EEG

What is an EEG?

An Elec­troen­cephalo­gram (EEG) is a way to mon­i­tor elec­tri­cal impuls­es from the brain. The EEG can show pos­si­ble seizure activ­i­ty as well as oth­er abnor­mal­i­ties with­in the brain func­tion such as encephali­tis or stroke. A seizure is when the nor­mal func­tion of the brain is inter­rupt­ed which can result in epilep­sy. Epilep­sy is when a per­son has two or more seizures.

A physi­cian or provider will also order an EEG for symp­toms such as headaches, dizzi­ness, syn­cope, con­fu­sion, mem­o­ry loss, head injuries, tremors, and weak­en­ing of spe­cif­ic parts of the body.

How to pre­pare for an EEG:

• Thor­ough­ly clean your hair. Hair must be free of gels, mousse, hair sprays or any oth­er oils or hair products.
• Stay awake from 6 p.m. the night before the EEG until the time of your appoint­ment unless oth­er­wise instruct­ed by your provider.
• No caf­feine prod­ucts 12 hours pri­or to the EEG.
• A light snack after mid­night and a light break­fast is allowed.
• Con­tin­ue to take med­ica­tions as usu­al except sleep-induc­ing med­ica­tions unless oth­er­wise instruct­ed by your physician.
• Bring a cur­rent list of med­ica­tions with you to the appointment.
• For your safe­ty, please have a dri­ver avail­able to bring you to your appoint­ment and dri­ve you home.

What to expect dur­ing an EEG:

EEG’s at Quin­cy Med­ical Group are per­formed at our Sleep Cen­ter locat­ed on the third floor of our 1118 Hamp­shire Build­ing in Quincy.

You will feel lit­tle to no dis­com­fort dur­ing the EEG. The elec­trodes do not trans­mit any sen­sa­tions, instead, they record elec­tri­cal impuls­es from the brain cre­at­ing ​“brain waves.” An Elec­troneu­ro­di­ag­nos­tic Tech­nol­o­gist will mea­sure your head and mark your scalp with a soft wax pen­cil or wash­able mark­er to indi­cate where to place the elec­trodes. The elec­trodes are small gold cups attached to wires which are filled with a small amount of greasy/​goopy paste. Before the elec­trode is placed, the Tech­nol­o­gist will rub each loca­tion with a grit­ty gel to clean the area. Once all the wires are in place, the tech­nol­o­gist will record your brain waves for 30 – 60 min­utes or longer as ordered by your provider. Dur­ing this time, you will be asked to do a deep breath­ing exer­cise, look at a flash­ing light, and will be giv­en the oppor­tu­ni­ty to rest/​sleep. After the EEG, the tech­nol­o­gist will remove the elec­trodes. You should not feel any side effects and can return to your nor­mal rou­tine after wash­ing the paste from your hair.

Your EEG will be read by a neu­rol­o­gist. Quin­cy Med­ical Group’s neu­rol­o­gists are fel­low­ship-trained in Neu­ro­phys­i­ol­o­gy to ensure qual­i­ty EEG inter­pre­ta­tion. You will be noti­fied of the results of your EEG by your refer­ring provider’s office.

For ques­tions or con­cerns, please call (217) 222‑6550, ext. 6530.

Learn More About QMG’s Neu­rol­o­gy Department >