Alpha Waves in A Gelatinous Conductor
As demonstrated by Adrian Upton, it is possible for extraneous sources to cause signals to appear on an EEG readout, causing false signals to be interpreted as healthy alpha waves while the patient's brain that is assumed to be still living is in fact, long dead. An excerpt from the article documenting this fact:
"Sometimes it's claimed Jell-O brainwaves are identical to a healthy adult's. That's clearly a stretch, but the Jell-O EEG readings do look pretty similar to a normal human alpha rhythm. Alpha waves are observed when a patient is awake and resting with eyes closed, and in some kinds of sleep and reversible coma. True, the Jell-O waves are a little slower and of much lower amplitude, barely within normal human limits, but that doesn't tell you much by itself. Hypoxia, encephalitis, and other medical conditions can cause reduced frequency and amplitude, as can drug use."
Read more about this topic: Alpha Wave
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