What does the EEG of a very tense and anxious patient typically show?

The EEG of a very tense and anxious patient typically shows widespread low voltage activity. This pattern can be attributed to the heightened arousal and increased sympathetic nervous system activity that often accompany anxiety and tension. When a person is anxious, their brain can exhibit a state of heightened alertness, leading to increased frequency of low-amplitude waveforms, which are often associated with an active and alert mental state.

In a tense state, the brain may not settle into the more organized rhythms such as alpha waves, which indicate relaxed alertness, or theta waves, which are typically seen in drowsy states or during certain cognitive tasks. Instead, the EEG may demonstrate a more chaotic pattern with low amplitude, representing diffuse cortical activation. This pattern reflects the underlying physiological state of the patient, as anxiety can disrupt normal brainwave patterns.

It's important to note that conditions like periodic lateralized epileptiform discharges are indicative of specific types of seizure activity and typically would not be seen solely as a result of anxiety. Similarly, normal alpha rhythm would indicate a relaxed but alert state, which does not align with the presentation of a tense and anxious individual. High amplitude theta activity, while present in some altered states of consciousness, is not characteristic of anxiety in a straightforward context.