Leveraging biosensors in clinical and research settings: a guide to device selection

Psychophysiological variables-e.g., heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), and skin conductance response (SCR)-reflect autonomic nervous system functioning implicated in arousal, emotion (dys)regulation, and psychopathology. Psychophysiological variables can be leveraged to assess cognitive, social, and functional domains by overcoming subjective biases associated with self-, caregiver- and observer report. Psychophysiology can be measured across multiple contexts using various biosensing devices. Naturalistic biosensing can expand diverse participation in neurobiological research, by removing barriers of time and geographic distance required for lab-based assessments. Biosensing in clinical contexts also has the potential to provide peripheral physiological indicators of response to psychotherapeutic interventions. Measuring psychophysiology naturalistically and during psychotherapeutic sessions can elucidate mechanistic and causal processes. This Perspectives piece provides guideposts for scientists and practitioners to consider when selected biosensing devices/systems for clinical and research applications. Empirical evidence supporting the use of biosensors for valid and reliable psychophysiological signals-like electrodermal activity (EDA), photoplethysmography (PPG), and electrocardiography (ECG)-are reviewed in terms of the end-to-end user experience, accessibility of raw data, data quality, and data security. Finally, considerations of racial bias and variation related to biological sex in psychophysiological measures are discussed. The ultimate goal of this Perspectives piece is to inform expanded use of biosensing for the measurement of peripheral physiology to (1) improve understanding of naturalistic disease processes, (2) predict treatment response, (3) guide treatment progression, and (4) identify underlying treatment mechanisms for further refinement in clinical and research settings.