[Current neurophysiological tests and revised JSCN technical standards for clinical EEG]

The purpose of this lecture is to review the development of current neurophysiology and the revised standard of society for clinical EEG. 1. The improvement of neurophysiological tests. 1) EEG and evoked potential: EEG and evoked potential testing includes the routine EEG recording, EEG monitoring in surgical operation, all night sleep polygraph for the diagnosis of sleep apnea syndrome and many kinds of brain evoked potentials. Especially, the P300 component in the ERP(event-related evoked potential) is useful for the testing of essential brain functions. 2) EMG and evoked EMG: These tests are applied for the diagnosis of neurogenic, myogenic and neuromuscular junction disorder, and also the single fiber EMG using micro needle electrode is useful for the diagnosis of myasthenia gravis. Motor and sensory nerve conduction velocity are calculated from the latency of evoked EMGs. Furthermore, the distribution of these conduction velocities in many nerve fibers is measured by the collision technique. 3) Other tests: Near-infrared spectroscopy for the testing of brain functions has made rapid progress, and the transcranial magnetic stimulation method has come to be used for evaluation of functional diseases in the pyramidal tract, cerebellum and the spinal cord. 2. The revised JSCN technical standards for clinical EEG. The revised recording conditions of ECI(electro cerebral inactivity: flat EEG) in brain death are the focus of this lecture.