EEG is a safe and painless test done in the clinic, it takes about an hour to hour and a half to complete. It is a test that records the electrical activity of your brain using scalp electrodes glued temporarily on the scalp. A technician will assist you with completing the test. The physician may ask you to be sleep deprived for several hours on the night before your test. You do not have to stop your medications for the test unless specified by the physician. Flashing lights, hyperventilation and sleep are activation methods used during the test to record seizures during the test.

The electrodes are removed by the technician immediately after the test. Your physician will discuss the results of the test with you later. Please make sure you are accompanied by someone if you have epilepsy, as you are not allowed to drive home by yourself. You may need to wash your hair after the test to remove any left-over glue from the electrodes. You do not need to fast for this test. Sometimes the physician repeats the test if it shows abnormalities. Ambulatory EEG is done using technology where testing is completed at your home for a longer period.

EEG is a diagnostic tool for many neurological conditions including Epilepsy, including localization of seizures and seizure type detection, Sleep disorders, Dementia, Dizziness and other conditions.

EEG tracing demonstrating seizure activity recorded with routine EEG