running subjects (eeg)

Electroencephalography (EEG)

EEG is the recording of summed neuron post-synaptic voltage dipoles through the use of silver and silver chloride electrodes placed on the scalp. EEG is used to examine fluctuation in brainwaves brought about by external stimuli and internal processes. The temporal resolution of EEG is incredible, functioning on a millisecond time scale. While this is impressive, the spatial resolution of EEG is less laudable, as the potentials picked up only arise from the cortex and are distorted by the scalp, and thus it requires some experimental ingenuity to determine the true origin of neuronal fluctuations (usually using other methods such as fMRI or cell recordings).