100 years of EEG: How Tracking Brain Activity Has Shaped Mental Health Care
July 19, 2024 - neurocare group
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Over the last 100 years, the electroencephalogram, or EEG, has provided uniquely valuable insight into how our brains operate. Using electrodes and high-quality processing technologies, it is a technique that measures electrical activity in the brain and is instrumental in neuroscience research as well as clinical practice. In the modern era, EEG technology has advanced significantly, giving us tools and insights into the brain and treatments for psychiatry, psychology, and neurology.
The discovery of EEG
The first EEG recording on a human was made by German psychiatrist Hans Berger on July 6, 1924, directly from the exposed brain during an operation1. Berger published his findings in the journal "Archiv für Psychiatrie und Nervenkrankheiten" five years later. He eventually discovered a way to capture brain activity from the scalp non-invasively, informing the way EEG recordings are conducted today.
Above: Some of the first traces of Berger’s EEG recordings. Source link.
How EEG is used today to record brain activity
Hans Berger's groundbreaking work has greatly influenced contemporary EEG studies. The “Berger rhythm”, or alpha rhythm, is a critical part of quantitative EEG (QEEG) analysis, and his principles form the foundations of standard practice. Now, with the technologies of the late 20th and early 21st century, the full potential of QEEG is being harnessed.
Klaus Schellhorn and his team at neurocare’s EEG technology division in Ilmenau, Germany (neuroConn) have become a trusted EEG device technology since the early 2000s.
“Not far from Hans Berger's former field of activity, Ilmenau University graduates were able to show 20 years ago that full-band EEG technology could not only be used in MRI and non-invasive brain stimulation, but is also used as a therapeutic device in the context of neurofeedback in the treatment of epilepsy and ADHD.”
Klaus Schellhorn, Dipl. Eng., Group Head of tES & EEG Technology at neurocare
The story of EEG has always been a story about technology. By combining different types of amplifiers, Klaus Schellhorn and his team worked on building high-quality technology to be used in research and clinical settings, able to capture and isolate a wider range of signals from the scalp. Coupling robust EEG hardware and powerful software capable of filtering out artifacts, the resulting QEEG analysis allowed for a very precise analysis of brain activity. The equipment developed and manufactured by neurocare's technology division today, also has capabilities to be combined with other tools such as MRI or together with Neurostimulation techniques such as TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) or tES (transcranial Electrical Stimulation).
QEEG in psychiatry and psychology
The QEEG assessment tool has become a cornerstone for personalized assessment techniques championed throughout neurocare clinics worldwide, providing an in-depth analysis of the client or patient's brain activity and how these may correspond to presenting symptoms of mental health problems such as ADHD or depression.
“The application of EEG as an assessment tool for psychiatry and psychology, is experiencing a groundswell. We work every day with mental health professionals who want to uncover the underlying cause of what is happening in the patient’s brain, from ADHD to Depression. There are a lot of clues lying under the surface that EEG can uncover which can assist us in allocating a treatment protocol with a higher likelihood of success first time.”
Dr Trevor Brown, Head Neuroscientist and Global Academy Manager at neurocare
In psychology or psychiatry, clinicians are usually only able to gather subjective insights into the patient's mental health concerns through self-reporting questionnaires. With the right technology and training, clinicians can use EEG to take an objective look at brain activity, to see if any underlying brain activity might suggest sleep difficulties, drowsiness, or overactive or underactive brain states in related brain regions. The EEG 'phenotype' - a pattern of brain activity with certain characteristics - can then be used to inform a course of therapy that will be more likely to benefit the patient, whether it be medication-based treatment or a non-invasive neuromodulation treatment such as Neurofeedback or TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation).
Neurofeedback: an EEG-based brain training technique for ADHD and Sleep
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, researchers started looking at a novel approach to using EEG to train brain activity, known as Neurofeedback. This method of EEG recording involves the real-time capture of brain activity from a specific location on the scalp. This EEG data is then processed by software to appear on a computer screen, with the client or patient prompted to change their brain activity from the feedback they see on screen. Over many sessions and through a process known as 'operant conditioning' the client or patient can learn to improve focus or reduce overactive brain states.
“In neuroscientific research, EEG is the neuroimaging technique with the highest temporal resolution to study human cognition. We not only utilize EEG for personalization of treatment, but also for treatment itself. In neurofeedback, patients learn to modulate a specific pattern of their EEG activity.”
Hartmut Heinrich, Neurofeedback R&D Specialist at neurocare
The future of EEG
Although EEG has been instrumental in driving advancements in psychiatry and psychology, the software, research, and development teams at neurocare are working to make techniques like QEEG and Neurofeedback more accessible for clinicians to be able to use in everyday care.
“As the world of automation is booming, we at neurocare give keen attention to data fidelity… Through our EEG preprocessing pipeline, we constantly strive to make the output of this tool more accurate and free from unwanted interferences, delivering optimal patient care.”
Amna Ghani, Software Data Engineer and EEG Expert at neurocare
neurocare's commitment to advancing research tools in EEG and Neurofeedback extends beyond just the development of new technology. As part of this Digital Therapy Platform, they also prioritize making these techniques more user-friendly and accessible for clinicians. By streamlining the process and enhancing the user interface, neurocare aims to empower healthcare professionals to harness the power of EEG and Neurofeedback more effectively in their daily practice. This dedication to usability and accessibility ensures that more clinicians can integrate these innovative techniques into their treatment protocols, benefiting a wider range of patients seeking mental health support through science-based, non-invasive, and more sustainable approaches to care.
References
1Ojha, P. (2024). Berger and the Breakthrough: A Centennial Celebration of the Human Electroencephalogram. Neurodiagnostic Journal, 64(2), 69–74. https://doi.org/10.1080/21646821.2024.2327268