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NeuroWave founder pitches QEEG brain mapping and neurofeedback as precision tools for veterans' mental health
Summary
Brian Morrow of NeuroWave told a committee that QEEG brain mapping and neurofeedback can provide objective assessments and targeted noninvasive treatment for PTSD and TBI, but he identified access barriers including VA administrative approval and low reimbursement; he estimated typical courses of care at about 36–40 sessions.
Brian Morrow, introduced to the committee as the founder of NeuroWave Brain Training, gave a technical overview of QEEG brain mapping and neurofeedback and argued they can offer objective assessment and targeted treatment for veterans with PTSD and traumatic brain injury.
Morrow described QEEG as a quantitative EEG analysis that compares an individual's brain activity to a large age- and gender-matched database and said neurofeedback uses real-time EEG to reinforce healthier brainwave patterns. He contrasted these approaches with conventional pharmacologic and talk therapies, saying they are 'more scalpel, less chainsaw' and can produce durable changes in brain function. He told the committee that many clients receive about 36–40 neurofeedback sessions to show measurable improvements and that some protocols (he identified alpha–theta) carry a low risk of traumatic recall.
On access and payment, Morrow said the primary hurdles are limited availability in VA hospitals, medical-necessity and community-care approval barriers, and low reimbursement rates often tied to Medicaid levels that make it hard for community providers to offer neurofeedback. He urged the committee to consider ways to reduce administrative barriers for community-care providers and suggested outreach to federal legislators, including a proposed letter to U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth, to raise awareness.
Committee members pressed Morrow on evidence and costs. One member asked whether studies exist showing net fiscal savings if neurofeedback reduced pharmaceutical costs; Morrow said he was not aware of studies specifically addressing that trade-off. Another member expressed skepticism about how precisely neuroimaging can characterize individual brains; Morrow pointed to handouts with pre/post brain maps and peer-reviewed literature and encouraged members to review PubMed citations he supplied.
The transcript records the presentation and a substantive Q&A but does not include citations to specific peer-reviewed trials, a formal cost–benefit analysis, nor a legislative or funding proposal tied to Morrow's testimony.
