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Electroencephalogram (EEG)

Photo of electroencephalogram (EEG) procedure

An EEG may be done to study seizures, study sleep disorders, or help find the location of a tumor, an infection, or bleeding. An EEG technologist attaches a cap with fixed electrodes on your head. (An EEG can also be done without a cap by using several individual electrodes.) The electrodes are hooked by wires to a machine that records the electrical activity inside the brain. The machine shows the electrical activity as a series of wavy lines on a computer screen.

By Healthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer Colin Chalk, MD, CM, FRCPC - Neurology
Last Revised November 30, 2011

Last Revised: November 30, 2011

Author: Healthwise Staff

Medical Review: Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine & Colin Chalk, MD, CM, FRCPC - Neurology

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