This lesson introduces you to the range and purpose of neurophysiology equipment, the testing procedures they are used for, and the clientele/patient groups affected. It will provide you with an overview for a typical department of clinical neurophysiology and clarify some of the investigation methods. This will be a brief overview, much more detail will be provided in later courses.

Clinical Neurophysiology

Clinical neurophysiology is concerned with patients directed for investigations aimed at physical aspects of the functioning of the nervous system. Neurophysiology can be translated to mean the physiology, or workings of the nervous system.  Clinical neurophysiology includes a much broader area than just the brain.

The investigations that may be performed are

• Electroencephalography (EEG)
• Evoked Potentials (EP)
• Electromyography (EMG)
• Nerve Conduction Studies (NCS)

There are other investigations that may be performed within a neurophysiology department that we do not directly discuss in this course, however the same basic principles will apply.

These may include:

• electronystagmography (ENG)
• caloric testing
• thermal threshold testing (TTT)
• echo-encephalography
• vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMP)
• long term video/EEG monitoring (LTM)
• polysomnographic recordings/multiple sleep studies (MSLT)
• electro-corticography (ECoG)

All examinations are carried out at the request of a medical practitioner, neurologist, neurosurgeon, psychiatrist or paediatrician. The qualified technologist/scientist performs the investigation partly independently and partly in an assistant capacity, depending on the examination.