The electrical signals from the brain are picked up by small electrodes (about one centimetre across), which are placed on the person’s head. It is this electrical activity, sometimes called ‘brain waves’, that is picked up on by EEG. So when the brain is ‘working’ cells communicate using electrical signals, and when they do this they ‘give off’ electricity. These messages, called action potentials, happen due to changes in the electrical charge of the cells. ‘Brain waves’ and electrical signalsīrain cells (neurones) work by sending nerve impulses from one cell to another to transfer messages around the brain and the body. It does not look at the structure of the brain (how the brain is made up). An EEG looks at what is happening in the brain – the activity of the brain cells. The fact that epileptic seizures always start in the brain is important when considering the EEG. The difference between epileptic seizures and other seizures is that epileptic seizures are caused by a disruption in the way the brain is working. There are other medical conditions that might cause someone to have a seizure for example, diabetes. But these tests, alongside other information, might help the specialist to decide if epilepsy is a likely cause of the seizures. Two of these tests are the electroencephalogram (EEG) and MRI.īefore we look at EEG in detail, we need to understand that neither of the tests will say for certain whether the person has epilepsy or not. When someone has had seizures, and it is thought that they might have epilepsy, there are various tests that their specialist might ask for. Brexit contingency plans for epilepsy medication.Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP).

What does eeg stand for