#𑁍: an electroencephalogram also known as an EEG measures the brain's electrical activity to scan for neurological problems☝️ | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

vanchilingamadvneurology · 6 months ago

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The Role of a Neuro Specialist in Treating Complex Neurological Disorders

Neurological disorders are among the most complex and challenging medical conditions to diagnose and treat. These disorders can affect the brain, spinal cord, and nerves throughout the body, leading to a wide range of symptoms and complications. This is where the expertise of a neuro specialist becomes invaluable. Neuro specialists, also known as neurologists, are medical doctors who specialize in diagnosing, treating, and managing disorders of the nervous system.

Understanding Neurological Disorders

Neurological disorders encompass a vast array of conditions, including epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, migraines, and stroke, among others. Each disorder presents its own set of challenges and requires a nuanced approach to treatment. For instance, epilepsy involves recurrent seizures, while multiple sclerosis is characterized by the immune system attacking the nervous system.

The Diagnostic Process

The first step in treating any neurological disorder is an accurate diagnosis. Neuro specialists employ a variety of diagnostic tools and techniques to identify the underlying cause of a patient's symptoms. These may include imaging studies such as MRI and CT scans, electroencephalograms (EEG) to measure electrical activity in the brain, and lumbar punctures to analyze cerebrospinal fluid. Comprehensive neurological examinations and detailed patient histories are also crucial components of the diagnostic process.

Tailored Treatment Plans

Once a diagnosis is established, neuro specialists develop individualized treatment plans tailored to the specific needs of the patient. Treatment may involve medication to manage symptoms, physical therapy to improve mobility and function, and lifestyle modifications to enhance overall well-being. In some cases, surgical intervention may be necessary, particularly for conditions like brain tumors or severe epilepsy that do not respond to medication.

Multidisciplinary Approach

Treating complex neurological disorders often requires a multidisciplinary approach. Neuro specialists work closely with other healthcare professionals, including neurosurgeons, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech therapists, to provide comprehensive care. This collaborative effort ensures that all aspects of the patient's condition are addressed, from symptom management to rehabilitation and support.

Ongoing Management and Support

Neurological disorders are often chronic conditions that require ongoing management and support. Neuro specialists play a critical role in monitoring the progression of the disease, adjusting treatment plans as needed, and providing patients and their families with education and resources. This continuous care helps patients maintain their quality of life and manage their symptoms effectively.

The Expertise at Dr. Vanchilingam Hospital

At Dr. Vanchilingam Hospital, our team of highly qualified neuro specialists is dedicated to providing the highest level of care for patients with complex neurological disorders. Led by Dr. Somesh Vanchilingam, the first Interventional Neurologist in Tamil Nadu, our hospital offers advanced diagnostic and treatment options, ensuring that each patient receives personalized and effective care. Our multidisciplinary approach and commitment to excellence make us a leading institution in neurological healthcare.

Neuro specialists are essential in the fight against complex neurological disorders, providing patients with the expertise, care, and support they need to navigate their condition and improve their quality of life.

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ravindrasinghneurologis · 2 years ago

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What is Epileptic Seizures Treatment: Their Types and Cause

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that affects millions of people worldwide, and one of its most common symptoms is seizures. These seizures can be sudden and unpredictable, causing physical, emotional, and psychological distress to the patient and their loved ones. The good news is that there are several effective treatment options available for epileptic seizures. In this article, we will explore the different types of epileptic seizures, their causes, and the most common and effective treatment options available.

Understanding Epileptic Seizures

Epileptic seizures are the result of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. These electrical impulses can cause sudden and intense bursts of activity, leading to seizures. Seizures can affect a person's consciousness, behavior, and movement, and can vary in intensity and duration.

Types of Epileptic Seizures

There are many different types of epileptic seizures, and each type has its own unique characteristics. Some of the most common types of seizures include:

Generalized Seizures

Generalized seizures affect the entire brain and can cause loss of consciousness, convulsions, and muscle spasms. These seizures can be caused by genetic factors, brain injury, or metabolic imbalances.

Focal Seizures

Focal seizures, also known as partial seizures, affect only one part of the brain. These seizures can cause changes in behavior, feelings, or movement, depending on the affected area of the brain.

Absence Seizures

Absence seizures are a type of generalized seizure that causes a brief loss of consciousness. These seizures are more common in children and can cause staring spells or subtle body movements.

Causes of Epileptic Seizures

Epileptic seizures can be caused by a variety of factors, including genetics, brain injury, infections, and metabolic imbalances. In some cases, the cause of seizures may be unknown.

Diagnosis of Epileptic Seizures

Diagnosing epileptic seizures usually involves a combination of medical history, physical exams, and diagnostic tests. These tests may include an electroencephalogram (EEG), which measures the electrical activity in the brain, and imaging tests such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT) scans.

