Electroencephalography: The Beginning. On the centenary of Hans Berger’s first recording of an electroencephalogram

The German psychiatrist and psychophysiologist, Hans Berger (1873–1941), rightfully holds the title of «father of electroencephalography.» He was the first to record an electroencephalogram in July 1924. From 1929 to 1940, Berger published the results of his long-term research on the recording of the overall bioelectric activity of the human brain from the scalp surface. He proposed the term «electroencephalography» and the abbreviation «EEG», characterized the major types of activity, described the phenomena of synchronization and desynchronization. In his research, Berger focused on the EEG’s dynamics during changes in brain functional activity, trying to find electrophysiological correlates of mental functions and states.