What is an EEG study?
EEG is the abbreviation for electroencephalography or electroencephalogram and comes from the Greek encephalon and gráphein, which means "to write brain". EEG refers to the recording of voltage fluctuations on the surface of the head to measure electrical brain activity. An EEG study is therefore a study with one or more test subjects in order to measure and eventually Brain activity and finally to evaluate it.
What happens in an EEG study?
Our brain works through small electrical impulses. This causes tiny voltage changes at different points on the surface of the head. A person cannot feel these voltage changes, but they can be measured with fine sensors called electrodes. To do this, the test person or the person whose brain activity is to be measured is given a cap with electrodes filled with conductive gel. The voltage is then transmitted to a computer via a cable, where it becomes visible in a curve, for example.
Who conducts EEG studies?
EEG studies are often conducted as part of scientific research at a university. For example, an electroencephalogram can be used to measure the reaction of young children to colours, to movement or to television images. A popular EEG topic is also our sleep. There are even special laboratories where nothing else is observed and measured, such as how people sleep, when a deep sleep phase begins and what happens in the brain during it, or whether electrical activity during sleep can be measured at all. EEG studies often take place within the framework of general psychology and also biological psychology.
Why are EEG studies done?
In many cases - such as the measurements in the sleep laboratory - the aim is to find causes for diseases, disorders, but also emotions. If there is a disease or, for example, a sleep disorder, one naturally wants to find out how to remedy or improve it. In the case of a study of young children watching television, one might want to know what effects two-dimensional images can have on the cognitive processes of a young child's brain.
Does exercise influence our brain activity?
There are also EEG studies that aim to provide information on how the Ability to concentrate or attention can be increased. For example, Aeris commissioned a study in 2015 with the aim of investigating the extent to which dynamic sitting a Aeris Swopper has an influence on short- and long-term concentration ability and the corresponding brain activity.
A total of 45 subjects aged 22 to 27 were tested in three seating conditions:
- Sitting on a Aeris Swopper
- Sitting on a test stool that only looked like a Aeris Swopper, but does not have its capabilities and is static
- Sitting on a conventional office chair with backrest
The test persons now had to perform various tests to record their long-term and short-term concentration ability. In the course of this test, neurological differences in performance could indeed be detected. A more alert and attentive state of the cognitive system was observed in subjects who sat on a Aeris Swopper during the tests than in those who sat on one of the other test chairs.
The measured EEG data thus showed that working on a Aeris Swopper can indeed positively influence the ability to concentrate and thus also that movement has a positive influence on our brain activity.