Treatment Options for Epileptic Seizures

The main goal of treating epileptic seizure treatment in jaipur is to reduce the frequency and intensity of seizures while minimizing side effects. Treatment options for epileptic seizures may include anti-seizure medications, surgery, a ketogenic diet, lifestyle changes, and alternative therapies.

Surgery for Epileptic Seizures

Surgery may be an option for people with epilepsy who do not respond to medication. During surgery, the part of the brain that is causing seizures may be removed or disconnected from the rest of the brain. Surgery is usually only recommended when the seizures are localized to a specific area of the brain.

Ketogenic Diet for Epileptic Seizures

The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet that has been shown to reduce the frequency and intensity of seizures in some people with epilepsy. This diet works by forcing the body to produce ketones, which can provide an alternative source of energy for the brain.

Lifestyle Changes for Epileptic Seizures

Lifestyle changes such as getting enough sleep, managing stress, and avoiding triggers can help reduce the frequency of seizures. It is also important for people with epilepsy to avoid alcohol and drugs, which can increase the risk of seizures.

Alternative Therapies for Epileptic Seizures

Alternative therapies such as acupuncture, yoga, and meditation may help reduce the frequency and intensity of seizures in some people with epilepsy. However, it is important to discuss these therapies with a healthcare provider before trying them.

Coping with Epileptic Seizures

Living with epilepsy can be challenging, but there are many resources available to help people cope with the condition. Support groups, counseling, and educational resources can help people with epilepsy and their loved ones understand the condition and manage its symptoms.

Conclusion

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. While seizures can be frightening and disabling, there are several effective treatment options available, including anti-seizure medications, surgery, ketogenic diet, lifestyle changes, and alternative therapies. By working with a healthcare provider and making the necessary lifestyle changes, people with epilepsy can manage their symptoms and lead fulfilling lives.

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kidscarehospital · 2 years ago

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Expert Insights: Understanding the Role of a Child Neurology Doctor - KidsCare Paediatric Neurology Centre

As a parent, you want the best for your child's health and well-being. When it comes to neurological conditions, finding the right doctor is crucial. At KidsCare Paediatric Neurology Centre, we understand the importance of specialized care for children with neurological disorders. Our team of child neurology doctors is dedicated to providing the highest quality care to children in need.

What is a Child Neurology Doctor?

A child neurology doctor, also known as a paediatric neurologist, is a medical professional who specializes in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of neurological conditions in children. These conditions can include epilepsy, migraines, developmental delays, and other disorders that affect the nervous system.

At KidsCare Paediatric Neurology Centre, our child neurology doctors have received extensive training in the field of paediatric neurology, including additional years of residency and fellowship training. This allows them to provide specialized care tailored to the unique needs of children with neurological disorders.

Why Choose KidsCare Paediatric Neurology Centre?

At KidsCare Paediatric Neurology Centre, we are committed to providing the highest quality care to our patients. Our team of child neurology doctors is dedicated to using the latest techniques and technology to diagnose and treat neurological conditions in children.

We also understand the importance of a collaborative approach to care. Our child neurology doctors work closely with other medical professionals, including paediatricians, physical therapists, and occupational therapists, to provide comprehensive care to our patients. This team-based approach ensures that every child receives the best possible care and support.

Conditions Treated by Our Child Neurology Doctors

Our child neurology doctors have experience treating a wide range of neurological conditions in children, including:

Epilepsy: A neurological disorder that causes seizures.

Migraines: A type of headache that can be severe and debilitating.

Developmental delays: Delays in physical, cognitive, or emotional development.

Autism: A developmental disorder that affects communication and social interaction.

Cerebral palsy: A disorder that affects muscle control and movement.

Neurological disorders associated with genetic conditions: Such as Down syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, and Angelman syndrome.

Diagnostic Services Offered at KidsCare Paediatric Neurology Centre

At KidsCare Paediatric Neurology Centre, we offer a wide range of diagnostic services to help identify and manage neurological conditions in children. These services include:

EEG (electroencephalogram): A test that measures electrical activity in the brain.

Video EEG monitoring: A more in-depth EEG that includes video monitoring to capture any changes in behaviour during seizures.

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging): A non-invasive test that uses a powerful magnetic field to create images of the brain.

CT (computed tomography) scan: An imaging test that uses X-rays to create detailed pictures of the brain.

Genetic testing: Testing to identify genetic factors that may be contributing to a child's neurological condition.

Treatment Options Available at KidsCare Paediatric Neurology Centre

At KidsCare Paediatric Neurology Centre, our child neurology doctors use a variety of treatment options to manage neurological conditions in children. These options may include:

Medication management: Prescription medications to manage seizures, migraines, and other neurological symptoms.

Therapy: Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy to help children develop skills and improve their quality of life.

Dietary changes: Some neurological conditions may benefit from dietary changes, such as a ketogenic diet for epilepsy.

Surgery: In some cases, surgery may be necessary to manage a child's neurological condition.

