When a test helps answer the question, most of it happens right here in our
Clearwater office — EEG, transcranial Doppler, and cognitive testing. No second
building, no second wait, and no telling your story over again to a stranger.
One of the tiring parts of specialty care is being sent somewhere else for the
test. We perform EEG, transcranial Doppler, and cognitive testing in our own
office at 2454 N McMullen Booth Rd, Suite 606 — the same place you had your
appointment, with the same free parking at ground level.
Testing is usually ordered after a visit, not during it. Your provider listens to your history and examines you first, then decides whether a test would actually add something. Many people never need one.
A test is one piece of the picture, not the answer by itself. Results are read alongside your history and your examination. No single test decides anything on its own.
Testing is done in the office, not by video. Telemedicine works well for many follow-up conversations, and you can read how our virtual visits work, but these three tests need you in the room.
02 · The tests
What each test is, in plain words
Three tests, explained the way we would explain them to you in the room. If
something here does not match what you were told, ask us — the reason a test was
ordered for you is the part that matters most.
EEG (electroencephalogram)
A recording of brain activity
An EEG records the electrical activity of your brain. Small metal discs, called
electrodes, are placed on your scalp with a washable paste. They only listen.
Nothing is sent into your head, and it does not hurt.
An EEG is not a brain scan. It measures activity, not structure — that is what an
MRI or a CT scan is for. The two answer different questions, and your provider may
use one, both, or neither.
Why it might be ordered
Common reasons include spells or staring episodes, an unexplained loss of
consciousness, events that may or may not be seizures, or periods of confusion. It
is also used to follow a seizure condition that is already known. Your provider will
tell you the reason in your case.
One thing worth knowing before you come: an EEG on its own does not tell you whether
you have epilepsy. A normal recording does not rule it out, and an unusual pattern
does not confirm it. It is one piece of information, read together with everything
else your provider knows about you.
What the appointment is like
You sit back or lie down in a chair. A technologist measures your head, marks spots
on your scalp, and attaches the discs with paste. Once the recording starts, you are
asked to rest quietly with your eyes open, then closed. Two things are a normal part
of a routine recording: breathing deeply for a few minutes, and looking toward a
flashing light. Both can be stopped at any point — say so and it stops. Afterwards
the discs come off and the paste washes out with shampoo.
You may be asked to arrive short on sleep, because a period of drowsiness can be
useful to record. If that applies to you, the office will tell you when to set your
alarm — and in that case, arrange for someone to drive you.
How long
Plan on about an hour in the office. The recording itself is usually 20 to 40 minutes, with setup before it.
How to prepare
Wash your hair beforehand with shampoo only — no conditioner, oil, hair spray or gel. Product stops the discs from making good contact.
What it feels like
Cool paste on the scalp and nothing else. No needles, no radiation, and nothing sent into your head.
Results
Read by the neurologist and gone over with you at a follow-up visit, rather than at the end of the recording.
Transcranial Doppler (TCD)
An ultrasound of blood flow in the brain
A transcranial Doppler uses sound waves to measure how blood is moving through the
arteries inside your head. A small ultrasound probe with gel on it is held against
the side of your head, above your cheekbone, behind your ear, and near your eye.
There is no radiation, no dye, and no needles.
A transcranial Doppler is not the same test as a carotid ultrasound. A carotid
ultrasound looks at the large arteries in your neck; a transcranial Doppler looks at
arteries inside the skull. Some people have both, for different reasons.
Why it might be ordered
It is used to look at how blood is moving through the arteries that supply the
brain — for example, when there are questions about narrowing in one of those
arteries, or about how well blood is reaching a particular area. Your provider will
explain what they are hoping to learn from it in your case.
To be clear about what it does and does not do: a transcranial Doppler measures
blood flow. It does not detect a stroke and it does not prevent one. What prevents
strokes is treating the things that cause them, and that is a conversation with your
provider, not a result on a page.
What the appointment is like
You lie down or sit back, and warm gel is put on your skin. The technologist holds
the probe against a few spots on your head and moves it slowly to find the best
angle. You may hear a whooshing or pulsing sound — that is your own blood flow being
picked up by the sound waves. You may be asked to turn your head or hold still for a
moment. Nothing enters your body and it does not hurt.
Sound waves have to pass through the bone of the skull, and in some people there is
simply no good window for them to pass through. That is a known limitation of this
test and it is nobody's fault. If it happens, your provider will talk with you about
other ways to get the same information.
How long
Usually 30 to 60 minutes, depending on how easily the ultrasound windows are found.
How to prepare
Nothing special for a standard study. Eat as usual and take your regular medicines unless the office tells you otherwise.
What it feels like
Gel on the skin and light, steady pressure from a small probe. No radiation, no dye, no needles.
Results
Read by the neurologist and discussed with you at a follow-up visit, together with the rest of your evaluation.
Cognitive testing
A structured look at memory and thinking
Cognitive testing is a structured way to look at different thinking skills — memory,
attention, language, problem solving, and speed. Instead of relying on how your
memory feels on a given day, it gives your provider something measurable. If
anything changes later, there is something real to compare it to.
It helps to say this plainly, because it is the reason most people are frightened of
this appointment: memory changes are not always a normal part of aging, and they are
not always Alzheimer's disease. Some causes are treatable. The purpose of testing is
to find out what is actually going on.
Why it might be ordered
Usually because you, or someone close to you, has noticed a change — in memory, in
finding words, in concentration, or in keeping track of appointments and bills. It
is also used to set a baseline, so that the same skills can be measured again later.
