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An electroencephalogram (EEG) is a (usually non-intrusive) recording of the electrical activity of the
brain.
The recording is obtained by placing electrodes on the scalp, usually after
preparing the scalp area by light abrasion and application of a conductive gel to reduce impedance. Neuroscientists and biological psychiatrists use
EEGs to study the function of the brain by recording brain waves during controlled behavior of human volunteers and animals in lab experiments. Theories to explain
sleep often rely on EEG patterns recorded during sleep sessions. In addition, the
procedure is used clinically to assist in the diagnosis of epilepsy.
EEG was discovered by British neurologist Richard Caton in 1885, in research animals, and later developed by
German neurologist Hans Berger for
use in humans in 1929. A more evolved type of EEG, called EEG topography, which makes an
electrical map of the surface of the brain, was developed in the 1950s by British physician and engineeer Walter Grey Walter
See also electroencephalography, electroencephalophone.
External links
- OpenEEG - An open source hardware and software project to enable hobbyists
to build their own EEG machine (mostly for biofeedback purposes).
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