Conclusion

At KidsCare Paediatric Neurology Centre, we understand the importance of specialized care for children with neurological disorders.

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dhiti · 3 years ago

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21 UX RESEARCH METHODS

1) A/B Testing

A/B testing requires you to use a third party piece of software that helps you set up two different web pages, where one page has an element that’s slightly altered from the other. For instance, if you can’t decide on the text for a ‘ button, you could use an A/B test to present one version of the button that says ‘add to cart’ to half your traffic, and the other version that says ’buy now’ to the other half of your traffic. Then you can then see whether or not changing the text of this button has made any difference to the number of people clicking on it.

Download the free guide book "21 UX Research Methods"

2) Card Sorting

In a card sort participants are presented with a list of items (for example, all the products featured in an online supermarket) and asked to group them in a way that makes the most logical sense to them. Depending on the type of card sort, participants can also choose names for the groups they’ve put together, forming the potential categories and subcategories of a website There are three types of card sort. 1. Open card sort. 2. Closed card sort 3. Hybrid card sort

3) Click Stream Analysis

Clickstreams are a record of the aggregated paths ( followed by participants during their navigation). Clickstreams allow you to view and analyze the paths participants took while performing their tasks, which percentages followed that path, and their final status ( error, abandon, or timeout). Certain software even allows you to analyze the heatmaps (the aggregated areas where users clicked on the page) on each page for further behavioral analysis.

4) Click Testing

Screenshot click tests are a quick and simple way to test static images to see where users would click. This can be used to validate site design, as well as test wireframe prototypes, by asking participants questions such as, “Where would you click to access specific content.” This can be done for everything from high-res images to scanned doodles on a bar napkin.

5) Concept Testing

Concepts or prototypes are inexpensive versions of a design for engineers to test how the real thing will function. For product team members, prototypes facilitate discussion and understanding users, also they can test prototypes with users to get early feedback before sinking resources into a bad design, In the long run, it will save you time, money, and headaches rather than doing all of your UX testings when a product is nearly complete Or, worse, doing no UX testing at all.

6) Customer Feedback

A Customer Feedback or VoC study is aimed at collecting data on participants who visit a site In general. Voice of the Customer studies are really just another way to round out the research you are already conducting by being ‘always on’ and gathering ongoing feedback for you in the background. This data can be used to segment visitors and create/flush out your user personas.

7) Desirability Study

Desirability studies help you identify and define some quality of your product or brand You will show your participants your product (whether it’s a prototype, live website, or even some marketing copy or images), you then ask them to describe what they see using a list of pre-selected words. With this data, you can see what percentage of your respondents consider your product to be “ or your tone of voice to be “weird.

8) Diary or Camera Study

Diary studies gather information about a user experience over an extended period of time. Participants write about their experiences with a particular product or service in a diary. They may also take photos or perform other activities to record their experiences. Once the study period is over, the researcher analyses the findings. Diary studies remove the influence of both the researcher and the unnatural out of the home setting, but they’re also useful for understanding long term behavior.

9) Ethnography Field Study

Ethnographic studies involve talking with people and observing them perform their tasks in their own natural context Its aim is not just to gather information on how people behave and interact, but also how their location, environment, and other contexts affect their day to day lives. UX designers take this ethnographic research and use it to solve a problem through a product or technology.

10) Focus Group

A group of participants from your target market is gathered together in one room with a moderator, where they discuss topics around your potential product or service These thoughts and feelings are collated and used to inform the direction of your product.

11) Information Architecture Testing

Information Architecture (refers to the way content is presented and accessed from any given page on your website whether through menus, breadcrumbs, categories, links whatever takes you from one page to another Information architecture testing can help you define navigation, improve information taxonomy and maximize findability across your website. This is usually done through both card sorting and tree testing.

12) Intercept Surveys

By adding a few lines of JavaScript code to your website or integrating your mobile app with an SDK, you are able to intercept site visitors on your site or app, with an automatically triggered survey. You can find out what your visitors are planning to do on your site if they are able to achieve what they came for, where they are thinking of going after their visit, who they are in general and if they are satisfied by the experience you provide.

13) Interviews

Participants meet with a researcher one on one to discuss topics around your potential product or service. These thoughts and feelings are collated and used to inform the direction of your product.

14) Lab Study

In a traditional lab-based study, between 6-10 users (varying according to needs and perspective) are brought into an environment to run through a series of tasks. Participants work on a pre-configured computer or mobile device while being observed in a separate room either via a monitor or through a one-way mirror. During the study, participants are given tasks and asked to perform them with a researcher sitting next to them or in the other room If using think-aloud protocol participants are asked to express their thoughts out loud and the researcher can feel free to probe or ask further questions while the participant is walking through their task and after.

15) Participatory Design

As UX mag states, Participatory design brings customers into the heart of the design process Also known as “co-creation”, “co-design”, or “cooperative design”, the and users of a product, service, or experience take an active role in co-designing solutions for themselves.

