NBRC Sleep Disorders Specialty (SDS) Practice Exam

Electrode popping is characterized by sharp high voltage deflections on an EEG montage. This phenomenon occurs when there is an abrupt change in the electrical potentials, often due to a poor connection or movement of the electrode, leading to artifacts that appear as sharp spikes or pops on the tracing.

These sharp high voltage deflections stand out against the background brain activity, making it easy for trained practitioners to identify them as artifacts rather than true brain signals. Recognizing these high voltage spikes is crucial for accurately interpreting EEG data, as they can obscure genuine neurological activity and potentially lead to misdiagnosis if not correctly identified.

In contrast, regular low voltage deflections, sharp low voltage deflections, and irregular baseline shifts are indicative of various other phenomena but do not specifically point to the type of signal that characterizes electrode popping. Understanding the specific nature of these artifacts allows clinicians to distinguish them from legitimate brain activity, thereby improving the reliability of their assessments.