Rex Cannon, PhD

Dr. Rex Cannon has joint research assistant professorships in the Department of Psychology and Graduate School of Medicine at University of Tennessee. Dr. Cannon is a highly regarded and recognized EEG/LORETA researcher. He has published numerous scientific journal articles on these topics.

Dr. Rex Cannon recently wrote the first known book on LORETA. The book is entitled, “Low Resolution Brain Electromagnetic Tomography (LORETA): Basic Concepts and Clinical Applications,” which is published at BMED Press. This important book provides clinicians with the “missing manual” to LORETA. The book also discusses clinical applications of LORETA for specific disorders, such as depression and ADHD, and their treatment via LORETA neurofeedback.

Interview

For those unfamiliar with EEG and LORETA, could you provide a brief explanation of these brain imaging technologies?

Dr. Cannon: EEG or the electroencephalogram is the electrical activity of the brain recorded by a simple graphing technique or more complex computerized methods. LORETA is a method used to localize potential sources of the EEG on the scalp. I use cell phones as an example. First, we have satellites in space that orbit around the earth, so we will consider this path as a fixed boundary. Now let us pretend that every person on the earth has a cell phone (signal) and we want to locate one signal out of a potential 7 billion signals. We do have cell phone towers that form sectors and grids over the landscape of the surface (with potential non-signal areas included). In our search for this signal source, we must determine its unique signature as contrasted with all other signals globally and locally. We then triangulate and differentiate to a potential vector and considering the relationship with all surrounding signals we can find this particular phone signal from all other signals. You can watch this magical example on many crime solver shows on television.

How long have you been involved with EEG? In LORETA?

Dr. Cannon: I began working with EEG in my final year of undergraduate study in 2004. I first gained experience with LORETA in the same year and continued on to work with both Dr. Marco Congedo and Dr. Joel Lubar in the brain research and neuropsychology laboratory at UTK.

What was your motivation to write this book?

Dr. Cannon: In my experience it would have been great to have a click and point manual describing how to use the software as well as neuroimaging, EEG and source localization references to help interpret data in both experimental and patient data. I thought it would be fantastic to have such a reference. Thus, this was my purpose in writing the book.

Is EEG still relevant given the widespread availability of brain imaging technologies, such as FMRI, SPECT, etc.?

Dr. Cannon: Yes, in fact EEG is becoming more important to interpreting other imaging techniques. The uncertainty phenomenon does not just apply to EEG, it also applies to all imaging and statistical interpretations of data. This is our Achilles heel.

Is EEG outdated and inaccurate technology?

Dr. Cannon: EEG is not outdated. We do not know with any certainty how these frequencies function and interact within the brain, nor what they mean. Nothing can be irrelevant unless you fully understand it and can rule out its contribution to a particular phenomenon.

What are the advantages of EEG/LORETA?

Dr. Cannon: EEG and LORETA are resource-effective and with proper use can be used in a variety of contexts, including, diagnostic procedures, neurofeedback, monitoring medication effects and so on. It can also be used to monitor individuals longitudinally to evaluate specific changes in the EEG and its sources relative to particular syndromes. Currently, within the contexts of networks and neuroplasticity its advantages and uses are yet to be realized.

Can EEG/LORETA detect specific psychological/psychiatric disorders?

Dr. Cannon: I believe with careful techniques we can begin to detect and classify specific disorders. We are currently engaged in research with two such disorders: Anxiety and Depression.

Is it possible that specific subtypes or phenotypes might emerge for various disorders?

Dr. Cannon: This is certainly a possibility. The problem with using the term phenotype interchangeably as many individuals do is not correct. A phenotype is determined by a genotype (causality), that is to say the phenotype is directly and unmistakably a result of the genotype. Therefore, phenotypes should not be discussed in an independent manner. However, the potential is very real to assess specific genotypes and then find characteristically specific to EEG and current source density patterns that are a result of such genotypes.

There has been talk for years that personalized medicine might involve the use of EEG/LORETA. Can EEG/LORETA help to guide psychiatrists’ selection of psychotropic medication?

Dr. Cannon: Yes it can [guide psychiatrists’ selection of psychotropic medication]. The most fundamental component of responsible medical or psychological care is to obtain a baseline of function. This is true for heart rate, blood pressure and many other physiological components. Why would it not also be necessary for the brain? If we had more data relative to how medications change the EEG and correlate this with behavior, our functionality as physicians and psychologists can only improve. This is also a very resource-effective way to assert evidence based medicine!

What is the future of EEG/LORETA?

Dr. Cannon: The future of EEG and LORETA will directly correspond to the future of physics, mathematics, biology, psychology, chemistry and medicine. I am excited by the possibilities and there are too many to list: The Human Brain Connectome – with EEG is one such future.

