Stories about: electroencephalograms

‘See through,’ high-resolution EEG recording array gives a better glimpse of the brain

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Transparent microelectrodes allow EEG recording at the single-neuron level, with simultaneous 2-photon optical imaging of calcium activity.
Transparent microelectrodes allow EEG recording at the single-neuron level, with simultaneous 2-photon optical imaging of calcium activity. (CREDIT: Yi Qiang et al. Sci. Adv. 4, eaat0626 (2018).)

Electroencephalography (EEG), which records electrical discharges in the brain, is a well-established technique for measuring brain activity. But current EEG electrode arrays, even placed directly on the brain, cannot distinguish the activity of different types of brain cells, instead averaging signals from a general area. Nor is it possible to easily compare EEG data with brain imaging data.

A collaboration between neuroscientist Michela Fagiolini, PhD at Boston Children’s Hospital and engineer Hui Fang, PhD at Northeastern University has led to a highly miniaturized, see-through EEG device. It promises to be much more useful for understanding the brain’s workings. …

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Brain ‘connectome’ on EEG could help diagnose attentional disorders

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EEG connectome could diagnose attentional disorders ADHD
EEGs shouldn’t just be for epilepsy, say these researchers.

Attention deficit disorder (ADD), with or without hyperactivity, affects up to 5 percent of the population, according to the DSM-5. It can be difficult to diagnose behaviorally, and coexisting conditions like autism spectrum disorder or mood disorders can mask it.

While recent MRI studies have indicated differences in the brains of people with ADD, the differences are too subtle and MRI too expensive to be a practical diagnostic measure. But new research suggests a role for an everyday, relatively cheap alternative: electroencephalography (EEG). …

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Anticipating autism through functional neuroimaging

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Mila-cap-ball-2014-05-08 12.24.14Is 9-month-old Mila Goshgarian at risk for developing autism spectrum disorder (ASD)? Her 4-year-old twin brothers are both on the spectrum, so statistically her chances are at least 20 percent.

Her mother, Tonia, brought her into Boston Children’s Hospital for the Infant Sibling Project, which works with babies who are at increased risk of developing ASD in hopes of discovering early brain biomarkers for the disorder. This is Mila’s fifth visit; she’s been coming to the Labs of Cognitive Neuroscience for testing since the age of 3 months. …

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The brain whisperer: Tracking EEG footprints of autism and mental illness

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EEG signals may reflect underlying brain connectivity patterns in autism. This brain has less dense local clusters linked by long-range connections, which may represent a normal pattern. The brain at right has denser, more uniform local connectivity with fewer long-distance connections in some regions.

Bill Bosl is used to looking for patterns. A computer scientist trained in atmospheric physics, geophysics and mathematics, he’s invented a method for computing properties of porous materials from CT scans. At the Lawrence Livermore National Lab, he worked on remote sensing problems, reading complex wave patterns to discern the location of groundwater, oil deposits and fault lines.

Today, he’s trying to measure thought – to compute what’s going on in hard-to-understand disorders like autism, which is currently diagnosed purely on the basis of behavior.  “The mathematical methods are very similar,” he says. “You’re analyzing waves.”

The waves in this case are electroencephalograms (EEGs), those squiggly lines generated by electrical activity in the brain. In autism, …

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