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MRI brain scans will be able to identify which parts of the brain are not working correctly and can help determine the cause. Those who are experiencing memory loss can also benefit from brain MRI tests, as their brains can be examined to see if they are working properly. In addition, those suffering from traumatic brain injuries can use the information to improve the odds of survival, as some kind of therapy may be necessary to help them recover. Though scientists have yet to determine exactly what happens in the brain when people are injured, they do know that there is information that can be used to help a survivor process what is happening in his or her brain. Those who have experienced stroke or a traumatic brain injury can also benefit from brain MRI tests, which allow them to learn what happened to their bodies when they suffered injuries. Either way, though, an effective test like this will give important information. Doctors may choose to look for signs of abnormalities in the brain scans themselves, or they may choose to look for information on how that particular brain area processes the information. Patients with milder psychiatric problems, such as depression or social anxiety, may be able to benefit from MRI brain scans that provide information on how their brains process visual information. If a doctor suspects that a patient is exhibiting certain mental symptoms, one way that he or she can go about choosing which brain MRI test to use is by looking for certain things in the images. Some doctors rely on visual cues from the patient’s behavior to make an accurate diagnosis. In many cases, a doctor will look at an MRI scan of a patient and draw conclusions based on the appearance of the images, but without taking the time to look at the images very carefully, it’s impossible to tell what the brain will look like in a few minutes. Another limitation of MRI scans is that they cannot show whether or not parts of the brain are functioning normally. There are times when an MRI will show how much blood is flowing in a particular region of the brain, but without further information regarding the blood flow, it’s hard to say whether or not the result is accurate. MRI scans have even been used to screen people for depression! For those of us in the medical field, brain MRI scans are often used in conjunction with other diagnostic techniques, such as electroencephalographs (EEG’s), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI’s) and computerized tomography (CT) scans to determine brain activity in patients who show certain signs or symptoms of disease or other disorders.Īn interesting fact about brain MRI’s is that they do not show a lot of structural or functional information. Today, a brain MRI test can identify whether or not a person has a stroke, or if the person has suffered a traumatic brain injury, or if the person is suffering from some type of brain malfunction. MRI scans (magnetic resonance imaging) have been around for decades, and the technology has been steadily improving. In addition, the discovery of Nu-complexes points to the ability of the hippocampus to send information to a non-responsive cortex.What does a brain MRI show? The answer is, unfortunately, not very. Also, many people who do have epilepsy will only have ' abnormal' activity on the EEG if they have a seizure at the time the test is happening.Ī flat line EEG indicates a lack of cortex activity rather than the lack of brain activity. This means that sometimes the EEG is described as ' abnormal' (that is ' not normal' brain activity) but does not 'prove' that the person has epilepsy. This is because the EEG only shows brain activity during the time of the test. Even someone who has seizures every week can have a normal EEG test. Small flat metal discs called electrodes are attached to the scalp with wires.Īlso Know, how accurate is an EEG? Approximately one-half of all EEGs done for patients with seizures are interpreted as normal. An EEG tracks and records brain wave patterns. Brain cells communicate with each other through electrical impulses. Other conditions such as dizziness, headache, dementia, and sleeping problems may show abnormal brain patterns.Īccordingly, what does an EEG show in the brain?Īn electroencephalogram ( EEG) is a test used to evaluate the electrical activity in the brain. EEG can also detect abnormal brain waves after a head injury, stroke, or brain tumor. An EEG is of value for diagnosing epilepsy only if it detects patterns typical of epilepsy.