This is an evaluation for people who have a concern, not a routine check-up for
adults with no symptoms.
What testing measures is how thinking skills are performing today. On its own it
does not diagnose dementia or Alzheimer's disease — the rest of the evaluation,
including your history, your examination, and any blood work or imaging your
provider orders, is what looks for a cause.
What the appointment is like
You sit with a member of our team and work through a set of short tasks. They feel
ordinary: remembering a short list of words, drawing a clock, naming things, simple
calculations, following a sequence. Some parts will feel easy and some will not, and
that is by design — a test has to include items hard enough to show a difference.
Nobody is expected to get everything right, there is no studying for it, and you can
take your time.
In-office cognitive testing is not the same as a full neuropsychological evaluation,
which is a much longer appointment with a neuropsychologist and a detailed written
report. If that is the right next step for you, your provider will explain why and
help you get there.
How long
It depends on which testing is planned for you. Ask when you book so you can allow enough time and not feel rushed.
What to bring
Your glasses and your hearing aids. Not seeing or hearing an item clearly changes the result, and that is worth avoiding.
Bring someone
A family member or close friend is welcome. What someone who knows you well has noticed is a genuine part of the evaluation.
Results
Gone over with you by your provider, alongside the rest of your evaluation — not handed to you as a score at the door.
Do not use this website for a medical emergency
If you are having a medical emergency, call 911 or go to the
nearest emergency department. Symptoms of a stroke — sudden weakness or numbness,
trouble speaking, or a sudden severe headache — are an emergency. Our phone line is
not monitored around the clock.
03 · How to prepare
Getting ready for your testing appointment
Most of this is simple, and our team will go through it with you when your
appointment is booked. This is here so you can read it at home, twice if you want to.
For any testing appointment
Bring a complete list of everything you take, including doses — prescriptions, over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and supplements.
Do not stop or skip a medicine before a test unless we have specifically told you to. If you are unsure, call and ask first.
Bring your glasses and hearing aids if you use them, and wear comfortable clothing.
You are welcome to bring someone with you. A second set of ears helps, especially when results are being explained.
Parking is free, at ground level, and the office is Suite 606. Allow a few extra minutes to park and come up.
If you need an accommodation — a wheelchair-accessible route, extra time, large-print materials, or an interpreter — tell us when you book so it is ready.
Before a transcranial Doppler
There is no special preparation for a standard study. Eat and drink normally, and take your usual medicines unless we tell you otherwise.
The probe is placed against your temple and behind your ear, so you may be asked to take off earrings or glasses for part of the test.
Gel is used on the skin. It wipes off, but you may want to skip an elaborate hairstyle that day.
Before an EEG
Wash your hair with shampoo the night before or the morning of your appointment.
After washing, use nothing else — no conditioner, no oil, no hair spray, no gel, no mousse, no dry shampoo. Product keeps the discs from making contact, and a poor recording may have to be repeated.
If you wear a wig, hair extensions, or braids close to the scalp, call us before the appointment so we can talk through what will work.
Eat before you come and take your regular medicines. Never stop a seizure medicine on your own.
If we asked you to come in short on sleep, arrange for someone else to drive you to and from the appointment.
Bring a comb or hairbrush if you would like to tidy your hair afterward. The paste washes out with shampoo.
Before cognitive testing
Bring your glasses and your hearing aids. This matters more than people expect.
Bring a family member or close friend if you can. They may have noticed things that are part of the picture.
Sleep as normally as you can the night before, and eat before you come. Being tired or hungry can change how you do.
Bring the medicine list. Some everyday medicines, including sleep aids and older allergy medicines, can affect memory and attention.
There is nothing to study and no passing score. Come as you are — that is what makes the result useful.
Testing appointments are scheduled by our team. Please call
(727) 210-7699 for current hours and to
book, and tell us if a particular time of day is easier for you.
Ordering a test for your patient?
EEG, transcranial Doppler, and cognitive testing can be ordered directly. Fax a
referral to (201) 648-3058, or call (727) 210-7699 to reach the office.
See the referral pathway for providers.
04 · Common questions
Questions about testing
Wash your hair with shampoo the night before or the morning of your appointment, then use nothing else — no conditioner, oil, hair spray, gel, mousse, or dry shampoo. The small discs used for the recording need to sit directly against a clean scalp, and hair product can make the recording poor enough that it has to be repeated. The paste used during the test washes out afterward with ordinary shampoo.
No. Both use sound waves and neither uses radiation, dye, or needles, but they look at different arteries. A carotid ultrasound looks at the large arteries in your neck. A transcranial Doppler looks at the arteries inside your head, with a small probe held against the side of your head. Some people have both tests, for different reasons, and your provider will explain which one they are ordering and why.
If you can bring a family member or close friend, please do. What someone who knows you well has noticed about your memory or your day-to-day routine is a genuine part of the evaluation, and it is often the part that fills in what is hard to describe yourself. Bring your glasses and hearing aids as well, because not seeing or hearing an item clearly can change the result.
Results are not read out at the end of the appointment. Your recording or test is reviewed by the neurologist and then gone over with you at a follow-up visit, together with your history and examination, because that is the only way a result means anything. Ask at your appointment when to expect to hear, and call (727) 210-7699 any time you have not heard and would like an update.
Where this information comes from
This page explains what these tests are in general terms. It is not medical advice,
it cannot tell you why a test was ordered for you, and it cannot tell you what your
own results mean. Only your provider can do that. If you would like to read more from
independent sources:
