What is EEG, what is it used for?

Electroencephalography (EEG) is a non-invasive, painless diagnostic method without any side effects, in which the brain’s electrical activity is recorded with the help of multiple metal discs placed on the scalp. EEG helps with the diagnosis of various brain disorders, particularly epilepsy.

The nerve cells (neurons) of the brain are in constant interaction and in this process they produce an electrical activity. The simultaneous interaction of billions of neurons produces enough electrical activity to allow it to be measured on the scalp (at millivolt level). The measuring and recording of this electrical activity is called the EEG procedure.

EEG is a method used to diagnose brain disorders like epilepsy, head traumas, brain tumours, memory impairment, sleep disorders, inflammations of the brain (encephalitis) and encephalopathy (in which the brain cells are unable to carry out their function), and is used to distinguish these disorders from psychiatric disorders.

Because the EEG is a diagnostic method that is quick and cheap, and can easily be used on any patient, it is still widely used in neuropsychiatry.