Scalp Electroencephalogram-Derived Involvement Indexes during a Working Memory Task Performed by Patients with...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Biomedical Engineering
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Electroencephalography (EEG) wearable devices offer potential for monitoring cognitive engagement during daily activities.
• Cognitive engagement assessment is crucial, particularly for tasks involving working memory (WM), which can be impaired in epilepsy.
• Identifying optimal electrode placement is key for effective EEG monitoring with wearable devices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate cognitive engagement in epilepsy patients during a verbal working memory task using EEG.
• To determine the most suitable electrode locations for monitoring cognitive engagement in epilepsy patients with wearable EEG devices.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a public dataset from nine epilepsy patients performing a verbal WM task.
• Calculated 37 engagement indexes derived from the spectral power ratios of different EEG rhythms.
• Analyzed EEG data to identify patterns related to cognitive engagement and electrode location.

Main Results:

• Engagement index trends correlated with cognitive engagement fluctuations during the WM task.
• Most significant changes in engagement indexes were observed in the frontal regions.
• Findings in epilepsy patients align with observations in healthy subjects regarding frontal engagement patterns.

Conclusions:

• Engagement indexes derived from EEG spectral power ratios can effectively reflect changes in cognitive status.
• Frontal electrode regions are identified as the most suitable for designing wearable EEG systems for mental involvement monitoring.
• These findings are applicable to both physiological conditions and epilepsy monitoring.