Question

Electric Potential of the brain is measured by -
(a) CT scan
(b) Sphygmomanometer
(c) ECG
(d) EEG

Answer 1

Hint: This is the electrical activity of the brain that can be measured by a non-invasive method. This method involves placing electrodes to different parts of the scalp and measuring the electrical activity.

Complete step by step answer:
- The electrical potential of the brain can be measured by a technique known as electroencephalography, or EEG.
- This technique measures the voltage fluctuations that result from ionic current within the neurons of the brain, as they communicate via electrical impulses.
- EEG is used to mainly diagnose epilepsy and also sleep disorders, encephalopathies, and coma, etc.
So, the correct answer is ‘EEG’.

Additional information:
- CT scan stands for Computed Tomography. It is a technique that utilizes computer-processed X-rays of the object taken from various angles, to produce cross-sectional images or ‘slices’ of the said object. CT is used for various organs in the body such as the heart, colon, lungs, etc., not only the brain.
- To measure blood pressure a device is used that is called a sphygmomanometer. It is commonly known as a blood pressure monitor. It consists of an inflatable cuff that is used to collapse and release the artery in the arm in a controlled manner and the measurement is taken by a mercury manometer.
- ECG stands for electrocardiography which is a technique used for measuring the electrical activity of the heart. It uses electrodes to produce an electrocardiogram, which is a graph of voltage against time. An electrocardiogram can be used to detect abnormal heartbeats or heart attack.

Note:
- An invasive form of EEG also exists; it is known as electrocorticography or intracranial EEG.
- EEG is also used to detect brain tumors, brain damage from head injuries, inflammation of the brain or encephalitis, stroke, etc.
- EEG usage is being decreased in favor of other anatomical imaging techniques with high-resolution output such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), etc.