EEG Full Form: Electroencephalography

The full Form of EEG is Electroencephalography. The electrical activity of the brain can be recorded using an EEG. It helps doctors see the signals made by the brain. Neurons are unique brain cells that produce these signals. The neurons create tiny electric signals in the brain. EEG captures these signals from the surface of the head.

What is EEG?

EEG is usually non-invasive. Doctors place small metal disks on the scalp. These disks are called electrodes. They follow a standard system known as the 10-20 system. Sometimes, electrodes are placed directly on the brain. This method is called intracranial EEG or electrocorticography. It is done during surgery.

Doctors look at EEG results by checking the patterns. Sometimes computers help measure the signals, too. These tests show how active the brain is. The electrodes pick up the signals from neurons. These signals change with distance and direction. The skull and skin weaken the signals. So, deeper brain parts do not show clearly.

EEG History

The first human EEG recording was done by Hans Berger in 1924. He showed brain waves as electrical activity. In 1875, Richard Caton found electrical signals in animal brains.

• In 1890, Adolf Beck studied brain waves in animals. He noticed these waves changed with light.
• In 1912, Vladimir Pravdich-Neminsky recorded the first animal EEG in a dog.
• Cybulski and Jelenska-Macieszyna recorded an EEG during seizures in 1914.
• In 1934, British scientists confirmed Berger’s work.
• In 1935, Gibbs, Davis, and Lennox found brain waves linked to epilepsy.
• In 1936, the first EEG lab opened in Massachusetts, USA.
• In 1947, the American EEG Society began.
• In 1953, REM sleep was discovered.
• In the 1980s, EEG topography was developed but is now only used in research.
• In NASA’s Gemini missions (1965-66), EEG was used on astronauts.
• In 1988, EEG was first used to control a robot.

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EEG Frequencies

The top portion of the brain is primarily recorded by EEG. It does not capture deep areas like the hippocampus or brainstem. A healthy brain shows special patterns. These patterns change based on whether we are awake or asleep. The waves have different speeds, called frequencies. They range from 1 to 30 Hz. There are different types of brain waves.

• Alpha waves are 8-13 Hz and show calmness.
• Beta waves are 13-30 Hz and show focus.
• Deep sleep produces delta waves, which have a frequency of 0.5–4 Hz.
• Theta waves are 4-7 Hz and appear in light sleep.

Uses of EEG

EEG helps find problems in the brain. It shows unusual signals like sharp waves or spikes. These may appear in people with epilepsy. Doctors use an EEG to check for seizures.

• EEG can also help with other brain issues.
• It helps in diagnosing sleep disorders.
• It checks brain activity after injury or coma.
• It can help in finding brain death.
• EEG is used to detect strokes or tumors. Now, MRI and CT scans are often used instead, but EEG is still useful because it shows fast brain changes.
• EEG can also track the brain’s response to sounds or lights. This is called evoked potentials (EP).
• It helps study how the brain processes information.

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EEG in Epilepsy

When it comes to epilepsy, an EEG is crucial. The gold standard test is this one. It indicates the presence of epilepsy. It is not always ruled out by a normal EEG. Short EEG tests can miss epilepsy. Longer EEG tests may be needed. Special tests can trigger seizures for diagnosis. These include flashing lights or asking the person to breathe fast.

If seizures happen during an EEG, it gives more information. This is called an ictal recording. A routine EEG records between seizures. EEG may be done at home for longer periods. This is called ambulatory EEG. In hospitals, special epilepsy units monitor patients for days. They may stop the medicine to prevent a seizure safely.

These recordings help doctors know where seizures start. This helps choose the best treatment. It also shows if events are real seizures or something else. Some people faint or have other problems that look like seizures.

EEG for Other Brain Problems

EEG helps with many brain problems. It can help find brain tumors, check for damage from head injuries, and help find swelling or infection in the brain. It shows strokes or sleep disorders.

EEG helps tell seizures from other spells. It separates medical problems from mental health problems, helps confirm brain death in very sick patients. It helps predict recovery after brain injury. EEG guides decisions about stopping seizure medicines.

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EEG in Intensive Care

EEG is used in ICUs, too. It shows if patients have silent seizures. It checks how sedation affects the brain. It helps monitor brain pressure problems, used after serious brain injuries. EEG helps doctors predict recovery after heart attacks.

