speed or frequency and therefore occur during reflection or quietly flowing thoughts. Beta waves replace alpha waves when you focus on a specific cognitive activity. These waves flow at between 14-80 cycles per second, making the frequency faster then that of an alpha wave. Beta waves dominate your mind during waking hours, they are used during processes such as; problem solving, judgement and decision making. You get three different bands of beta waves, all of which vary in frequency based on the level of, intensity or concentration of the person doing the activity. Thirdly you get theta waves. Theta waves move at a slow frequency, between 4-7 cycles per second. They occur during emotional stress such as; disappointment and frustration. Theta waves have also been found to be highly active in people with brain abnormalities such as epilepsy and autism. Most active during the waking up from and the drifting into sleep, theta waves are the gateway to learning and memory. Intuition and the senses are focused within the mind and body, rather than expressed outwardly. Last but not least you get delta waves, which have the lowest detectable frequency of less than 3.5 cycles per second. Waves of this speed are often only detected during cycles of deep sleep, in infancy, or in people who have brain disorders. The subtleness of these waves is what biologically give us a sense of awareness and empathy. Thus, are the four types of rhythmical brain waves.
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Patterns of Brain Waves
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As previously mentioned; in a normal brain, these waves have normal and consistent patterns. Patterns which keep time, synchronising the different parts of the brain. However, in epileptic like ours, things are different; we have abnormal brain waves. This means we either have too many excitatory receptors; allowing a sudden surge of messages to uncontrollably overwhelm our minds. This is what my brain does. Or we have a lack of inhibitory receptors; which prevent messages from coming through, thereby causing our bodies to shut down during a seizure. Either way epileptic seizures are caused. Seizures are often noticed via outward signs such as grandmal and petimal symptoms. But that's a blog for another day...
We all have our own rhythms. The speed at which we walk, the pace at which we think, the beat at which we laugh, it is all unique to us. Whether we are epileptic or autistic, (or suffer from any other disorder for that matter,) remember, you are fearfully and wonderfully made, there is beauty and purpose in you. So follow where your spirit takes you. Embrace the rhythm within your DNA.
