What causes slow brain waves on EEG?
Focal slow wave activity on the EEG is indicative of focal cerebral pathology of the underlying brain region. Slowing may be intermittent or persistent, with more persistent or consistently slower activity generally indicating more severe underlying focal cerebral dysfunction.
What does abnormal brain activity on EEG mean?
Abnormal results on an EEG test may be due to: Abnormal bleeding (hemorrhage) An abnormal structure in the brain (such as a brain tumor) Tissue death due to a blockage in blood flow (cerebral infarction) Drug or alcohol abuse.
What brain disorders can EEG detect?
An electroencephalogram (EEG) is a noninvasive test that records electrical patterns in your brain. The test is used to help diagnose conditions such as seizures, epilepsy, head injuries, dizziness, headaches, brain tumors and sleeping problems. It can also be used to confirm brain death.
What do low brain waves mean?
When slower brain waves are dominant we can feel sluggish, inattentive and scattered, and can feel depressed or develop insomnia. When higher frequencies abound, we are engaged in critical thinking, hyper-alertness or anxiety, but can also result in nightmares, hyper-vigilance and impulsive behaviour.
What medications affect EEG?
Before the day of EEG, medications that can affect brain activity may be ceased, but this is not usually necessary. These can include sedatives, tranquilisers, sleeping tablets and medications for epilepsy. These can affect the test but it is very important that you consult your doctor before you stop them.
Can abnormal EEG mean nothing?
An abnormal EEG doesn’t automatically mean that you, for example, have epilepsy. The EEGs of babies and young children can often record irregular patterns that don’t mean anything, or the irregularities may flag previously diagnosed neurological conditions such as cerebral palsy.
Can you have abnormal brain activity without seizures?
Some people experience symptoms similar to those of an epileptic seizure but without any unusual electrical activity in the brain. When this happens it is known as a non-epileptic seizure (NES). NES is most often caused by mental stress or a physical condition.
Will an EEG show brain damage?
An EEG can determine changes in brain activity that might be useful in diagnosing brain disorders, especially epilepsy or another seizure disorder. An EEG might also be helpful for diagnosing or treating the following disorders: Brain tumor. Brain damage from head injury.
What does it mean when an EEG shows abnormal results?
The other way an EEG can show abnormal results is called non-epileptiform changes. This can be a general change in the way a normal brain wave looks. It may have an abnormal frequency, height or shape. It can also be a brain wave showing up that should not.
What are non-epileptiform changes on EEG?
The other way an EEG can show abnormal results is called non-epileptiform changes. This can be a general change in the way a normal brain wave looks. It may have an abnormal frequency, height or shape. It can also be a brain wave showing up that should not. For example, a delta wave occurring in an adult who is awake is not normal.
What does generalized background slowing mean ON EEG?
Focal and Generalized Slowing and Significance. As previously discussed, generalized background slowing in the theta and delta frequency ranges is a normal finding on EEG when it represents developmental slowing in children, adolescents, and some young adults or the evolution of drowsiness and sleep activity.
What causes physiological artifacts on EEG?
Common Physiological Artifacts. Another common artifact during the waking EEG is caused by swallowing and the related movement of the tongue, which similar to the eye is a dipole and causes a slow potential with superimposed muscle artifact. See Appendix 4 for representative common EEG artifacts seen during wakefulness.