16) Remote Usability Study

When carrying out remote moderated usability testing, also referred to as online moderated research, you are live online with participants but from your own location, connected to them with screen share technology and an audio bridge. Other than that it’s the same premise as in person or in lab testing. The moderator is there to ask participants questions, respond to their questions and feedback, and guide them through the tasks. The testing software will collect the quantitative and/or qualitative data as participants go through your test It will also allow you to collect and triangulate different kinds of data and allows for the combination of different kinds of methodologies within a single study.

Biometrics for User Research

17) EEG (Electroencephalography)

It detects cognitive processes to understand more about how consumers think and behave. The electroencephalogram is a portable and relatively economical device, provides valuable information on brain activity. Using this technique, the electrical activity of the brain is analyzed and recorded by an EEG headset or headband with small sensors placed on the scalp. This method identifies changes in the electrical currents of brain waves EEG measures electrical changes on the surface of the brain not deep within particular brain structures. This means that EEG can’t tell you that a particular part of the brain is active. It can only tell you when there is more or less brain activity EEG measures whether a person is engaged and paying attention EEG measurements are particularly good at showing you activity by seconds or even parts of a second.

18) Facial Coding

Facial expression analysis is an indirect measurement technology. It measures and records voluntary and involuntary movements of facial muscles, but does not use sensors. The facial expression analysis allows you to test the impact of any content, product, or service that is intended to produce emotional and facial reactions. The key difference is that there is no need to mount sensors on the participant's face because a web camera is responsible for capturing facial micro-expressions (voluntary and involuntary) related to specific cognitive and emotional states when participants are exposed to usability studies. Such performance measures have values of probability to reflect the likelihood of expressing the desired emotion It also offers summary scores of engagement and valence, giving you an overview of the overall response expressed.

19) Eye Tracking

It tracks the position of the eyes and the movement for visual attention. You get an understanding of what draws immediate attention with eye tracking, which elements are overlooked by the user, in which order elements are observed, and how elements compare with one another. Eye-tracking (ET) is a technique that monitors and records eye movements by using infrared light (which is completely harmless) or an integrated web camera to determine the pupil's position and gaze on the screen. The eye movements are observed and the participants ' gaze patterns are registered. Eye trackers detect and record visual patterns to clarify the visual path as a response to a particular stimulus and thus obtain visual attention data.

20) GSR (Galvanic Skin Response)

GSR is also called “electrodermal activity” or EDA. A typical GSR measurement device is a relatively small, unobtrusive sensor that is connected to the skin of your finger or hand. Sweat glands on the hands are very sensitive to changes in your emotional state. If you become emotionally aroused either positively or negatively then you will release more sweat in your hands. Sometimes, these are very small changes that you may not notice. This is what a GSR monitor is measuring. The GSR monitor can’t tell if you are happy, sad, scared, and so on, but it can tell if you are becoming more or less emotional.

Neuroscience and AI for UX Research

21) Predictive Eye Tracking

All of us are familiar with different types of heat map but there are a lot of them and it’s no wonder people get confused with all. Attention heat map by Dhiti shows which content of your design is most likely to catch users' eyes when they first arrive on the webpage. As compared to traditional heat maps generated with actual eye-tracking studies with live participants, Dhiti AI’s heat map is equivalent to a 5 seconds eye tracking session of 50 participants. It shows the most and least eye-catching content for users when they first see it. The results from Dhiti are 90% as accurate as lab-based eye tracking. The Heat map displays the most attractive elements of the image for viewers in the form of and spots creating so-called heat map utilizes thousands of data points and convert them into visual representation over top of your design. Designers use it as a feedback tool to design easy to use webpages, especially the homepage.

Download the free guide book "21 UX Research Methods

#ux #heatmaps #eyetracking #design #research #technology #designer

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nancygduarteus · 7 years ago

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A Map That Shows You Everything Wrong With Your Brain

The woman who would be mapping my brain, Cynthia Kerson, had tanned, toned arms and long silvery hair worn loose. Her home office featured an elegant calligraphy sign reading “BREATHE,” and also a mug that said “I HAVE THE PATIENCE OF A SAINT—SAINT CUNTY MCFUCKOFF.”

Kerson is a neurotherapist, which means she practices a form of alternative therapy that involves stimulating brain waves until they reach a specific frequency. Neurotherapy has a questionable reputation, which its practitioners sometimes try to counter by putting as many acronyms next to their names as possible. Kerson comes with a Ph.D., QEEGD, BCN, and BCB. She’s also past president of the Biofeedback Society of California and teaches at Saybrook University. Even so, somehow it was the tension between those two pieces of office ephemera that made me instinctively want to trust her.

