EEG brainwave technology helps monitor people with epilepsy and can detect when we fall asleep at the wheel in a simulator. As scientists celebrate the 100th anniversary of the test, here’s why many in the field are excited about its future applications in medicine.
Today, an electroencephalogram, or EEG, consists of electrodes placed on the scalp of a patient or subject to noninvasively collect and provide images of brain waves. It is used to determine whether a person with a severe brain injury who appears unresponsive can communicate yes/no responses, and to control devices such as drones and wheelchairs.
In a commentary in the latest issue of the magazine Nature Human behaviorFaisal Mushtaq, professor of cognitive science and director of the Centre for Immersive Technologies at the University of Leeds in England, and his team discuss responses to a survey of more than 500 EEG experts, from neuroscientists to neurosurgeons.
Their consensus is that the ability to reliably diagnose seizures or brain tumors in real time is only 10 to 14 years away. But the chances of reading the content of our dreams and long-term memories are put by some experts at more than 50 years away—and by others as closer to science fiction.
Neuropsychologist Sarah Lippé, a professor of psychology at the University of Montreal, uses EEG her research on brain development in children with autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and how epilepsy may contribute to cognitive impairment in children.
Lippé, one of the commentary’s co-authors, noted how methylphenidate, sold under the brand name Ritalin, is commonly used to treat ADHD in children. “We can see that it rescues some of the basic sensory processing signals in these children.”
Because EEG is such a sensitive test for detecting both normal and delayed brain maturation, Lippé said that if a doctor has doubts about whether a person’s symptoms are ADHD, an EEG can help confirm that.
EEG tool ‘extremely important’ for intensive care
Adrian Owen, a professor of cognitive neuroscience at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry at Western University in London, Ontario, said EEG is crucial for patients he works with in the intensive care unit who have recently developed serious brain injury.
“It’s really hard for these patients to get into an MRI scanner,” said Owen, who was not available for comment. “Having another way Detecting consciousness with them in the ICU, so we take everything to their bedside and test it… that’s extremely important.”
Owen said his work with people who were thought to be completely “locked up” in their heads, while still able to think, form opinions and understand what is going on around them, is now widely recognized by the medical communityrecently in the respected New England Journal of Medicine.
“It’s not only there, it’s actually quite common, and I think that’s something that’s really changed the status quo,” Owen said. Doctors and family members no longer assume that a patient is unconscious just because they’re unresponsive, which is a radical change from decades ago, he added.
Prof. John Connolly of McMaster University on the strengths and weaknesses of using EEG in patient assessment
Decoding dreams, preferences?
Owen said it’s interesting that the paper explores how reading dreams based solely on “squiggly EEG lines” is likely to remain in the realm of science fiction, and compares the concept to what are considered “extremely plausible” applications — such as determining whether someone is conscious while driving or flying, or whether they’re fully sedated in an operating room.
But reading someone’s dreams isn’t just a matter of EEG technology evolving to handle it. Owen said that decoding dreams would require entirely new technology, so the idea remains fanciful.
An article published in the journal Nature Human Behavior also raises ethical issues.
“I am sure that some international technology companies may be very interested in implementing EEG or other neuroimaging technology to get more information about their users that could indicate their preferences and emotions 24 hours a day. But should it be used that way?” Dominik Welke, a research fellow at the school of psychology at the University of Leeds, said in a press release.
Lippé, a psychologist from Montreal, said that EEG can already be used to measure a person’s enthusiasm or impulsiveness in the context of purchasing a product.
“It’s something that needs to be regulated and thought about,” she said.
In his personal journey, Tom Harrington explores the memory loss and concerns of many Canadians (and his own) by putting to the test popular brain-training games and technologies that promise to improve brain function.
