Multichannel wearable system dedicated for simultaneous electroencephalography∕near-infrared spectroscopy real-time...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Technology

Background:

• Functional neuroimaging is crucial for cognitive research and clinical applications.
• Clinical settings require high channel counts, high sensitivity, and portability for bedside monitoring.
• Combining electroencephalography (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) offers valuable clinical insights, particularly for epilepsy and stroke.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a portable, high-channel-count system for simultaneous EEG and NIRS acquisition.
• To address limitations of existing systems, such as lack of portability, low NIRS sensitivity, and insufficient channel count.
• To create a battery-powered system with extended autonomy for long-term bedside monitoring.

Main Methods:

• Development of a portable system with up to 32 EEG channels, 32 NIRS sources, and 32 detectors.
• Utilization of avalanche photodiodes for high NIRS sensitivity.
• Testing of an 8-channel prototype on phantoms and healthy adults using a visual stimulation protocol.

Main Results:

• The system is battery-powered with over 24 hours of autonomy.
• Phantom testing and validation on healthy adults showed good concordance with existing literature.
• The system successfully detected local hemodynamic changes and visually evoked potentials.

Conclusions:

• The developed portable EEG-NIRS system shows potential for clinical applications, including epilepsy and stroke monitoring.
• The system's high sensitivity and portability meet key clinical requirements.
• Minor adjustments may further optimize performance for widespread clinical adoption.