Kerson used to have a clinic in Marin County, where she primarily saw children with ADHD, using neurotherapy techniques to help them learn to focus. But she also worked with elite athletes who wanted to improve their performance, as well as people suffering from chronic pain and anxiety and schizophrenia and a host of other disorders. These days, she’s so busy teaching and consulting that she no longer runs her individual practice, but she agreed to bring out her brain-mapping equipment for me: snug-fitting cloth caps in various sizes; a tube of Electrogel, a conductive goo; a black box made by BrainMaster Technologies that would receive my brain’s signals and spit them out into her computer.

I’m the kind of person who procrastinates with personality tests; I’m susceptible to the way they target that place where self-loathing and narcissism overlap. I suppose it stems from the feeling that there is something uniquely and specially wrong with me, and wanting to know all about it.

So I’ll admit that I was thinking of this brain map in overly fanciful terms: It would be like a personality test but scientific. I kept thinking about this line I’d read in a book by Paul Swingle, a Canadian psychoneurophysiologist who uses brain maps to identify neurological abnormalities: “The brain tells us everything.”

Kerson placed the cap on my head and clipped two sensors on to my earlobes, areas of no electrical activity, to act as baselines. As she began Electrogelling the 19 spots on my head that aligned with the cap’s electrodes, I was nervous in two different directions: one, that my brain would be revealed as suboptimal, underfunctioning, deficient. The other, that it would be fine, average, unremarkable.

* * *

EEG tests, which measure electrical signals in the brain, have been used for decades by physicians to look for anomalies in brain-wave patterns that might indicate stroke or traumatic brain injury. The kind of brain map I was getting used a neuroimaging technique formally known as quantitative electroencephalogram, or qEEG. It follows the same general principle as EEG tests, but adds a quantitative element: Kerson would compare my brain waves against a database of conventionally functioning, or “neurotypical,” brains. Theoretically, this allows clinicians to pick up on more subtle deviations—brain-wave forms that are associated with cognitive inflexibility, say, or impulsivity.

In neurotherapy, qEEGs are generally a precursor to treatments like neurofeedback or deep brain stimulation, which are used to alter brain waves, or to train people to change their own. Neurotherapy claims it can tackle persistent depression or PTSD or anger issues without resorting to talk therapy or pharmaceutical interventions, by addressing the very neural oscillations that underlie these problems. If you see your brain function in real time, the idea goes, you can trace mental-health issues to their physiological roots—and make direct interventions.

But critics argue that neurotherapy’s treatments—which might take dozens of sessions, each costing hundreds of dollars—have very little research backing them up. And although the mainstream medical community is starting to pay closer attention to the field, particularly in Europe, in the U.S. neurotherapy is still largely unregulated, with practitioners of varying levels of expertise offering treatments in outpatient clinics. At the most basic level, not everyone who’s invested in the technology that allows them to do qEEG testing is able to correctly interpret the resulting brain map. Certification to administer a qEEG test—a process overseen by the International qEEG Certification Board—requires only 24 hours of training, five supervised evaluations, and an exam, with no prior medical experience.

As Jay Gunkelman, an EEG expert and past president of the International Society for Neurofeedback and Research, puts it: “It’s a Wild West, buyer-beware situation out there.”

All this is to say that while skilled interpreters can pick up all sorts of information from an EEG, these tests are also “ripe for overstatement,” according to Michelle Harris-Love, a neuroscientist at Georgetown’s Center for Brain Plasticity and Recovery. That’s worrisome since, in recent years, EEG technology has gotten cheaper and more widely available. A qEEG brain map can cost as little as a few hundred dollars, which means more people are taking a peek at their brain waves, not just for diagnostic purposes, but also with optimization in mind.

“People will come in for optimal training,” Kerson told me as she adjusted the sensors in my cap. “But what often happens is we’ll find something a little pathological. Which I guess depends on your definition of pathological.”

NeuroAgility, an “attention and performance psychology” clinic in Boulder, Colorado, for instance, brainmaps CEOs and then uses neurotherapy to help them “come from a place of action, rather than reaction.” Other clinics promise to use the technology to help athletes and actors get in the zone, as Kerson did in her private practice. “There are business executives who want to reduce their obsessive-compulsive traits, or athletes who want to tune up their engines,” Gunkelman told me. “At Daytona, they’re all fabulous cars, but every single one of them gets a tune up three times a day. No matter who you are, if you look at brain activity, there are things we can do to get you to function better.”

* * *

For the first five minutes my brain was being mapped, I sat with my eyes closed. My mind felt unquiet; I was thinking about what it felt like to have a brain, trying to describe to myself the feeling of having thoughts. “Your eyes are moving around a lot underneath your lids,” Kerson said. She suggested I put my fingertips on my eyelids to keep my eyes from shifting. I sat like the see-no-evil monkey for the rest of the test, trying to remain thoughtless and keep my jumpy eyes still.

