Celebrating 100 years of EEG with DGKN, the University of Jena and many more

by Stefanie Rudrich
Head of Marketing (Brain Products)

On July 6, 1924 the first electroencephalogram (EEG) was written by the means of an alpha wave. The mind behind this groundbreaking discovery in the field of brain research was a German neurologist and psychiatrist, named Hans Berger (*1873 – †1941).

Hans Berger spent most of his professional life in Jena (Germany), so celebrating “100 years of EEG” could hardly have taken place anywhere else than at his former place of work and creativity, the Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy in Jena.

Thanks to the initiative of the DGKN (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Klinische Neurophysiologie und Funktionelle Bildgebung) and Dr. phil. Barbara Schmidt (Institute for Psychosocial Medicine, Psychotherapy and Psychooncology at the University of Jena) invited guests and an esteemed selection of speakers got together in Jena exactly 100 years later on July 6th, 2024.

Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Invention of EEG

Celebrating 100 years of EEG and honoring the first endeavors in the EEG field made by Hans Berger were an important part of the event. However, equally valuable were the informative and entertaining talks presented by the invited speakers as well as the open discussion with the audience afterwards.

Most of the talks focused less on looking back in history but more on looking forward into the future. In particular, most of the speakers addressed opportunities and how to overcome limitations in EEG research in general, as well as hopes and expectations (e.g. regarding mobility and ease of use) for the next 100 years.

Speakers and talks in brief

  • Taking EEG out of the lab and into the real world… and even to Mars?
    by Prof. Olav Krigolson | Neuroeconomics Laboratory | University of Victoria (Canada)

– with a live demonstration of the X.on EEG headset in combination with the PEER App
and the opportunity for the audience to try out the X.on themselves after the discussions.

  • Why did Berger find it so difficult to register brain waves?
    by Prof. Dr. med. Cornelius Borck | Institute for the History of Medicine and Science Studies| University of Lübeck (Germany)

  • Controlling robots and computers with thoughts: possibilities and limits of brain-computer interfaces
    by PD Dr. rer. nat. Silvia Kober | Neuropsychology & Neuroimaging Unit | Department of Psychology | University of Graz (Austria)

  • Electroencephalography – from the lab to everyday life
    by Prof. Dr. Stefan Debener | Neuropsychology | Department of Psychology | University of Oldenburg (Germany)

Most recent articles

Want to re-watch the recording of the anniversary event?

Celebrating 100 years of EEG with DGKN, the University of Jena and others

We at Brain Products were very happy to be invited and contribute to this very special – and for all of us once-in-a-lifetime – event and are looking forward to continuing the journey together with you, the neuroscience community and our users!

Once again, Happy Birthday, EEG and cheers to the years ahead!

Celebrating 100 years of EEG with DGKN, the University of Jena and others

Did you know?

The “Deutsches Museum” in Munich (Germany) has a hidden EEG gem in their archive.

It’s not the original EEG machine from back in 1924, but an Elektro-Encephalograph KDMRS 1EEG device from circa 1950.

Unfortunately, it’s not part of the public exhibition, but thanks to the Museum, we could take a very close look at the device in March 2024.

For more information about it, you can check out Deutsches Museum Digital.