The Electroencephalogram


Book Description

Although the electroencephalogram - discovered more than a century ago - has been used for years as a non-invasive diagnostic tool, it is still poorly understood. In this book, John Barlow describes an ingenious new hypothesis for a comprehensive model of the EEG that is able to emulate a large variety of known EEG patterns with few variables.In contrast to previous hypotheses and models which have treated only selected EEG patterns (rhythmic activity such as alpha activity and sleep spindles seen largely as "filtered noise," or irregular activity, or certain types of epileptiform activity such as spikes) this approach, which is based on an oscillator with two separate input modulations of the extremes and the slopes of waves, covers all types of EEG patterns, and stems from specific features of the EEG itself rather than from arbitrary signals.Barlow describes the hypothesis in detail, then tests predictions for normal and abnormal EEGs with the aid of a hardware model and with specially developed methods of analysis. The hypothesis is further evaluated in the light of extensive reviews of other EEG models and methods of analysis and of the underlying anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology of cerebral electrical activity. A technological section details the hardware model and the methodology for testing the hypothesis. Appendixes present some new approaches to traditional methods of EEG analysis and artifact minimization, areas in which Barlow has achieved international recognition.John S. Barlow, M.D., is a Neurophysiologist in the Neurology Service at Massachusetts General Hospital, Senior Research Associate in Neurology (Neurophysiology) at Harvard Medical School, and a Research Affiliate in the Research Laboratory of Electronics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.




Cerebral Monitoring in the Operating Room and the Intensive Care Unit


Book Description

In spite of today's increasing body of knowledge in regard to central nervous func tion and/or the mode of action of centrally active compounds, little is done to monitor those patients which are at risk of cerebral lesions either in the OR or in the ICU. Due to the inconsistency of reports regarding the application and the benefits computerized EEG and/or evoked potential monitoring will bring to the clinician, physicians still are reluctant to get involved with a technique, which they think, will have little or no effect on the outcome of a patients well being. However, due to the development in computer technology, data acquisition and comprehension, it now is possible to monitor such a viable organ as the Central Nervous System (CNS) on a routine base without being a specialist in neurology or electroencephalography. Thus, the book is intended to guide the clinician to use BEG and evoked potential monitoring in a day to day situation, without going too deep into technical details. As an improvement of cerebral care is needed, various representative cases underline the interpretation of EEG power spectra and evoked potential changes in regard to the underlying clinical situation. It is hoped that this book will serve as a guide to anyone who considers cerebral monitoring a necessity in today's patient care. This may be the anesthesiologist, the intensive care therapist, the nurse anesthetist as well as the medical personnel in the lCU setting.







Practical Approach to Electroencephalography E-Book


Book Description

Using a highly readable, conversational writing style, Practical Approach to Electroencephalography, 2nd Edition, makes a complex and critically important subject easier to understand. It provides just the right amount of guidance you need, explaining EEG waveforms starting with the basics, then bringing you to a sophisticated level in interpreting EEG tracings—explaining what to do, what not to do, what to look for, and what the results mean. Emphasizing pattern recognition and also why the patterns look the way they do, Dr. Libenson's approachable text focuses on the types of EEG tracings you are likely to encounter in your EEG laboratory, both in the outpatient lab and in the ICU, concentrating at first on the questions and problems encountered by the beginner and non-expert, but bringing you up to the level of an expert. - Goes beyond the technical aspects of performing EEGs by discussing the link between the EEG findings and the neurologic disorders and conditions in which they occur. - Uses numerous EEG examples with abundant labels, arrows, and annotations to help you recognize normal and abnormal EEGs in all situations. Illustrations have been carefully reviewed for clarity and optimal usefulness. - Contains new self-assessment questions that allow you to check your understanding. - Provides expert pearls from Dr. Libenson that guide you in best practices in EEG testing. - Features a user-friendly writing style from a single author that makes learning easy. - Includes a new introduction to the interpretation of invasive EEG monitoring. - Equips you to handle a wide variety of EEG situations, including the strategies used to distinguish EEG artifacts from true brain waves. - Any additional digital ancillary content may publish up to 6 weeks following the publication date.




The State of the Art of Electroencephalography and Its Role in Manned Space Flight


Book Description

"The state-of-the-art of electroencephalography is in a condition of flux because of the recent technological advances in the methods for processing neuroelectric data. One major motivating influence for accelerating these recent advances is the increasing emphasis on manned space flight programs. How competent is man during orbital flight? The purpose of this report was to seek an answer to this question. Since competency is defined as functional adequacy, some clue to this adequacy may be found in monitoring the nervous system, particularly the electrical activity of the brain. A search for a possible answer to the above question was made, therefore, in the field of electroencephalography. Unfortunately, no electroencephalograms of our astronauts have been recorded during flight. This report contains the opinions of scientists recognized generally for their contributions to the field of neurophysiology and psychiatry, and is an attempt at answering the above question."--P. 1.