If surgery for epilepsy is needed, an EEG helps find the problem area. Special electrodes are placed on the brain itself. This gives better details than scalp EEG. This method is called electrocorticography (ECoG). EEG shows small signals missed by regular EEG. It helps pinpoint the seizure start.

Home EEG

Some EEGs are done at home. These tests last 1-3 days. They help catch events that do not happen often.

EEG in Research

EEG is used in scientific studies.

• It helps understand how the brain works.
• It is used in psychology and language studies.
• It helps study swallowing and other body functions.
• EEG does not diagnose ADHD well, but it is used to study learning problems.
• It helps research on concussions.
• It helps find how the brain changes after injuries.

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EEG Advantages

EEG’s “one-dimensional signals from localized peripheral regions on the head make it attractive for its simplistic fidelity and have allowed high clinical and basic research throughput” despite its comparatively low spatial sensitivity. Therefore, EEG has a few advantages over some of those other methods:

• It is cheaper than an MRI or PET.
• It is small and easy to move.
• It can be used almost anywhere.
• It is fast and shows brain changes in real-time.
• EEG works even if the person moves a little. It is quiet, unlike MRI machines.
• It is safe for people with metal in their bodies.
• It does not use radiation.
• EEG can track brain changes over time.
• It helps study brain development in children.
• It shows hidden brain activity.
• It helps test people who cannot move.

EEG Disadvantages

For example, while EEG requires extensive interpretation to determine which parts of the brain are activated by a given response, fMRI can directly display the active brain regions. Despite these drawbacks, EEG is still useful. It yields rapid results and benefits a large number of patients.

• It cannot show deep brain areas well. MRI shows the brain parts better.
• EEG signals can be tricky to read. The skull can blur the signals. It does not show brain chemicals like PET.
• It takes time to set up an EEG. It is necessary to apply numerous electrodes to the scalp. A good connection is facilitated by special gels.
• EEG signals are weak. Many tests are needed for good results. Hair types can affect how well the EEG works. Researchers are making better tools for this.
• Some people feel uncomfortable during an EEG. It can take time to collect good data.

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EEG Future Research

EEG is now used for many purposes beyond medical diagnosis. During World War II, the U.S. Army used EEGs to check pilots for possible seizure risks. Even today, EEG helps in predicting seizures in epilepsy patients through long-term recordings.

One important use of EEG is in neurofeedback. It helps people train their brainwaves for better focus or to manage health conditions. EEG is also part of research for brain-computer interfaces. These systems help people control machines through brain signals.

EEG is widely used in neuromarketing. Companies use brain signals to study how people respond to advertisements and products.

EEG patterns can change after taking certain drugs. Early researchers, like Hans Berger, recorded these changes. Today, this field is known as pharmaco-EEG. It studies how chemicals affect brain functions for medicine or research.

Honda is trying to use EEG signals to help people control robots, like its Asimo robot. They hope this technology might also be used in cars in the future.

In India, EEG has been used as evidence in criminal cases. In Maharashtra, a method called BEOS (Brain Electrical Oscillation Signature Profiling) was used to suggest that a woman remembered committing a crime. However, scientists still question how reliable BEOS is.

Researchers are now trying to make EEG devices smaller and easier to wear. New wearable EEGs use wireless technology and no longer need sticky gels. These devices can be worn for days or weeks, making it easier to study brain conditions like epilepsy.

Today’s researchers also combine EEG with machine learning. Computers learn to recognize diseases such as schizophrenia, epilepsy, or dementia by analyzing EEG patterns. These tools help detect seizures and may soon assist doctors in diagnosis.

Scientists also study EEG signals in creative fields. Some musicians have used Electroencephalography signals to make music. At Columbia University, a project created music using brainwaves. In 1977, NASA even sent a recording of a woman’s brainwaves into space on the Voyager Golden Record.

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FAQs on EEG Full Form

What is the purpose of an EEG?

An EEG uses electrodes applied to the scalp to record the electrical activity of the brain. Changes in brain activity are shown by EEG results.

What is the purpose of the EEG device?

A variety of brain disorders are assessed using an EEG. Seizures will show up on the EEG as fast spiking waves if epilepsy is present.

What is an ECG or EEG?

While ECG analyzes the heart's rhythm and electrical patterns, EEG delves into the electrical activity of the brain.