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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…

Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT)

August 8, 2011

Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography is a functional imaging technique that creates three-dimensional images of the brain on computer. This allows physicians to visualize blood flow through different areas of the brain. Individuals with epilepsy often have changes in blood flow to specific areas of the brain when a seizure begins. SPECT measures blood flow…