EEG BASAL CORTICAL RHYTHMS

Course overview

ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHY (EEG) IS A NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL TEST THAT MEASURES CHANGES IN NEURONAL ACTIVITY ASSOCIATED WITH CURRENT FLOWS IN THE EXTRACELLULAR SPACE PRODUCED BY LOCAL FIELD POTENTIALS. SUCH FIELD POTENTIALS CAN BE EITHER EXCITATORY, ALSO KNOWN AS EXCITATORY POSTSYNAPTIC POTENTIALS (EPSP,) OR INHIBITORY, ALSO KNOWN AS INHIBITORY POSTSYNAPTIC POTENTIALS (IPSP) IN NATURE. EEG TRACING RECORDS NOT ONLY THE PHYSIOLOGIC CORTICAL ACTIVITY, BUT INEVITABLY ALSO CAPTURES FIELDS OF ELECTRICAL ACTIVITY GENERATED BY OTHER SOURCES SUCH AS CARDIAC, MYOGENIC, AND ELECTROMAGNETIC, AMONG OTHERS. IT IS SUBSTANTIAL FOR THE ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHER TO BE ABLE TO DISTINGUISH NORMAL PHYSIOLOGIC BRAIN ACTIVITY FROM THOSE RECORDED FROM NON-PHYSIOLOGIC SOURCES. SUCH KNOWLEDGE IS CRITICAL TO AVOID EEG MISINTERPRETATION. BASAL CORTICAL RHYTHMS ARE PHYSIOLOGIC ALPHA-RANGE RHYTHMS THAT PRESENT IN NORMAL HEALTHY BRAINS. THEY ENCOMPASS 3 RHYTHMS: (1) ALPHA RHYTHM, (2) MU RHYTHM, AND (3) THIRD RHYTHM. NOT A LOT IS KNOWN ABOUT THE THIRD RHYTHM. WICKETS RHYTHM IS CONSIDERED A FRAGMENTED THIRD RHYTHM AND WILL BE DISCUSSED IN DEPTH. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN EEG BASAL CORTICAL RHYTHM EVALUATION.