An EEG can be used to help diagnose and monitor a number of conditions affecting the brain.

It may help identify the cause of certain symptoms – such as seizures (fits) or memory problems – or find out more about a condition you've already been diagnosed with.

The main use of an EEG is to detect and investigate epilepsy, a condition that causes repeated seizures. An EEG will help your doctor identify the type of epilepsy you have, what may be triggering your seizures and how best to treat you.

Less often, an EEG may be used to investigate other problems, such as:

• dementia
• head injury and concussion
• brain tumor
• enceliphatis (brain inflammation)
• sleep disorders, such as sleep aponea.