Neurodiagnostic Technologist

Using specialized equipment, neurodiagnostic technologists identify normal and abnormal electrical activity in the central nervous, autonomic and peripheral nervous systems.

By recording electrical patterns throughout these systems, neurodiagnostic technologists provide valuable data that a physician will use to diagnose and treat conditions such as epilepsy, motor neuron diseases, dizziness, seizure disorders, strokes and degenerative brain disease.

The tests performed by neurodiagnostic technologists can also help doctors uncover hidden causes of mental disorders and determine whether a patient is “brain dead.”

Neurodiagnostic technologists perform a number of procedures, including:

• Electroencephalograms (EEG), used to assess brain activity
• Intraoperative neuromonitoring, which tracks brain and nerve function during surgery
• Long-term monitoring in epilepsy and intensive care unit/critical care continuous EEG, used to diagnose seizures and other disorders
• Polysomnograms, used to diagnose sleep disorders
• Evoked potential studies, in which the technologist measures neurological responses to external stimuli to trace electrical pathways
• Nerve conduction studies, which measure the time it takes to send an electrical signal along a nerve to a specific muscle
• Magnetoencephalography to detect and record magnetic fields associated with electrical activity in the brain.
• Autonomic function testing, to detect autonomic system dysfunction.

The EEG is the most common test performed by neurodiagnostic technologists. Technologists also are responsible for ensuring patient safety and maintaining and calibrating equipment.

Neurodiagnostic monitoring procedures can last from an hour or two to prolonged continuous daily monitoring. While acquiring the study, the neurodiagnostic technologist will ensure that the patient is comfortable, answer questions about the procedure and help to relieve any anxiety, while continuously monitoring the recording for artifacts or events that require the attention of an attending physician.

Patients undergoing certain surgical procedures require intraoperative neuromonitoring. In this case, the neurodiagnostic technologist will monitor the patient’s EEG or evoked potentials throughout the procedure, providing the surgeon with ongoing information about the patient’s nerve function and/or brain activity.

Neurologists depend on neurodiagnostic technologists to provide accurate data and analysis. The neurodiagnostic technologist must, therefore, have the knowledge, judgment and critical thinking skills to ensure that the results reported are accurate and complete.