The future of neurohealth is here

EEG stands for “electroencephalography” which is an electrophysiological process to record the electrical activity of the brain. EEG measures changes in the electrical activity produced by the brain. Voltage changes come from ionic current within and between some brain cells called neurons. neurosity crown brainwave Destin

An EEG test evaluates the electrical activity of the brain. EEG scans are performed by placing EEG sensors — small metal discs also called EEG electrodes — on your scalp. These electrodes pick up and record the electrical activity in your brain. The collected EEG signals are amplified, digitized, and then sent to a computer or mobile device for storage and data processing.  Analyzing EEG data is an exceptional way to study cognitive processes. It can help doctors establish a medical diagnosis, researchers understand the brain processes that underlie human behavior, and individuals to improve their productivity and wellness. neurosity crown brainwave Destin

The billions of cells in your brain produce very small electrical signals that form non-linear patterns called brainwaves. An EEG machine measures the electrical activity in the cerebral cortex, the outer layer of the brain, during an EEG test. EEG sensors  or neurosity crown are placed on a participant’s head, then the electrodes non-invasively detect brainwaves from the subject.  EEG sensors can record up to several thousands of snapshots of the electrical activity generated in the brain within a single second. The recorded brainwaves are sent to amplifiers, then to a computer or the cloud to process the data. The amplified signals, which resemble wavy lines, can be recorded on a computer, mobile device, or on a cloud database.  Cloud-computing software is considered a critical innovation in EEG data processing, as it allows for real-time analysis of recordings at scale — in the early days of EEG measurement, waves were simply recorded on a graph paper. EEG systems, in academic and commercial research, typically show the data as a time series, or as a continuous flow of voltages. Destin

The electrodes of an EEG device capture electrical activity expressed in various EEG frequencies. Using an algorithm called a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), these raw EEG signals can be identified as distinct waves with different frequencies. Frequency, which refers to the speed of the electrical oscillations, is measured in cycles per second — one Hertz (Hz) is equal to one cycle per second. Brainwaves are categorized by frequency into four main types: Beta, Alpha, Theta and Delta.  The following paragraphs discuss some of the functions associated with the four main brain frequencies. These functions have simply been found to be associated with different brain frequencies — there is no one-to-one linear correspondence between a frequency band and a given function of the brain

Beta brainwaves are most closely associated with being conscious or in an awake, attentive and alert state. Low-amplitude beta waves are associated with active concentration, or with a busy or anxious state of mind. Beta waves are also associated with motor decisions (suppression of movement and sensory feedback of motion). When measured by an EEG device,such as the neurosity crown the signals are often referred to as EEG beta waves. Destin

Alpha brainwaves are often associated with a relaxed, calm and lucid state of mind. Alpha waves can be found in the occipital and posterior regions of the brain. Alpha waves can be induced by closing one’s eyes and relaxing, and they are rarely present during intense cognitive processes like thinking, mental calculus and problem-solving. In most adults, alpha waves range in frequency from 9 to 11 Hz. When measured by an EEG device, these are often referred to as EEG alpha waves. neurosity crown Destin

Research into the phenomena of electrical activity in the brain was conducted on animals as far back as 1875, when physician Richard Caton published his findings from experiments on rabbits and monkeys in the British Medical Journal.  In 1890, Adolf Beck placed electrodes directly on the surface of a dog and a rabbit brain to test for sensory stimulation. His observation of fluctuating electrical brain activity led to the discovery of brainwaves and led EEG to become a scientific field.  German physiologist and psychiatrist Hans Berger are credited with recording the first human EEG brainwaves in 1924. Berger invented the electroencephalogram, a device that records EEG signals. In his book “The Origins of EEG”, author David Millet described the invention as “one of the most surprising, remarkable, and momentous developments in the history of clinical neurology.”

The field of clinical electroencephalography began in 1935. It stemmed from the research of neuroscientist Frederic Gibbs, Hallowell Davis and William Lennox around epileptiform spikes, interictal spike waves and the three cycles of clinical absence EEG seizures. Gibbs and scientist Herbert Jasper concluded that interictal spikes are a distinct signature of epilepsy. The first EEG laboratory opened at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1936.  In 1947, The American EEG Society, now known as The American Clinical Neurophysiology Society, was founded and the first International EEG Congress took place.  In the 1950s, William Grey Walter developed EEG topography, a supplement to EEG, which allowed for the mapping of electrical activity across the surface of the brain. This was popular in the 1980s, but was never adopted into mainstream neurology.  Stevo Bozinovski, Liljana Bozinovska, and Mihail Sestakov were the first scientists to achieve control of a physical object using an EEG machine in 1988. In 2011,

Your brain is constantly absorbing and processing information, even when you sleep. All of this activity generates electrical signals that EEG sensors pick up. This allows for changes in brain activity to be captured, even if there is no visible behavioral response, such as a movement or a facial expression.  An EEG monitor changes in electricity that your brain makes, but not thoughts or feelings. It does not send any electricity into your brain.  Detecting activity across the main cortices of the brain is crucial to obtaining high-quality EEG data. Results can be a proxy to assess emotional states affected by external stimuli. brainwave neurosity crown Destin

Delta activity is predominantly found in infants. Delta waves are associated with deep stages of sleep in older subjects. Delta waves have been documented interictally (between seizures) in patients with absence seizures, which involve brief, sudden lapses in attention.  Delta waves are characterized by low-frequency (about 3 Hz), high amplitude waves. Delta rhythms can be present during wakefulness — they are responsive to eye-opening and may be enhanced by hyperventilation as well. When measured by an EEG device, these are often referred to as EEG delta waves.

