Electroencephalography

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Electroencephalography (EEG) is the recording of electrical activity along the scalp produced by the firing of neurons within the brain. In clinical contexts, EEG refers to the recording of the brain's spontaneous electrical activity over a short period of time, usually 20–40 minutes, as recorded from multiple electrodes placed on the scalp. In neurology, the main diagnostic application of EEG is in the case of epilepsy, as epileptic activity can create clear abnormalities on a standard EEG study. A secondary clinical use of EEG is in the diagnosis of coma and encephalopathies. EEG used to be a first-line method for the diagnosis of tumors, stroke and other focal brain disorders, but this use has decreased with the advent of anatomical imaging techniques such as MRI and CT.

Derivatives of the EEG technique include evoked potentials (EP), which involves averaging the EEG activity time-locked to the presentation of a stimulus of some sort (visual, somatosensory, or auditory). Event-related potentials refer to averaged EEG responses that are time-locked to more complex processing of stimuli; this technique is used in cognitive science, cognitive psychology, and psychophysiological research.

For more information about Electroencephalography, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

News tagged with brain activity

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Depression saps endurance of the brain's reward circuitry

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

Dec 21, 2009 | 4.5 / 5 (6) | 1

A new study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison suggests that depressed patients are unable to sustain activity in brain areas related to positive emotion.

The Queen and I: How autistic brain distinguishes oneself from others

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

Dec 14, 2009 | 4.6 / 5 (7) | 0

Scientists at the University of Cambridge have discovered that the brains of individuals with autism are less active when engaged in self-reflective thought. The study published today in the journal Brain provid ...

Master gene Math1 controls framework for perceiving external and internal body parts

Medicine & Health / Genetics

Dec 14, 2009 | 5 / 5 (3) | 0

Waking and walking to the bathroom in the pitch black of night requires brain activity that is both conscious and unconscious and requires a single master gene known as Math1 or Atoh1, said Baylor College of Medicine researchers ...

Scientists Shed New Light On Right Brain Activity

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

Dec 16, 2009 | 4.3 / 5 (4) | 0

It’s a world first: thanks to new technology developed by the University of Victoria, Canada, researchers can now show how multiple parts of the right brain dynamically process spatial relationships.

How to read brain activity?

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

Dec 04, 2009 | 4.1 / 5 (7) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- For the very first time, scientists show what EEG can really tell us about how the brain functions.

Brain activity exposes those who break promises

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

Dec 09, 2009 | 2 / 5 (1) | 7

Scientists from the University of Zurich have discovered the physiological mechanisms in the brain that underlie broken promises. Patterns of brain activity even enable predicting whether someone will break a promise. The ...

Epilepsy Patients Are Given New Hope With Brain Implant

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

Dec 09, 2009 | 5 / 5 (4) | 2

(PhysOrg.com) -- A startup company, Neuropace in Mountain View Ca., has developed a device that offers new hope for epilepsy patients. The device is designed to neutralize the abnormal electrical activity ...

Now you see it, now you know you see it

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

Nov 30, 2009 | 4.8 / 5 (6) | 2

There is a tiny period of time between the registration of a visual stimulus by the unconscious mind and our conscious recognition of it ― between the time we see an apple and the time we recognize it as an apple. Our ...