Launching Soon | Pilot Offering in 2026 (Invite-Only)
The Intraoperative EEG Interpretation: Basic Course is a new educational offering from the Society for Neuroscience in Anesthesiology and Critical Care (SNACC) designed to provide clinicians with a structured, physiology-driven foundation in interpreting intraoperative electroencephalography (EEG).
Planned for pilot launch in 2026, this course will be offered on an invite-only basis to a limited cohort of participants. A full launch of the course is anticipated in 2027.
Course Overview
This comprehensive course is designed to move beyond processed EEG indices and toward a mechanistic, neurophysiology-based understanding of brain state during anesthesia. Through a progressive series of lectures and clinical case vignettes, participants will gain the foundational knowledge needed to interpret raw frontal EEG, understand quantitative EEG displays, and integrate EEG findings into perioperative decision-making.
The curriculum emphasizes:
- Core principles of EEG signal generation and interpretation
- The neuroscience of consciousness and anesthetic-induced unconsciousness
- Thalamocortical oscillations and brain state transitions
- Recognition of common and abnormal EEG patterns encountered intraoperatively
- Application of EEG interpretation to real-world clinical scenarios
Course Agenda
All invited participants will be provided access to the course through the SNACC Learning Management System. Please find a list of the course modules and sessions below:
| Foundations of EEG: History, Physiology, Quantification | |
| History, Clinical Context, & Overview | Matthias Kreuzer, PhD |
| Towards a Neurophysiologic Understanding of Unconsciousness | Professor Jamie Sleigh |
|
Neuroscience of Unconsciousness Part 1: Thalamocortical Oscillations – Mechanisms & Functional Significance |
Paul S. Garcia, MD, PhD |
|
Neuroscience of Unconsciousness Part 2: Thalamocortical Oscillations and Brain State Transitions |
Paul S. Garcia, MD, PhD |
| Origins of EEG Signal Generation (Physics and Mathematics) | Seyed A. Safavynia, MD, PhD |
| Entropy, Slow Wave Anesthesia, and Sedation | Matthias Kreuzer, PhD |
| Basics Of Quantitative EEG, Spectral Analysis & Entropy | Alex Barroso, PhD |
| Commonly Encountered Frontal EEG Waveforms in the Perioperative Period | |
| Induction, Maintenance, and Emergence | Samir Kendale, MD, FASA |
| Spectral Edge, Low Frequency Waves, High Frequency Waves | Ulrike Hoffmann, MD, PhD |
| Discontinuities and Burst Suppression | Benjamin F. Gruenbaum, MD, PhD |
| The Effect of Age on Cortical Neurophysiology and Intraoperative EEG | Phillip Vlisides, MD |
| Nociception on EEG and Hypnotic/Analgesic Interaction | Falk von Dincklage, MSc, MHBA |
| Clinical Dilemmas Regarding Frontal EEG in the Perioperative Period | |
| Introduction To Noise and Artifact | Alexander Papangelou, MD Cassandra Dean, MD |
| Troubleshooting Electrodes, Optimizing Signal Generation and Nonpharmacologic EEG Signal Effects | Seyed A. Safavynia, MD, PhD |
| Special Cases: Seizures and Spikes | Benjamin F. Gruenbaum, MD, PhD |
| Special Cases: Symmetry, Ischemia and Infarcts | Phillip Vlisides, MD |
| Conclusions and Vignettes | |
| The Final EEG Phenotype | Alexander Papangelou, MD |
|
Neuroscience of Unconsciousness Part 3: Clinical Applications |
Paul S. Garcia, MD, PhD |
| Clinical Case Vignettes 1 | Sonal Sharma, MBBS, MD |
| Clinical Case Vignettes 2 | Cassandra Dean, MD |
Pilot Year Format (2026)
- Invite-only participation
- Limited enrollment to support interactive learning and feedback
- Structured lectures combined with in-depth clinical case vignettes
- Designed for anesthesiologists, anesthesiology trainees, and clinicians with interest in neurophysiology and perioperative brain health
Additional details regarding faculty, format, and future enrollment opportunities will be shared as the course launch approaches.
Questions? Please contact the SNACC National Office at: info@snacc.org.