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Back to TopAlternative Names Electroencephalogram; Back to TopHow the Test Is Performed Brain cells communicate with each other by producing tiny electrical signals, called impulses. An EEG measures this activity. The test is done by a EEG specialist in your doctor's office or at a hospital or laboratory. You will be asked to lie on your back on a bed or in a reclining chair. Flat metal disks called electrodes are placed all over your scalp. The disks are held in place with a sticky paste. The electrodes are connected by wires to a speaker and recording machine. The recording machine changes the electrical signals into patterns that can be seen on a computer. It looks like wavy lines. You will need to lie still during the test with your eyes closed because movement can change the results. But you may be asked to do certain things during the test, such as breathe fast and deeply for several minutes or look at a bright flashing light. Back to TopHow to Prepare for the Test
Wash your hair the night before the test. Do not use any oils, sprays, or conditioner on your hair before this test. If you have a hair weave, ask your doctor or nurse for special instructions. Your health care provider may want you to stop taking certain medicines before the test. Do not change or stop taking any medicines without first talking to your health care provider. Bring a list of your medicines with you. Avoid all food and drinks containing caffeine for 8 hours before the test. You may need to sleep during the test. If so, you may be asked to reduce your sleep time the night before. If you are asked to sleep as little as possible before the test, do not eat or drink any caffeine, energy drinks, or other products that help you stay awake. Back to TopHow the Test Will Feel The electrodes may feel sticky and strange on your scalp but should not cause any other discomfort. You should not feel any discomfort during the test. Back to TopWhy the Test Is Performed
EEG is used to look at your brain activity. It can help diagnose seizures. It may also be used to diagnose or monitor the following health conditions: Abnormal changes in body chemistry that affect the brain Brain diseases such as Alzheimer's disease EEG is also used to: Evaluate problems with sleep ( sleep disorders) Investigate periods of unconsciousness Monitor the brain during brain surgery An EEG may be done to show that the brain has no activity, in the case of someone who is in a deep coma. It can be helpful when trying to decide if someone is brain dead. EEG cannot be used to measure intelligence. Back to TopNormal Results Brain electrical activity has a certain number of waves per second (frequencies) that are normal for different levels of alertness. For example, brain waves are faster when you are awake, and slower when you are sleeping. There are also normal patterns to these waves. Back to TopWhat Abnormal Results Mean
Abnormal results on an EEG test may be due to: An abnormal structure in the brain (such as a brain tumor) Tissue death due to a blockage in blood flow (cerebral infarction) Drug or alcohol abuse Migraines (in some cases) Seizure disorder (such as epilepsy or convulsions) Sleep disorder (such as narcolepsy) Swelling of the brain (encephalitis) Note: A normal EEG does not mean that a seizure did not occur. The procedure is very safe. The flashing lights or fast breathing (hyperventilation) required during the test may trigger seizures in those with seizure disorders. The health care provider performing the EEG is trained to take care of you if this happens. Emerson RG, Pedley TA. Clinical neurophysiology: electroencephalography and evoked potentials. In: Daroff RB, Fenichel GM, Jankovic J, Mazziotta JC, eds. Bradley’s Neurology in Clinical Practice. 6th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; Test results from environmental samples at Wright County Egg -- one of two related companies believed to have supplied Salmonella-contaminated eggs now under nationwide recall -- showed strains of the bacteria with the same DNA fingerprint seen in clinical isolates, FDA officials said.
Chicken feed at facilities supplying Iowa-based Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms also tested positive for Salmonella enteritidis with the same genomic fingerprint, officials told reporters during a telephone briefing. "Feed and feed ingredients perhaps were the sources, but maybe not the only sources," said Sherri McGarry of the FDA's food safety division. She noted that investigators had taken many more samples for which test results were not yet available. Jeff Farrar, DVM, PhD, MPH, associate commissioner of food safety at FDA, said the investigation still hadn't determined how Salmonella bacteria got into the chicken feed, though rodent feces are the usual source in such situations. Farrar defended the government's response to the contamination, which has been criticized as too slow. "We have to strike a balance between being timely and being accurate," he said, noting that the FDA requested that Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms initiate the recall before lab results had confirmed that the companies' eggs were the source of the outbreak.
Christopher Braden, MD, of the CDC's foodborne diseases unit, said 2,403 Salmonella enteritidis illnesses confirmed with the same DNA fingerprint had been reported from May 1 to Aug. 25. He emphasized that many of these probably were not related to the contaminated eggs, while other case reports would not have yet made their way to the CDC. Braden said 933 case reports of Salmonella would have been expected during the same period, on the basis of averages seen in previous years. Since the CDC's last summary issued last week, no new clusters of illnesses and no reports of deaths associated with the outbreak had been received, Braden added. He also reported what he called "good news" -- that no clusters of illnesses in nursing homes had been seen yet, which is important because the elderly are particularly vulnerable to Salmonella illness. Moreover, he added, disease clusters traced to restaurants and other gatherings seen to date have all been small. Nevertheless, Braden said, the current outbreak was the largest ever reported for Salmonella.
The previous record for a Salmonella outbreak occurred in 1994 from ice cream containing contaminated eggs -- but that outbreak had fewer than 800 cases. More than half a billion eggs sold under 35 brands are now included in the recall. Farrar repeated a theme struck earlier in the week by FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, MD -- that enhanced powers for the FDA to regulate food production could have been helpful in containing the current outbreak. Legislation passed by the House of Representatives last year to strengthen the FDA's authority has languished in the Senate, though movement is now expected when senators return from their August holiday. Farrar said several aspects of the legislation "could have sped up the investigation." Specifically, he said, the bill would let the FDA implement rules to allow retail foods to be traced quickly to their sources and would require that food producers open their records to FDA inspectors. It would also allow the FDA to order recalls.