When the first half of the test was done, I spied my brain waves on Kerson’s computer screen: 19 thin, wobbly gray lines stretching across a white background. My brain activity looked like an Agnes Martin painting. Kerson had me turn the chair around for the second, eyes-open half, in case watching the real-time brain waves made me self-conscious. Her software program chimed out a warning every time I blinked, which turned out to be a lot. “I’m going to turn off the sound so you don’t get frustrated,” Kerson said.

When we were done, she scrolled through the 10 minutes of brain waves. Two of the lines looked alarming—every few seconds they jolted all over the place, like some sort of seismic indication of an internal earthquake. Kerson told me not to worry; the EEG also picks up on muscle movements, and those were my blinks.

“So there’s one thing I see right off the bat,” she said. “We’d expect to see more alpha when you close your eyes. But it actually looks pretty similar whether your eyes are open or closed. That tells me that you might not sleep well, you might have some anxiety, you might be overly sensitive—your brain talks to itself a lot. You can’t quiet yourself.” This was all accurate, if not news to me.

Kerson continued to scan through the test, selecting sections that weren’t compromised by my blinks, trying to gather enough clean data to match against the database. She ran the four good minutes through the program, which spat out an analysis of my brain waves that looked something like a heat map, with areas of relative over- and under-functioning indicated by patches of color. By most measures, my brain appeared a moderate, statistically insignificant green. “You’re neurotypical,” she said, sounding minorly disappointed.

Kerson nonetheless recommended vitamins to beef up my neural connections, since my amplitudes were a little lackluster. “Meditating would be good for you, but you’re going to need something else for meditation to work,” she told me, noting that I should consider some alpha training, which would involve putting on headphones to listen to sounds that would get my brain waves into the right frequency. I should also probably change out my contacts if I was blinking that much.

Kerson began folding up the electrode-studded cap, and I realized with a slight feeling of deflation that that was it. “It was nice to meet you,” she called out as I pulled out of her driveway. “And it was nice to meet your brain!”

* * *

A qEEG may not be anything like a personality test, but it still left me with the same unsatisfied feeling of being parsed and analyzed but still fundamentally unknown. My mind had been mapped, I had seen the shape of my brain waves, but I didn’t have any new or better understanding of my galloping, anxious brain, or what happens on those afternoons where I lose hours to online personality tests. Instead, I was just left with the vague sense that in some deep and essential way, I wasn’t performing as well as I could be.

I decided to seek out a second opinion from Gunkelman, whom several people had described to me as the go-to guy for interpreting EEGs. Gunkelman worked as an EEG tech in a hospital for decades, he told me. “In the early 1990s, I figured out that I had read 500,000 EEGs,” he said. “And then I stopped counting.” When he looked over my results, he grumbled about not having enough data to work with; for a proper brain map, he needed at least 10 minutes each with eyes open and closed, he said. But he nonetheless zipped through the EEG readout with the confidence of someone who’s done this more than half a million times before.

Like Kerson, Gunkelman zeroed in on my alpha. “When you close your eyes, you expect to see alpha in the back of the head, and we’re not really seeing that,” he said. That meant that my visual processing systems weren’t resting when my eyes were closed—the same inability to quiet down that Kerson had noticed. He also saw evidence of light drowsiness: “With an EEG, we can tell exactly how vigilant you are,” he said. He was right; I had been sleepy that day.

Then, perhaps to throw my drowsy, overactive brain a bone, Gunkelman noted some nice things about my alpha, too. “The alpha here is 11 or 12 hertz, a little faster than average,” he said, which generally correlated with better memory of facts and experiences. But if I wanted optimal functioning, he agreed with Kerson that some alpha training would help teach my brain to chill out so I could sleep better and be maximally alert during the day.

There had been something appealing to my anxious, over-alphaed brain about having yet another way to think of myself as an underperforming machine that could be tweaked and tuned up. But in the end, hearing Gunkelman describe my brain waves in such clinical terms had the opposite effect. I felt protective of all the ways my brain was still a mystery to me, and everything the brain map couldn’t show.

I’ve kept one of my brain-map images as my desktop background. I’m not sure why I feel attached to it; I couldn’t pick it out of a lineup of other brains, and I didn’t really learn anything new about myself from the experience—the map is not the territory, as they say. But even so, I still like looking at it: my speedy, drowsy, neurotypical, not-quite-optimal brain.

from Health News And Updates https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/06/this-is-your-brain-on-qeeg/532035/?utm_source=feed

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ionecoffman · 7 years ago

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A Map That Shows You Everything Wrong With Your Brain

* * *

As Jay Gunkelman, an EEG expert and past president of the International Society for Neurofeedback and Research, puts it: “It’s a Wild West, buyer-beware situation out there.”

* * *

Article source here:The Atlantic

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max-clyde · 8 years ago

Link

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 2.5 million Americans each year show up to the emergency room with suspected head injuries. Most of these people receive a CT scan, and more than 90 percent of the scans show no structural brain injury, creating needless radiation exposure and medical costs estimated at about $1,200 per scan.

