Electroencephalography in the elderly

When the article, "EEGs in Elderly Patients: Technical and Other Considerations" was published in the American Journal of EEG Technology (AJET) in March 1980, the US elderly population was only 10% of the total US population (Hansotia et al. 1980). By the year 2030, it is projected that the elderly will account for nearly 20% of the US population (US Census Bureau 2010). Elderly patients present with a very unique presentation, suggestive of many different differential diagnoses. Elderly patients are more susceptible to seizures than the general adult population. Technologists must be knowledgeable of the normal EEG patterns, normal variants, and unique abnormalities seen in the elderly population. "Geriatric EEG is special" (Klass and Brenner 1995).