Category Archive

Diagnosing Epilepsy

Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

August 8, 2011

Positron Emission Tomography is a scanning technique which detects chemical and physiological changes related to metabolism. This procedure produces three-dimensional images of blood flow, chemical reactions and muscular activity in the body as they occur. It measures the intensity of the use (metabolization) of glucose, oxygen or other substances in the brain. More active brain…

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

August 8, 2011

Electro refers to electricity; encephalo refers to the brain; gram refers to record. A doctor may administer an EEG test to determine whether your child has epilepsy and in what form. The EEG allows the doctor see if there are any irregularities electrical activities occurring in the brain that may produce seizures. An electroencephalogram is…

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

August 8, 2011

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a safe and non-invasive scanning technique. Instead of using X-rays, MRI is based on nuclear magnetic resonance. This means all atoms have nuclei with their own resonant frequency. If you disturb them, they sing like tuning forks. The different structural components of the brain have atoms with nuclei that have…

Wada Test

August 8, 2011

The Wada test, also known as the Intracarotid Amobarbital Procedure (IAP), was named after Dr. Juhn Wada. He developed the combination of neuro-imaging and neuropsychological testing methods to examine independent functions of the brain such as memory and language. It is useful in determining which hemisphere is “dominant” for speech and if memory is functional…