Foreword, The use of the electroencephalogram as an aid to diagnosis has led to a great accumulation of records from human patients with brain disorders, but we still know very little about the cerebral activities which are expressed in the tracings. Dr Pampiglione's monograph adds fresh information from a different kind of brain. He has followed the changes which take place in the electro-encephalogram of the newbom puppy from the first two weeks, when its eyes are shut, until the third month, when it is fully weaned and wall soon be able to lead the life of an adult dog. At each stage in development he has recorded the effects of sensory stimuli, barbiturates, etc., giving a concise account of the individual differences which are found, and he has added some records to
illustrate abnormal features. The most striking change occurs about eight weeks after birth, when the myelinization of the brain is advancing, for, at that stage, the records show a succession of large potential waves at a frequency of 4-6 cycles per second. After the third month, the oscillations have become much smaller and the dominant frequency has risen to 6-8 cycles per second.
His careful survey raises many points of great interest, and shows how much we may learn from comparative studies of this kind. It will be a guide of great value to future research on the electroencephalogram and on the changes which take place in the brain as it grows to maturity. London, September 1963.[-]