Healthcare providers who are skilled in EEG can now compare their patient’s brainwave activity to normative EEG databases to help estimate the (ab)normality of brainwave activity with estimates of statistical reliability. This provides important objective, quantitative interpretation of brainwave activity in a field that for many, many years was characterized by subjective interpretation of raw EEG data. Can you talk about the use of normative databases in QEEG/LORETA?

Dr. Cannon: I think this is one of the best ideas to hit psychology and psychiatry in a very long time. We do this with every conceivable neurocognitive and behavioral task. Therefore in personalizing care, having a normative sample to compare to is invaluable. What we are in dire need of is databases with clinical populations. This could only improve our differential diagnostic procedures and lessen the rates of false positives.

I am personally very excited about LORETA neurofeedback, particularly the ability for neurotherapists to target specific regions of the brain for neurofeedback. Can you briefly explain for our readers what LORETA neurofeedback is?

Dr. Cannon: LORETA neurofeedback is an operant conditioning technique that allows the clinician to select a single or multiple voxels within the brain and provide real time feedback about the current source density levels to the client. The client then learns to increase or decrease these levels by operant conditioning and controlling artifact production. It is not meditation; rather it is self-regulation and executive control. After all, self-regulation is the primary component in learning.

What are the advantages/disadvantages of LORETA neurofeedback?

Dr. Cannon: The advantages of LORETA neurofeedback are fewer sessions and the potential to influence large scale network functionality in the brain. We are currently working on a paper describing the differences and similarities between LORETA neurofeedback [LNFB] and traditional NFB [neurofeedback]. Some of the disadvantages are that LNFB requires capping each time; however, the capping and clean up is well tolerated by most individuals. We are still assessing its potential in older populations. Given our rather limited understanding of the brain and its functions – great care is needed when choosing a location for training. The clinician should be well educated in neuroanatomy and functional connectivity for monitoring patient outcomes and potential problems.

What are future uses of LORETA neurofeedback?

Dr. Cannon: The potential is only limited by our creativity and willingness. The brain and its functions are behavior – therefore, everything is open to improvement. We can develop protocols to increase any human function once we begin to understand the neurological correlates. We can develop BCI for these same behaviors. I would even project that as we improve in our understanding of the EEG we can incorporate EEG/LORETA in the gaming world and place the individual in a 3D world responsive to his or her brain activity and its specific states and percepts. This seems “out there;” however; 30 years ago the current state of neuroscience was definitely “out there.” I am quite excited about some of these potentialities.

I want to thank Dr. Rex Cannon for taking time to discuss these very interesting and exciting topics. I certainly look forward to his future writings and books.

How To Get The Book: Low Resolution Brain Electromagnetic Tomography (LORETA): Basic Concepts and Clinical Applications

For those who want to learn more about LORETA and the topics discussed today, you are encouraged to purchase a copy of Dr. Rex Cannon’s latest book published right here at BMED Press: Low Resolution Brain Electromagnetic Tomography (LORETA): Basic Concepts and Clinical Applications. Alternatively, this book is available at all major internet retailers. In the United States, you can purchase at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. In Europe, you can purchase at Amazon UK. In Australia, you can purchase at The Nile.

This book, previously available only in black and white, has now been reprinted in beautiful color – and despite a huge increase in manufacturing costs, we did not raise the price for the color edition of this book. We also will continue to offer this book with free USPS Priority Mail shipping for orders placed in the United States. All orders from today forward will automatically receive the new color edition.

For more information on this book, please visit the Doing Neurofeedback: An Introduction product page.

Remember too that all net proceeds from sales this book benefit the non-profit organization, ISNR-Research Foundation.

The HeartMath emWave2 was added recently to our popular HearthMath product line. For a limited time, the emWave2 is offered at a special sale price along with free shipping and a free HearthMath book of your choice.

The emWave2 is a portable device with PC/MAC software that is a more limited version than the full featured emWave Desktop. The advantage of the emWave2 is that you can take the device virtually anywhere due to its relatively small size. This enables you to practice breathing without being connected to a computer at work or home or when you feel particularly stressed and need instant relief. The emWave2 includes a built-in breathing pacer. The device stores up to 18 hours of data that can be transferred to the included software for future analysis. For the ultimate set-up, combine the emWave2 and the emWave Desktop.

For more information, please visit the HeartMath emWave2 product page.

Where To Order At The Nile Australia?
To purchase BMED Press books in Australia go here.

To purchase ISNR Research Foundation Books in Australia go here.

We hope that our Australian customers find this to be an easier and less expensive way to obtain our books.

Australian customers who prefer to order directly from BMED Press can always still contact us to place an order or use the online mail/fax order form.

As always, thank you for your support of our books.

