Quantifying Physiological Biomarkers of a Microwave Brain Stimulation Device

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Biomedical Engineering
• Physiology

Background:

• Physiological signals offer sensitive measures of neural and cardiovascular changes from brain stimulation.
• Evaluating brain stimulation's cognitive impact necessitates ambulatory, low-cost systems.
• Microwave brain stimulation (MBS) is an emerging technology for non-invasive brain modulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify physiological biomarkers of neural and cardiovascular systems induced by a microwave brain stimulation (MBS) device.
• To investigate the effects of active MBS versus sham stimulation on neurological and cardiovascular responses during cognitive workload.
• To assess the feasibility of wearable MBS for biomedical research.

Main Methods:

• A double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled study involving ten volunteers.
• Utilized a portable sensing device to record electroencephalography (EEG) and electrocardiography (ECG).
• Monitored physiological responses during resting-state, intermediate, and final states at 30-minute intervals while participants performed cognitive tasks.

Main Results:

• Active MBS significantly altered EEG power spectra, increasing high-alpha, high-beta, and low-beta bands while decreasing low-alpha and theta waves compared to sham.
• Significant associations were observed between MBS stimulation and RR interval and QRS interval.
• No significant differences in heart rate variability features were found between the active MBS and sham groups.

Conclusions:

• Wearable MBS technology is potentially feasible for biomedical research.
• MBS can modulate neurological and cardiovascular responses in the context of cognitive workload.
• Portable MBS systems may offer a new avenue for studying brain-device interactions.