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Multi-Modal EEG Monitoring of Severely Neurologically Ill Patients pp 123–139Cite as

Abnormal EEG Background Activity

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Abstract

Background activity refers to the brain’s electrical activity that is recorded when the subject is in a normal or pathological basic state. Abnormal background activities include reduction or disappearance of normal brain wave activity, changes in the frequency of brain electrical activity (increased slow waves or increased fast waves), changes in rhythm (absence of normal rhythm or abnormal rhythmic activity), changes in amplitude (significant increase or decrease), obvious waveform distortion (e.g., polymorphic slow waves), etc., as well as abnormal spatial and temporal distribution of brain electrical activity. Abnormal background activity is a nonspecific abnormality that is related to the severity of diffuse or local brain dysfunction but lacks the specificity of etiology or pathology. Background activity analysis in ICU patients is different from that of non-ICU patients. It has particularity and complexity, especially in patients with impaired consciousness and ICU patients who cannot record awake patterns. The judgment of their background activities also needs to consider the symmetry, continuity, and reactivity of background activities. This chapter describes in detail the related concepts and interpretation methods of EEG symmetry, continuity, and reactivity in combination with illustrations. At the same time, it introduces its clinical guidance value for the evaluation of brain function and prognosis of critically ill patients, which lays the foundation for EEG analysis of critically ill patients.

Keywords

  • ICU
  • EEG
  • Background activity
  • Symmetry
  • Continuity
  • Reactivity

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China

    Xuefeng Wang

  2. Department of Neurology, Chongqing University Central Hospital, Chongqing Emergency Medical Center, Chongqing, China

    Yin Yan

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  1. Xuefeng Wang
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  2. Yin Yan
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China

    Prof. Xuefeng Wang

  2. Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China

    Feng Li

  3. Department of Neurology, Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

    Prof. Suyue Pan

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Wang, X., Yan, Y. (2022). Abnormal EEG Background Activity. In: Wang, X., Li, F., Pan, S. (eds) Multi-Modal EEG Monitoring of Severely Neurologically Ill Patients. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-4493-1_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-4493-1_4

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