In a report on their clinical trial, described online March 31 in Academic Emergency Medicine, the researchers say the new device — which measures electrical activity in the brain and then uses an algorithm to decide if a patient is likely to have brain bleeding — can help with clinical decision-making and triage of patients, and could reduce the need for CT scans.

“This technology is not meant to replace the CT scan in patients with mild head injury, but it provides the clinician with additional information to facilitate routine clinical decision-making.”

“If someone with a mild head injury was evaluated on the sports or battlefield, then this test could assist in the decision of whether or not he or she needs rapid transport to the hospital. Alternatively, if there is an accident with many people injured, medical personnel could use the device to triage which patients would need to have CT scans and who should go first. Those showing a ‘positive’ for brain injury would go first.”

The study only looked at adults and didn’t assess how well the device could predict traumatic brain injuries in children or teens.

The study was designed to test the accuracy and effectiveness of AHEAD 300, a device developed by BrainScope Company Inc. of Bethesda, Maryland, that is now available to a limited audience through a centers of excellence program. Throughout its eight years of development, the company has tested this and prior generations of the device in multiple human trials. The point of the device is to assess the likelihood that a patient has more than 1 milliliter of bleeding in the brain and needs immediate evaluation by medical personnel.

To begin, the researchers recruited 720 adults who came to 11 Emergency Departments across the nation between February and December 2015 with a closed head injury, meaning the skull was intact. Participants were between 18 and 85 years old, and 60 percent were men. Upon entry to the Emergency Department, each physician performed standard clinical assessments for head injuries used at their site. A trained technician then administered the Standardized Assessment of Concussion and the Concussion Symptom Inventory to characterize the patient’s symptoms, and then used the AHEAD 300 device to measure electroencephalogram (EEG) data — essentially tracking and recording brain wave patterns — from patients while they reclined quietly for five to 10 minutes. The device includes a disposable headset that records the EEG data from five regions on the forehead and feeds the signals back to the hand-held AHEAD 300 device in real time. In addition, the technician entered certain clinical/demographic information into the device, including age; the Glasgow Coma Scale score, which rates how conscious a person is; and if there was a loss of consciousness related to the injury.

The device was programmed to read approximately 30 specific features of brain electrical activity, which it uses an algorithm to analyze, and how the patient’s pattern of brain activity compared to the same pattern of brain activity considered normal. For example, it looked for how fast or slow information traveled from one side of the brain to the other, or whether electrical activity in both sides of the brain was coordinated or if one side was lagging.

The accuracy of the device was tested using CT scans from the participants. The presence of any blood within the intracranial cavity was considered a positive finding, indicating brain bleeding. After 72 to 96 hours, the researchers followed up with phone calls to the patients and/or looked at medical records after 30 days to further confirm the accuracy of each participant’s injury status.

Of the 720 patients, 564 turned out not to have traumatic brain injuries, and 156 did have them, as determined by independently measured and judged CT scan assessments.

On the basis of AHEAD 300 classification, the researchers sorted patients into “yes” or “no” categories, indicating likely traumatic brain injury with over 1 millimeter of bleeding or not. Of 564 patients without brain bleeding, as confirmed with CT scans, 291 patients were scored on the AHEAD 300 as likely not having a brain injury. Of the 156 patients with confirmed brain bleeding, 144, or 92 percent, were assessed as likely to have an injury by the AHEAD 300 classification. Of those confirmed with brain bleeding via CT scan, 12 participants, or 8 percent, had some intracranial bleeding, and five participants, or 3 percent, had more than 1 milliliter of blood in the brain.

Because many of the incorrect yes/no classifications don’t contain information about how close a patient is to the cutoff, the researchers then created three categories to sort patients by — “yes,” “no” and “maybe” — to see if this boosted the accuracy of the device. The maybe category included a small number of patients with greater-than-usual abnormal EEG activity that was not statistically high enough to be definitely positive. When the results were recalculated on the three-tier system, the sensitivity of detecting someone with a traumatic brain injury increased to 97 percent, with 152 of 156 traumatic head injuries detected, and 99 percent of those had more than or equal to 1 milliliter of bleeding in the brain. None of the four false negatives required surgery, returned to the hospital due to their injury or needed additional brain imaging.

The trial results also show the device predicted the absence of potentially dangerous brain bleeding 52 percent of the time in the participants tested with the yes/no classification. Using the yes/no/maybe classification, the device classified 281 patients as having a brain injury, correctly predicting whether someone didn’t have a head injury 39 percent of the time. The researchers say these predictive capabilities improve on the clinical criteria currently used to assess whether to do a CT scan — known as the New Orleans Criteria and the Canadian Head CT rules — and predicted the absence of brain bleeding more than 70 percent of the time in those people with no more than one symptom of brain injury, such as disorientation, headache or amnesia.

As with a typical EEG, the test doesn’t cause any type of sensation or risk. There is a small chance of skin irritation from the discs that read the electrical activity.

