EEG Test for Epilepsy

When a neurologist suspects epilepsy in a patient he uses a number of tests to confirm or rule out a diagnosis, among those is the EEG. EEG stands for electroencephalogram and is used to detect abnormalities in the brain’s electrical activity. EEGs are used for many conditions such as epilepsy, vertigo, cerebral aneurysms, dementia, multiple sclerosis and many more. EEGs are even used to confirm brain death in a comatose patient.

The brain is a complex organ that produces tiny electrical pulses. By measuring these pulses and recording them, a neurologist can see patterns in the brain waves. This is done by attaching up to 25 electrodes to the patient’s scalp using a sticky paste. Wires are attached to the electrodes and hooked up to a machine that amplifies and records the readings from each electrode. The signals from the electrodes are converted into waving lines that are transferred to a rolling piece of graph paper. The EEG readout looks similar to a lie detector test we often see portrayed on movies.

I’ve been on the receiving end of many EEGs and can attest that taking an EEG is painless. The technician uses a cloth cap with holes in it to find the electrode points and attaches the electrodes to your scalp. This part is tedious and you will want to wash your hair afterwards. Once you are hooked up to the EEG, the test can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours or even a full 24 hour day.

During the EEG test for epilepsy, the technician instructs you to do certain tasks such as take deep breaths, sleep, or view a strobe light. I always look forward to the strobe light. With your eyes closed, the strobe light pulses at various speeds creating cool patterns on the inside of your eyelids! Not all patients look forward to this as many epileptics are photo sensitive and can go into a seizure under these conditions.

Oftentimes during an EEG test for epilepsy, a patient is encouraged to sleep. Brain wave patterns are different when sleeping and the EEG can pickup epileptic patterns during sleep that it may miss while awake. In my case, the only time any epileptic type patterns ever showed up on an EEG was during sleep. In fact, most of my EEGs have been normal; the only one that ever showed anything remotely epileptic was a 24 hour EEG.

Don’t panic if your doctor orders a 24 hour EEG test for epilepsy. You don’t have to spend the entire 24 hours at a lab. Instead, the technician hooks up the electrodes to your scalp only this time the wires are connected to a portable recording device such as an audio cassette recorder. You’re instructed to go about your daily routine and log everything you do in a diary. Prepare for some strange looks if you go out in public or pretend you have the latest high tech MP3 player.

After the EEG test for epilepsy, the results are sent to the neurologist for examination. From there, you will work together to determine the next steps.