Brain Mapping
Brain mapping is possible because the human brain produces continuous electrical activity, which can be recorded through an Electroecephalogram (EEG). This activity is measured in mulitple areas of the brain simultaneously to create a functional “map” of which parts of the brain are active during various mental activities.
An important application of multichannel EEG brain mapping is to try to find the location of a epileptic focus (a small spot in the brain where the abnormal activity originates and then spreads to other parts of the brain) or of a tumor, even when they are not visible in a x-ray or CT scan of the head.
EEG brain mapping (topography) is normally used to determine the presence of tumors and focal disease of the brain (including epilepsy, arteriovenous mal-formations and stroke). Brain mapping is also appropriate when disturbances in consciousness and vigilance are present, such as narcolepsy (the abrupt onset of sleep), coma, etc.
EEG brain mapping is also being increasingly used to monitor the effects of withdrawal of psychoactive drugs, and in infectious diseases of the brain, such as meningites, as well as to follow up patients who where subjected to brain operations. In psychiatry, EEG brain mapping has been of value in identifying disorders of biological origin, such as schizophrenia, dementias, hyperactivity and depression, brain atrophy and attention deficit disorders in children.
To learn more about brain mapping and neuroscience, please visit the wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center website.
Brain Mapping
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