Brainwave activity within a frequency range comprised between 4 and 7 Hz is referred to as Theta activity. Theta rhythm detected in EEG measurement is often found in young adults, particularly over the temporal regions and during hyperventilation. In older individuals, theta activity with an amplitude greater than about 30 millivolts (mV) is seen less commonly, except during drowsiness. When measured by an EEG device, these are often referred to as EEG theta waves. neurosity crown Destin

EEG technology such as headsets and caps are components of BCI (Brain-Computer Interface). BCI is also referred to as HMI (Human Machine Interface), MMI (Mind Machine Interface), BMI (Brain Machine Interface) and DNI (Direct Neural Interface) — DNI can decode signals from the brain and other parts of the neural system. BCI aims to track cognitive performance and control both virtual and physical objects via machine learning of trained mental commands.  In 2017, quadriplegic racer Rodrigo Hübner Mendes became the first person ever to drive an Formula 1 car by using only his brainwaves

EEG data can be a powerful tool for consumer insights. Brain responses provide unprecedented consumer feedback — in that EEG is being used to measure the gap between what consumers really pay attention to versus what they self-report liking or noticing. Combining EEG with other biometric sensors like eye-tracking, facial expression analysis, and heart rate measurements can provide a complete understanding of customer behavior to the companies. The use of neurotechnologies like EEG to study consumer reactions is called neuromarketing.

Because EEG tests show brain activity during a controlled procedure, results can contain information used to diagnose various brain disorders. Abnormal EEG data is displayed through irregular brainwaves. Abnormal EEG data can indicate signs of brain dysfunction, head trauma, sleep disorders, memory problems, brain tumors, stroke, dementia, seizure disorders like epilepsy and various other conditions. Depending on the intended diagnosis, doctors sometimes combine EEG with cognitive tests, brain activity monitoring and neuroimaging techniques.

EEG tests are often recommended to patients experiencing the seizure activity. In these cases, doctors may conduct an ambulatory EEG. An ambulatory EEG records continuously for up to 72 hours, while traditional EEG lasts for 1-2 hours. The patient is allowed to move around in their own home wearing an EEG headset. Extending the recording increases the likelihood of recording abnormal brain activity. For that reason, ambulatory EEGs are often used to diagnose epilepsy (EEG epilepsy), seizure disorders or sleep disorders.

An EEG sleep study or “polysomnography” test measures body activity in addition to performing a brain scan. An EEG technologist monitors heart rate, breathing and oxygen levels in your blood during an overnight procedure. Polysomnography is mostly used in medical research and as a diagnostic test for sleep disorders.

Since EEG measures electrical activity in the outer layer of the brain (the cerebral cortex), it can pick up brainwaves from your scalp. By combining EEG brain tests with data from other brain monitoring techniques, researchers can gain new insights into the complex interactions taking place in our brains — as well as in our bodies.  That’s exactly what quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) aims to accomplish. Quantitative EEG records your brainwaves just like a traditional EEG. Using machine learning, qEEG compares your brainwaves with the brainwaves of individuals in the same gender and age range, but for those who do not have brain dysfunction. The qEEG process creates a “map” of your brain through the quantitative comparison. This process is common in the sub-discipline of neuroscience called computational neuroscience.  EEG electrode placement is a critical part of successful qEEG. Traditional EEG lead placements follow the 10-20 system, an internationally recognized standard for applying the electrodes attached to your scalp. “10-20” refers to the distance between EEG leads being 10% or 20% of the total distance of the skull.  The number of electrodes on a device can vary — some EEG recording systems can have as many 256 electrodes. recordings of qEEG use a 19-sensor cap to gather data from all 19 areas of your scalp. Because EEG leads amplify signals from the site they’re placed, acquiring qEEG brain mappings identify at the brain level the cause of dysfunction observed at the behavioral and/or cognitive level.

Abnormal EEG results aren’t the only valuable information derived from an EEG test result. Many researchers use normal EEG in their research, including a groundbreaking 1957 study on brain activity during REM sleep.  As introduced in the section on the types of brainwaves that EEG measures, studying EEG recordings reveal a range of frequencies contained within brain signals. These frequencies reflect different attentional and cognitive states. For example, researchers have monitored gamma-band activity (often associated with conscious attention) while investigating the neurological responses during meditation (EEG meditation).  Gamma band activity is associated with peak mental or physical performance. Experiments where a subject wearing an EEG device is practicing deep meditation brought on theories that gamma waves are associated with conscious experiences or transcendental mental states. However, there is no agreement among academic researchers around what cognitive functions that gamma-band activity is associated with.  Researchers need a way to process and handle all the wealth of brain data they collect — and even share it with different institutions. “Neuroinformatics” is the field of research that provides computational tools and mathematical models for neuroscience data. Neuroinformatics aims to create technologies for organizing databases, data sharing, and data modeling. It concerns a diverse amount of data, as “neuroscience” is broadly defined as the scientific study of the nervous system. One of the neuroscience’s sub-disciplines includes cognitive psychology, which uses neuroimaging methods such as EEG to analyze which parts of the brain and nervous system underlie which cognitive processes. neurosity crown Destin