Caption

Brain and brain waves in epilepsy. 3D magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of a brain (seen from the side, front of brain at left), overlaid with an electroencephalogram (EEG) of a 27-month-old baby boy' brain during an epileptic episode (chaotic brain activity). This EEG shows generalized epilepsy, affecting the whole brain cortex: all the EEG traces show chaotic brain waves. Epilepsy can take many forms, and have different effects. This is both benign epilepsy (inherited childhood form that normally improves with age), and myoclonic epilepsy (form that causes muscle contractions). An EEG measures electrical activity in the brain using electrodes attached to the scalp (labelled at far left).