Atlas of Electroencephalography in Sleep Medicine


Book Description

Sleep Medicine is a field that attracts physicians from a variety of clinical backgrounds. As a result, the majority of sleep specialists who interpret sleep studies (PSG) do not have specialized training in neurophysiology and electroencephalography (EEG) interpretation. Given this and the fact that PSGs usually are run at a third of the speed of EEGs and that they usually have a limited array of electrodes, waveforms frequently appear different on the PSGs compared to the EEGs. This can lead to challenges interpreting certain unusual looking activity that may or may not be pathological. This Atlas of Electroencephalograpy in Sleep Medicine is extensively illustrated and provides an array of examples of normal waveforms commonly seen on PSG, in addition to normal variants, epileptiform and non-epileptiform abnormalities and common artifacts. This resource is divided into five main sections with a range of topics and chapters per section. The sections cover Normal Sleep Stages; Normal Variants; Epileptiform Abnormalities; Non-epileptiform Abnormalities; and Artifacts. Each example includes a brief description of each EEG together with its clinical significance, if any. Setting the book apart from others in the field is the following feature: Each EEG discussed consists of three views of the same page -- one at a full EEG montage with 30mm/sec paper speed, the same montage at 10mm/sec (PSG speed) and a third showing the same thing at 10 mm/sec, but with the abbreviated PSG montage. Unique and the first resource of its kind in sleep medicine, the Atlas of Electroencephalograpy in Sleep Medicine will greatly assist those physicians and sleep specialists who read PSGs to identify common and unusual waveforms on EEG as they may appear during a sleep study and serve as a reference for them in that capacity.




The Electroencephalogram in Anesthesia


Book Description

Neurological, neurovegetative, and psychic changes following surgery or in tensive care indicate alterations in cerebral function. When these changes are analyzed exactly, they are found to be by no means rare; at the same time, they present a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations. While optimal circulatory monitoring - including continuous EEG recording during anes thesia or intensive care - is today regarded as routine, the problem of objec tive and continuous monitoring of cerebral function under various forms of anesthesia, surgery, and intensive care has not been solved. Considerable improvements in clinical neurophysiology, mainly through visual and spectral analytic evaluations of the EEG, show func tional neurophysiological changes to be equivalent to, or the cause of, clinical, neurological, and psychic changes. The question of current interest, therefore, is whether anesthesiological EEG monitoring is able, both theo retically and practically, to detect and adequately interpret cerebral altera tions following perioperative measures such that these alterations can be treated or avoided accordingly. In the long run, the basic questions are to what extent can anesthesiological measures be guided by the EEG pattern and managed effectively, and can EEG analysis be significant both for the individual patient and in the general interpretation of the effect of anes thesiological procedures? Questions of the relevance and practicability of anesthesiological EEG monitoring are dealt with in this book. This study is based on an analysis of more than 1500 EEGs of patients who underwent anesthesia during surgery.




Practical Approach to Electroencephalography


Book Description

Why consult encyclopedic references when you only need the essentials? Practical Approach to Electroencephalography, by Mark H. Libenson, MD, equips you with just the right amount of guidance you need for obtaining optimal EEG results! It presents a thorough but readable guide to EEGs, explaining what to do, what not to do, what to look for, and how to interpret the results. It also goes beyond the technical aspects of performing EEGs by providing case studies of the neurologic disorders and conditions in which EEGs are used, making this an excellent learning tool. Abundant EEG examples throughout help you to recognize normal and abnormal EEGs in all situations. - Presents enough detail and answers to questions and problems encountered by the beginner and the non-expert. - Uses abundant EEG examples to help you recognize normal and abnormal EEGs in all situations. - Provides expert pearls from Dr. Libenson that guide you in best practices in EEG testing. - Features a user-friendly writing style from a single author that makes learning easy. - Examines the performance of EEGs—along with the disorders for which they're performed—for a resource that considers the patient and not just the technical aspects of EEGs. - Includes discussions of various disease entities, like epilepsy, in which EEGs are used, as well as other special issues, to equip you to handle more cases.




Electroencephalography


Book Description

Electroencephalography provides a systematic approach to normal and abnormal electroencephalography (EEG) patterns, serving as an instructional guide for the beginner in EEG and an essential reference for the experienced EEG reader. Containing about 400 figures illustrating typical EEG patterns which are also available online in reformatted referential and bipolar montages, this book covers how electrical waves are generated into the brain, the equipment required to record electrical brain waves (including the set-up of EEG machines, electrodes, and procedures), biological and non-biological disturbances called artifacts in EEG recordings, and differentiation of normal and abnormal patterns in EEG.