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Paediatrics => Epilepsy => Electroencephalography
Electroencephalography
Electroencephalography, procedure for obtaining a record of the electrical activity of the brain by means of electrodes attached to the surface of the skull. Normal patterns on the electroencephalogram, or EEG, include the alpha wave, indicative of a relaxed state, and the theta wave, usually found in children and thought by some to reflect creative activity in adults. Medically the most important use of electroencephalography is to aid in the diagnosis of epilepsy. The EEG tracing can identify a specific site at which damage to the brain has occurred. Study of EEGs has contributed to research into the nature of sleep, helping to identify four stages of sleep. Scientists have also analysed brain waves stimulated by sensory input, such as a flash of light or a sound, as a means of determining which parts of the brain carry out various functions. The finding of a flat, or waveless, EEG in a person in a coma has been interpreted as an absence of brain function and used as legal evidence of death.
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