New UBC research has found that amplified
electroencephalograms (EEGs) can produce diagnostic
results of a brainwave associated with migraines and
epilepsy that are comparable to the current, more
invasive, standard—a discovery that could lead to
better treatment and diagnosis of these conditions.
The low-frequency brainwave linked to migraines and
epilepsy is known as cortical spreading depression (CSD)
and is currently best studied by placing electrodes
directly on the surface of the brain. But
researchers from UBC, Germany and Iran have found
that EEGs—produced by placing electrodes only on the
scalp—can produce equally reliable data if a
specially designed amplifier is used in tandem.
“Using this method, we found that the electrical
signals acquired from the skin of the scalp were
very similar to those acquired from the surface of
the brain,” said lead researcher Zoya Bastany, a
master’s student in the faculty of applied science
at UBC.
Lead researcher Zoya Bastany, a master’s student in
the faculty of applied science at UBC, designed an
AC/DC amplifier to acquire electrical signals from
scalp electrodes used on anesthetized rats.
The amplifier detects signals in a much broader
frequency range than the standard clinical EEG
system.
CSD was then induced in the rats, and the recordings
from scalp electrodes were compared with recordings
from electrodes placed on the rats’ brains.
Ali Gorji, a professor of neuroscience at the
University of Münster in Germany and a study
co-author, said the new analysis technique could
contribute to the development of migraine drugs that
target CSD, and to better understanding of other
neurological disorders.
“Research is still continuing to fully understand
the clinical relevance of CSD. But ultimately,
having this noninvasive way of studying this
brainwave could lead to better understanding,
diagnosis and treatment of migraine, epilepsy and
other neurological conditions such as stroke and
traumatic brain injury,” said Gorji.
The study is a joint research program between UBC,
University of Münster, and Shefa Neuroscience
Research Center and Mashhad University of Medical
Sciences in Iran. A paper describing the results was
published July 2016 in the journal Neuroscience.
For more information
Zoya J.R. Bastany, Shahbaz Askari, Guy A. Dumont,
Erwin-Josef Speckmann, Ali Gorji. Non-invasive
monitoring of spreading depression. Neuroscience,
2016; 333: 1 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.06.056
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