When they have an EEG test, the results can show certain brainwave patterns that doctors recognise. People with some types of epilepsy have unusual electrical activity in their brain even when they are not having a seizure. And it doesn’t exclude you having epilepsy.

This doesn’t prove that you don’t have abnormal activity in your brain at other times. So, if your EEG test doesn’t show any unusual activity, it only means that there is no epileptic activity in your brain at the time the test is being done. The rest of the time the brain activity may be entirely normal. Many people with epilepsy only have unusual electrical activity in their brain when they are having a seizure. Some of these patterns point to a strong possibility of epilepsy.Īn EEG test gives information about the electrical activity that is happening in your brain at the time the test is carried out.

At different times, your brainwave patterns may be different.Ī highly trained specialist, called a clinical neurophysiologist, can recognise if your EEG test shows a brainwave pattern that is different to most other people. The EEG test can only show your brainwave patterns at the time the test is carried out. The electrical signals look like wavy lines that show your brainwave patterns. They don’t interfere with your brain and they don’t cause you any pain. They only pick up the electrical signals. The electrodes pick up the electrical signals from your brain and record them on a computer. Hair conditioner can help to remove the glue afterwards. After the electrodes are removed, you may still have a lot of glue in your hair. The electrodes are connected by wires to an EEG machine.Įlectrodes are attached using a special paste glue or paste. During an EEG test, small sensors, called electrodes, are placed on your scalp. Your brain constantly produces tiny electrical signals. An electroencephalogram (EEG) records activity in the brain.

Abnormal eeg normal vs epilepsy