EEG

The Electroencephalogram (EEG) is a medical test used to gauge the electrical action of the brain, via electrodes applied to your scalp. This process is completely painless and can be perform without shaving any of your hair. EEG can help diagnose a number of conditions, including epilepsy, sleep disorders and brain tumours. Another name for EEG is brain wave test.

Conditions diagnosed by EEG
Ordinary brain waves happen at a rate of up to 30 per second, but in someone with epilepsy - for example - the EEG may demonstrate bursts of abnormal discharges in the form of spikes and sharp wave patterns. Suspected epilepsy is the most common reason for an EEG. Other conditions that may be diagnosed with the aid of an EEG include:

• Sleep disorders
• Head injuries
• Brain infection
• Brain haemorrhage
• Alzheimer's disease
• Degeneration of brain tissue
• Metabolic conditions that affect brain tissue
• Hormonal conditions that affect brain tissue
• Certain disorders of the central nervous system
• Stroke
• Brain tumours
• Brain death

How To Prepare

• Before the day of the electroencephalogram (EEG) test, tell your doctor if you are taking any medicines. Your doctor may ask you to stop taking certain medicines (such as sedatives and tranquilizers, muscle relaxants, sleeping aids, or medicines used to treat seizures) before the test. These medicines can affect your brain's usual electrical activity and cause abnormal test results.

Do not eat or drink foods that have caffeine (such as coffee, tea, cola, and chocolate) for 12 hours before the test.

Since the electrodes are attached to your scalp, make sure your hair is clean and free of sprays, oils, creams, and lotions. Shampoo your hair and rinse with clear water the evening before or the morning of the test. Do not put any hair conditioner or oil on after shampooing.

To find certain types of abnormal electrical activity in the brain, you may have to be asleep during the recording. You may be asked not to sleep at all the night before the test or to sleep less (about 4 or 5 hours) by going to bed later and getting up earlier than usual. If your child is going to be tested, try to keep him or her from taking naps just before the test. If you know that you are going to have a sleep-deprived EEG, plan to have someone drive you to and from the test.