In adults, a brain activity test, meaning an EEG, shows whether the electrical rhythms are normal, whether abnormal discharges are present between events, and whether anything correlates with symptoms you logged. It is most informative for suspected seizures.
In adults, a brain activity test, meaning an EEG, shows whether the electrical rhythms are normal, whether abnormal discharges are present between events, and whether anything correlates with symptoms you logged. It is most informative for suspected seizures.
First, the background rhythm: whether ordinary activity is normal, generalised slowed, or asymmetric between the two sides. Diffuse slowing suggests a widespread problem such as an encephalopathy; focal slowing points to a localised abnormality. Second, whether epileptiform discharges are present between events, which supports a diagnosis of epilepsy in the right clinical context. Third, whether any event you experienced during the recording matched an electrical change, which is often the single most useful result.
This matters because interpretation is age-dependent. Certain patterns that are normal at one age are abnormal at another, and adult interpretation uses adult norms. Age-related changes in the background rhythm are expected in older adults and are not in themselves a sign of disease. Benign variants exist that look abnormal to an untrained eye but carry no clinical significance, and distinguishing them from genuine abnormality is a substantial part of the skill in reading these studies. This practice reads adult studies only.
A normal EEG does not exclude epilepsy, because a routine recording samples a short window between events, and many people with epilepsy have normal recordings in that window. An abnormal EEG does not by itself prove epilepsy either, since some patterns occur in people who never have seizures. It contributes little for isolated headache, dizziness without loss of awareness, or non-specific fatigue. Where events are infrequent, ambulatory recording over days is substantially more informative.
Clinical Neurology Specialists has been physician-owned since 1998, when Leo Germin, M.D., FAANEM founded it. Five board-certified neurologists and four advanced practice providers see patients at the Las Vegas and Henderson offices, each with its own AANEM-accredited electrodiagnostic laboratory.
Clinical Neurology Specialists is an adult outpatient neurology practice for patients 18 and older. The practice performs no surgery and operates no imaging suite, infusion suite or interventional pain programme, and provides no emergency or inpatient care.
Physician-reviewed. Reviewed by the physicians of Clinical Neurology Specialists — board-certified neurologists, AANEM-accredited electrodiagnostic laboratories, physician-owned since 1998. Reviewed 1 August 2026. This article is general education for adults 18 and older and is not a substitute for a consultation.
Sources and further reading: MedlinePlus: electroencephalogram (EEG); American Academy of Neurology; MedlinePlus: epilepsy.
Adults 18 and older, at the Las Vegas and Henderson offices. Call 702-804-1212 or request an appointment online.