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Electroencephalogram
Contents
• Brain Operation
• Electroencephalogram
• By EEG Recording - What is found
• Normal EEG and Abnormal EEG
• Artifacts
• Digital Signal Processing

Nihon Kohden 2005

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Brain Operation
Nucleus Cell body
Takes action
Dendrite

Receives
information

Myelinated nerve

Synapse
Neuron (100 billion)
Neuron
Excitation Electrical signal
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Cerebrum and Cerebellum

Frontal lobe
To live well and cleverly.
Involves speech, though,
emotion, skilled movement
Parietal lobe:
Perceives and interprets
sensations like touch,
temperature and pain

Occipital lobe:
Detects and interprets
visual images

Temporal lobe:
Involves hearing, speaking
and storage memory

Cerebellum:
Coordinates muscles and controls balance and posture
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Electroencephalogram
Electrical signal EEG

Voltage change
Electrode
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EEG - Recording Parameters

Amplitude

Duration
Frequency

 Amplitude --- 5 to 200 V, Frequency --- 0.5 to 30 Hz

 Duration ----- ms (spike wave)
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Monopolar and Bipolar Delivation

Monopolar delivation Bipolar delivation

Fp1 Fp2 Fp1 Fp2

F3 F4 F7 F3 F4 F8

A1 A2
C3 C4 T3 C3 C4 T4

P3 P4 T5 P3 P4 T6

O1 O2 O1 O2
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By EEG Recording - What is found

・Brain activity (down)

・Epilepsy

・Sleep stage

・Brain tumor

・Brain damage

・Brain ischemia/infarction
etc…
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Normal EEG
Clinical: 0.5 Hz to 30 Hz

 (Delta) / (Theta) waves:

 waves Slow wave, sleep or meditative stage.
4 Hz or lower Or decreased brain activity due to disturbed
consciousness, metabolic or organic brain
disease.
 waves
4 to 8 Hz
 (Alpha) wave:
Slow wave, relaxed, waking state
 waves
8 to 13 Hz
 (Beta) waves:
High amplitude fast wave (busy, active
 waves working state) or when the patient takes
13 Hz or higher some medicine.
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Normal EEG
Beta waves

Awake: Beta waves (High amplitude fast waves) are seen.

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Eyes closed Eyes open

Normal EEG

Alpha activity
 Alpha activity: 8 to13 Hz, Amplitude: increased and decreased (50 to 100 V)
 No  or  wave
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Normal EEG Awake

Beginning of sleep
Sleep EEG
Hump

K complex

Spindle Light sleep

Deep sleep
Slow wave
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Abnormal EEG

Normal EEGs are decreased.

Strange EEG appears.

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Abnormal EEG

Spike

Poly-spikes, multiple spikes

Poly-spikes and slow wave

3 Hz spike and slow wave

 Large amplitude poly-spikes and 14
slow waves appear.

Abnormal EEG Seizure-1

14 years, female. lost consciousness for 10 s or more

Absence seizure
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Abnormal EEG Seizure-2

7 months. Hypsarrhythmia (Nodding spasm)

Nodding of head accompanied by rapid eye movement
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Abnormal EEG 3
Low amplitude Reduced brain inactivity

ECI EEG (electrocerebral inactivity)

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Artifact
AC Interference on All Channels or
Specific Channels

Causes:
• Dirty electrode or lead wire tips
• Broken lead wire or ground lead
• Loose electrode connection
• Patient or technician touching an electrode
during recording
AC interference • Patient touching any metal part of a bed or
examination table

Surrounding:
• Electrical devices in the immediate area,
lighting, concealed wiring in walls or floors
• Improper equipotential grounding
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Artifact
Occasional Noise
Occasional noise may be caused by the
patient’s movement or by EMG artifacts due
to the patient’s nervous condition. Instruct
the patient to relax.

Causes:
· Patient is uncomfortable, tense, nervous or
apprehensive
· Patient is cold and shivering
Amplitude and interval vary · Patient has a neuro or muscular disorder
(e.g. Parkinson’s Disease)
· Examination chair or bed is too narrow or
short to support limbs comfortably
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Artifact
Unstable Waveform Fluctuation
Waveform fluctuation may be caused by the
patient’s perspiration or respiration, unstable
electrode mounting, or electrode lead wire
movement.

Sweat Artifact Causes:

• Patient is sweating. Examination room is
too warm.
• Dirty or corroded electrodes
• New and old or different types of
electrodes are used together.
• Insufficient or dried out EEG paste
• The skin-electrode impedance of the C3
or C4 (F3 or F4) is high.
Respiration Artifact
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For Artifact
When recording result is incorrect,

1. Check whether artifact is superimposed on the

EEG recording or not and check the
surrounding circumstance.

2. You can proceed to check the inside of the EEG

instrument.
Digital Signal Processing

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Difference between analog and digital EEG

EEG Data:
ELECTRODE
SELECTOR
FILTER Montaged
Filtered
RECORDER
ANALOG EEG Hard copied

ELECTRODE
FILTER
SELECTOR

DISPLAY
EEG Data:
Pre-montaged

DATA STORAGE
Non-filtered
DIGITAL EEG
Digitally archived
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Analog EEG signal flow

Electrode junction box
Buffer Amp

Main Unit
Channel N
Channel 2
Channel 1


 Hi-cut Lo-cut AC Pen recorder
Sens
Filter Filter Filter Analog Out
Differential
Amplifier
Input selector Analog Amplifier
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Digital EEG signal flow

Display
Electrode
Sample
&
junction box
Hold

Differential
A/D conversion
Amplifier Storage

PC unit

Montaging Hi-cut Lo-cut AC- Sensitivity

Filter Filter Filter

Digital Processing
Digital Signal Processor in electrode
Printer
junction box or PCI/DSP Board
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Differential amplifier of analog EEG

Fp1 
Channel 1
• Each channel has a
A1  differential amplifier.
Fp2 
Channel 2 • The two input signals are
A2  selected in the montage
selector and amplified
Channel N with the differential
O2  amplifier to make a
A1 
channel signal.
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Differential amplifier of digital EEG


Fp1

Signal of Fp1 • Each electrode has
a differential
Fp2  amplifier.
Signal of Fp2

• All differential
amplifiers use a
O2 
Signal of O2
system reference.


System reference (C3 and C4)

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System Reference
• Use two electrodes (C3 and C4, or F3 and F4)
for the system reference to get stable electrode
potential.
– The average potential of the C3 and C4 electrodes
is used as a system reference.
– Select the electrode position where is lower
artifact and stable EEG is recorded.
– For impedance check, A1, A2 and Z in addition to
the C3 and C4 electrodes are used.
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Montage
• When A1, C3, P3 signals which are recorded
by using a system reference (Vref) are:
(A1 – Vref), (C3 – Vref), (P3 – Vref)

Monopolar derivation:
(C3 – Vref) – (A1 – Vref) = C3 – A1

Bipolar derivation:
(C3 – Vref) – (P3 – Vref) = C3 – P3
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Note for the system reference

• Check that the C3 and C4 electrodes are
firmly attached and have low skin
impedance before EEG recording.

• Check the original electrode potential for all

active electrodes by programming a
montage with the system reference (Select
0V for reference electrode).