One Hundred Years Later! The Current Utility of EEG Tools in Psychiatry: Some Insights and Perspectives

ObjectiveSince the pioneering work of Hans Berger in 1929 introducing the utility of human electroencephanlography (EEG) in psychiatry, a considerable amount of work has been devoted to the identification of pathophysiological mechanisms of mental diseases. However, how electrophysiology may be useful in clinical psychiatric settings is still matter of debate. Here we provide a summary of current emerging data and perspectives regarding the promising utility of various EEG tools in the treatment of mental diseases.Methods and ResultsIn this report we focus on new insights reported through the use of various EEG tools (quantitative EEG, QEEG; cognitive event-related potentials, ERPs) and some new EEG-based methods (Mobile Brain/Body Imaging or Artificial Intelligence algorithms) suggesting that their use might be helpful at the clinical level in the management of various forms of mental diseases.ConclusionGiven the encouraging results highlighting how these electrophysiological tools may be used with regard to mental disorders, continued efforts to better implement these EEG tools into psychiatric clinical settings remains one of the most pressing challenges for neurophysiologists.