The electroencephalogram (EEG), which measures electrical activity in the brain, was discovered 100 years ago by German psychiatrist Hans Berger. He was the first to observe rhythmic electrical activity coming from the human scalp.
It took some time for the scientific community to accept Berger’s discovery, but EEG eventually became established as a tool for understanding brain functions and diseases.
EEG provides a continuous readout of electrical activity in the brain. It works by detecting small voltage changes on the scalp from firing neurons within the brain. Different frequencies/waves indicate different brain states like awake, asleep, seizure activity etc.
EEG has become a crucial clinical tool in diagnosing neurological conditions like epilepsy, where characteristic spike-wave patterns can be seen during seizures. It helps neurologists correlate symptoms to brain signals.
Researchers are still working to understand how large-scale electrical patterns emerge from interactions between billions of neurons. Studies suggest local oscillatory activity can combine to form global EEG patterns.
EEG data is also being explored using artificial intelligence to help decode thoughts, behaviors and diagnose diseases from brain recordings. The discovery of EEG laid foundations for fields like neural networks and modern AI.
Source: theconversation
