Developments in Brief : New Device May Give Doctors Clearer Picture, Literally, of How Brain Works

A new technique that analyzes electrical activity in the brain and translates it into a rainbow of colors on a computer screen may give doctors a clearer picture of how the brain works. Called computer-analyzed EEG, the technique is more precise than an electroencephalogram.

Neurologists now are using the technique to diagnose a specific type of epilepsy that causes personality changes rather than seizures, and some anesthesiologists are using it to monitor brain functions of patients under anesthesia. Psychiatrists also may find it helpful in learning about such diseases as autism, depression and schizophrenia, says Dr. Glen Elliott of Stanford Medical School’s psychiatry and behavioral department.

The technique also can show how the brain processes information and can compare activity of the right side of the brain with the left side. The technique essentially breaks down signals created by the brain’s electrical activity into component parts. The parts then are reconstructed and displayed as colored maps on the brain surface.