We want to congratulate author Dr. Rex Cannon for his patient and devoted work with this text. We hope that those interested in LORETA will find the nearly 2 years that it took to complete this book worth the wait. There is little doubt that Dr. Cannon created a novel and much needed LORETA resource for the fields of electroencephalography (EEG / QEEG), neuroscience, and neurofeedback – in fact, this is the only known LORETA book available today.

Those new to LORETA software will find this to be an especially valuable book as Dr. Cannon provides a step-by-step navigation tutorial of the LORETA interface. Experienced LORETA practitioners will also enjoy the advanced topics and discussions that follow the introductory chapters. Readers will also appreciate the large size print (7″ x 10″) and full color images that facilitate easy readability and interpretation of the numerous LORETA brain map images and figures.

Purchase the Book
Low Resolution Brain Electromagnetic Tomography (LORETA): Basic Concepts and Clinical Applications can be purchased here with free shipping (free shipping is for United States only).

Get The Free Software
Readers who purchase this book should also download the LORETA software. LORETA software is available free of charge from The KEY Institute for Brain-Mind Research, University Hospital of Psychiatry, Zurich, Switzerland. Download the software here.

How To Pre-Order
To pre-order this title, please use our fax/mail order from. We apologize in advance that this is the only method to pre-order this title as we do not currently offer pre-order purchases in the online store. Your credit card will NOT be charged until the book ships.

More Info
Low Resolution Brain Electromagnetic Tomography (LORETA): Basic Concepts and Clinical Applications is published in a large format (7″ x 10″) with full color images! Readers do not have to determine tiny differences in shades of gray when viewing LORETA brain images! This format is costly to produce (as the list price suggests), but we think readers will enjoy and appreciate the large, color format of this book.

Thank You!
We also want to thank our readers for their enormous patience while Dr. Cannon wrote this excellent book and our editor, proof readers, and lay out designer polished it up. There were multiple delays along the way, but we think you will find the finished product to be worth the wait!

Thank you for your support of BMED Press books!

February 9, 2012 Update: Initial LORETA inventory has been received and ready to ship. Place your pre-order now for immediate shipping.

Please know that we do not expect any further delays as we received the final draft of the book and and even have it fully edited now. The book is currently in design/layout, and then off to the printers!

We plan to offer a pre-order discount. Please monitor our website or subscribe (email, newsletter, RSS, etc.) as the pre-order period will be very short as we intend to have this book on the market just in time for Christmas.

Thanks for your patience with this title – we know it took an extra year or so to get it out, but we hope that it is worth the wait!

Wishing everyone a happy upcoming holiday season.

Editorial Update: This title will be released on February 15, 2012 (pre-order are already shipping now). Pre-order by this title by February 15, 2012 to receive a 20% discount. More info is here.

The sale will last until current inventory is sold out. Now is your chance to pick up this excellent book for $10 off plus free shipping!

No discount code is required for this special offer. Simply add Neurofeedback and State Regulation in ADHD: A Therapy Without Medication to the shopping cart and the discount will appear.

As always, thank you for your readership.

Also, please be on the look out for an ISNR Research Foundation new book release to be added very soon: Doing Neurofeedback: An Introduction by Richard Soutar and Robert Longo. More details to follow soon.

We hope that you find these new books meaningful and enjoyable.

BMED Press’ primary responsibilities will be to manufacture, distribute, promote, and provide order fulfillment for all ISNR-RF wholesale and retail book orders. In addition, BMED Press will make all current and future ISNR-RF books available for purchase at the BMED Press company website/store.

Current ISNR-RF book titles include:

• ADD Centre Brodmann Area Booklet by Michael Thompson, MD, James Thompson, PhD and Wenqing Wu, MD
• The Art of Artifacting by Jay Gunkelman, QEEG-D and Cory Hammond, PhD
• Multi-Component Treatment Manual For Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Including Strategies From Clinical Psycho-Physiology And Applied Neuroscience by John Carmichael, PhD, RPsych

Cynthia Kerson, Executive Director of ISNR-RF, noted that several new titles are currently being written and edited for future release.

Look for additional announcements and details over the coming weeks.

Additional Information about The ISNR Research Foundation
The ISNR Research Foundation supports research for neurofeedback and related non-drug technologies for central nervous system disorders.

To accomplish this mission the Foundation:

• Identifies areas of interest for research in neuromodulation therapies with a current focus of ADHD, Autism Spectrum, TBI and epilepsy
• Establishes criteria for quality controlled studies to evaluate such therapies
• Recruits qualified researchers to conduct the research
• Solicits, evaluates, awards and administers research grants
• Applies for public and private grants and donations
• Raises funds through direct and deferred donations
• Collaborates with other entities with similar objectives