What is Montage?

 In art, making one composition by combining parts or

the whole of other pictures, objects, or designs.
(Dictionary.com )
 In EEG, a logical and reasoned arrangement of
electrode derivations designed to enhance
recognition of EEG waveforms.
 Montages are logical and orderly arrangements of
channels (electrode pairs, with waveforms
representing the potential difference between the two
electrodes) that display EEG activity over the entire
scalp, allow comparison of activity on the two sides of
the brain (lateralization) and aid in localization of
recorded activity to a specific brain region.
 Bipolar montage(Differential Montage) – Each channel of
recording represents the difference between two adjacent
electrodes. The entire montage consists of a series of these
channels.It has two types
Longitudinal(AP Bipolar)
Transverse(Coronal)

 Referential montage – Each channel represents the difference

between a certain electrode and a designated reference electrode.
There is no standard reference position.
Ipsilateral Ear
Average
Midline
 Average reference montage – The outputs of all of the
amplifiers are summed and averaged, and this
averaged signal is used as the common reference for
each channel. Frontopolar, frontal and occipital
electrodes are often omitted from the average
reference to reduce contamination.
 Laplacian montage – Each channel represents the
difference between an electrode and a weighted
average of the surrounding electrodes (“nearest
neighbours”).
ELECTRODE PLACEMENT
 Electrodes are usually placed according to 10-20 System.

 It ensures inter-electrode spacing is equal.

 An internationally recognised method that allows EEG electrode

placement to be standardised and takes advantages of
measurement of the skull with defined landmarks (nasion , inion ,
left preauricular(A1) & right preauricular point (A2)

 Covers all brain regions.(FP =frontopolar, F =frontal,

T=temporal, C=central P= parietal, 0=occipital)

 Numbering system
ODD = Left side EVEN = Right side Z = Midline
 Bipolar montages
Bipolar montages are composed of chains linking
adjacent electrodes. These chains are either longitudinal
or transverse. Bipolar are much more widely used than
referential montages for pinpointing the area of maximal
abnormality or the exact source of an abnormal activity.
 Longitudinal Bipolar Montage
Its best to look at symmetry
on both sides of
brain/skull.

Any asymmetry picked up

easily.

Also called double banana

or anterior – posterior
bipolar.
Transverse Bipolar Montage
Easy comparison of left
and right hemispheres.

It is also good to see

center of head.
 REFERENTIAL MONTAGE
 When all electrodes are referenced to a single common
reference point .

 References are:
Ipsilateral ear
Linked ears
vertex or midline reference

Referential montages are useful for judging the magnitude of

the abnormality (in terms of how large a sharp wave or slow
wave is in microvolts).
Average Reference Montage
Activity from all electrodes are measured, summed together
and averaged , and this averaged signal is used as the common
reference for each channel .
The average reference is ideal for any focal abnormality .