Although an exact cost hasn’t been set by BrainScope, the maker of the device, the company says it will be a fraction of the cost of a CT scanner, which starts at $90,000 and goes up to $2.5 million depending on the capabilities, and it will be cheaper and significantly faster to administer. In September 2016, the device was cleared by the Food and Drug Administration for use in a clinical setting.

#medicine #EEG #emergency #imaging #trauma #E&D #neurology #TBI

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ravindrasinghneurologis · 2 years ago

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Understanding the causes and risk factors of epilepsy

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that affects the brain and causes seizures. It is one of the most common neurological disorders, affecting over 50 million people worldwide. While seizures can be caused by a variety of factors, the underlying cause of epilepsy is often unknown. Understanding the causes and risk factors will help you with the diagnosis and epileptic seizure treatment in Jaipur of this condition.

One of the most common causes of epilepsy is brain injury or trauma. Traumatic brain injuries, such as those caused by a car accident or fall, can lead to the development of epilepsy. In these cases, the seizures are typically caused by damage to the brain tissue, which can disrupt the normal electrical activity in the brain. epilepsy doctor in jaipur

Another common epilepsy symptom is a brain infection, such as meningitis or encephalitis. These infections can cause inflammation in the brain, which can lead to seizures. In some cases, the infection can leave permanent damage to the brain, which can lead to the development of epilepsy.

Genetics also plays a role in the development of epilepsy. Some genetic disorders, such as tuberous sclerosis and neurofibromatosis, increase the risk of developing epilepsy. Additionally, some genetic mutations have been linked to the development of specific types of epilepsy.

Stroke, brain tumors, and other brain disorders can also lead to the development of epilepsy. In these cases, the seizures are typically caused by damage or abnormal growth in the brain.spinal cord injury treatment

Certain lifestyle factors can also increase the risk of developing epilepsy. Alcohol and drug abuse, for example, can lead to brain damage and increase the risk of seizures. Additionally, lack of sleep and poor nutrition can also increase the risk of seizures.spinal cord stimulator

Risk factors for developing epilepsy include:

Head injuries

Brain infections

Genetic disorders

Stroke

Brain tumors

Alcohol and drug abuse

Lack of sleep

Poor nutrition

Certain groups of people are also at a higher risk of developing epilepsy. For example, older adults are more likely to develop epilepsy than younger adults. Additionally, people with developmental disorders, such as autism and intellectual disability, are also at a higher risk of developing epilepsy.

It is important to note that many people with epilepsy have no identifiable cause for their condition. This is known as idiopathic epilepsy, which accounts for about 70% of all cases. consult with Best Seizure treatment Doctor in Jaipur

Diagnosis of epilepsy typically involves a thorough medical history and a physical exam, as well as neurological tests such as an EEG (electroencephalogram). An EEG measures the electrical activity in the brain, and can help identify abnormal patterns that may indicate epilepsy. Imaging tests, such as an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) or CT (computed tomography) scan may also be used to help diagnose epilepsy and identify any underlying causes.

Treatment for epilepsy typically involves medications, known as antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), which help to control seizures. In some cases, surgery may be recommended to remove the part of the brain that is causing seizures. Additionally, lifestyle changes, such as avoiding triggers that can lead to seizures, can also help to manage epilepsy.

It's important for people living with epilepsy to work closely with their healthcare provider to find an appropriate treatment plan that works best for them. It's also important to be aware of the causes and risk factors of epilepsy, as it can help in early diagnosis, preventing seizures and managing the condition. spinal cord surgery

Treatment options in Jaipur

Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan state in India, is home to a number of specialized hospitals and clinics that offer treatment for epileptic seizures.

One of the most renowned medical centers in Jaipur for epilepsy treatment is the Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital. The hospital has a dedicated Epilepsy Clinic that offers a range of treatment options, including medication management, surgery, and lifestyle changes to help control seizures. The clinic is staffed by experienced neurologists and neurosurgeons who are skilled in the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy.

In addition to these specialized hospitals, there are also many private clinics in Jaipur that offer epilepsy treatment in Jaipur. Many of these clinics are staffed by experienced neurologists and neurosurgeons who are skilled in the diagnosis and treatment of seizures.

In summary, Jaipur has a number of specialized hospitals and clinics that offer treatment for epileptic seizures, including Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (MGMC), and many private clinics. These medical centers are staffed by experienced neurologists and neurosurgeons who are skilled in the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy. It’s advisable to consult with a specialist for a proper diagnosis and treatment plans. We recommend you visit an epilepsy doctor in Jaipur in this serious state.

Conclusion

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that affects the brain and causes seizures. The underlying cause of epilepsy is often unknown, but it can be caused by a variety of factors, including brain injury or trauma, brain infections, genetic disorders, stroke, brain tumors, alcohol, and drug. we recommend you to take consult with a specialist doctor and get proper treatment.

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