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An EEG (electroencephalogram) measures and records your brain’s electrical signals. During an EEG, a technician places small metal disks (electrodes) on your scalp. The electrodes attach to a machine that gives your healthcare provider information about your brain’s activity. Brain activity can help your provider diagnose and monitor conditions that affect your brain.

Why is an EEG performed?

Most commonly, healthcare providers use an EEG to check for seizure activity related to epilepsy. EEGs can also help monitor health conditions or find out what’s causing certain symptoms.

Healthcare providers may use an EEG during brain surgery or to test the brain activity of someone in a coma.

EEGs can also check the status of brain-related conditions such as: Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. Brain injury. Infections, including encephalitis. Tumors.

EEGs help diagnose the causes of symptoms such as: Confusion. Fainting (syncope). Memory loss. Seizures.

What do the EEG results mean?

Your healthcare provider will review the brain wave patterns that your EEG identified. The test results describe patterns as normal or abnormal. 

Abnormal patterns have different causes, such as:
Alcoholism or substance use disorders (drug abuse).
Bleeding in the brain.
Brain swelling (edema).
Brain tumor.
Head injury.
Migraines.
Seizure disorder like epilepsy.
Sleep disorder, such as sleep apnea or narcolepsy.
Stroke.

What happens if I have an abnormal EEG reading?

Your healthcare provider may refer you to a specialist, like a neurologist. A specialist can diagnose, treat or manage your condition.

An EEG (electroencephalogram) is a safe, painless test that measures brain activity. An EEG can help your healthcare provider learn the cause of symptoms like seizures, confusion or memory loss. With a diagnosis, your provider can treat and manage a brain-related condition appropriately.

Reference link: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/9656-electroencephalogram-eeg

What is a stroke?

A stroke, or "brain attack," occurs when a blood vessel in the brain becomes blocked or bursts. The brain cannot store oxygen, so it relies on a network of blood vessels to provide it with blood that is rich in oxygen. A stroke results in a lack of blood supply, causing surrounding nerve cells to be cut off from their supply of nutrients and oxygen. When tissue is cut off from its supply of oxygen for more than three to four minutes, it begins to die.

What lasting effects can a stroke cause?

The effects of a stroke depend on the extent and the location of damage in the brain. 
Among the many types of disabilities that can result from a stroke are:
Inability to move part of the body (paralysis).
Weakness in part of the body.
Numbness in part of the body.
Inability to speak or understand words.
Difficulty communicating.
Difficulty swallowing.
Vision loss.
Memory loss, confusion or poor judgment.
Change in personality; emotional problems.

Why does a stroke affect different parts of the body?

Nerve cells in the brain tissue communicate with other cells to control functions including memory, speech and movement. When a stroke occurs, nerve cells in the brain tissue become injured. As a result of this injury, nerve cells cannot communicate with other cells, and functions are impaired. If a stroke occurs on the right side of the brain, the left side of the body is affected, and vice versa.

If you see stroke warning signs, call 9-1-1! Most of the stroke warning signs are painless:
Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, particularly on one side of the body.
Sudden difficulty understanding or speaking. May have either slurred speech or confused speech.
Sudden difficulty seeing in one eye or both eyes.
Severe dizziness and/or sudden loss of balance, coordination, or ability to walk
Sudden and severe headache for no reason

Reference link: Stroke: Causes, Prevention (clevelandclinic.org)

Risk factors

Many factors can increase the risk of stroke. Potentially treatable stroke risk factors include:

Lifestyle risk factors
Being overweight or obese
Physical inactivity
Heavy or binge drinking
Use of illegal drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine
Medical risk factors
High blood pressure
Cigarette smoking or secondhand smoke exposure
High cholesterol
Diabetes
Obstructive sleep apnea
Cardiovascular disease, including heart failure, heart defects, heart infection or irregular heart rhythm, such as atrial fibrillation
Personal or family history of stroke, heart attack or transient ischemic attack
COVID-19 infection

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