How EEGs are Used to Diagnose Neurological Disorders
Your brain cells communicate via electrical impulses, even while you sleep. Interruptions to these impulses can cause several problems in the brain. To diagnose the condition caused by these interruptions, your doctor will perform a test that detects electrical activity in the brain. This test is called an electroencephalogram, or an EEG. How It’s Done During an EEG, electrodes made up of small discs and thin wires are attached to your scalp. These electrodes can detect tiny electrical charges that result from brain cell activity—these charges are amplified and projected as a graph on a computer screen or piece of paper. Your doctor will typically evaluate about 100 pages or computer screens of brain activity, looking for basic waveform, bursts of energy, and responses to stimuli like flashing lights. Why It’s Done EEGs are used to evaluate several different types of brain disorders. These include: Epilepsy or other seizure disorders Brain lesions Brain tumor Head injury Brain dysfunct