A Pocket Laboratory for Functional Neuroimaging Research Using Mobile Visual Oddball, Multimodal...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Science
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Observing brain activity in natural environments is crucial for understanding cognition.
• Wearable neuroimaging (EEG, fNIRS) lacks portable tools for ecologically valid studies.
• Smartphones offer a platform for mobile "pocket laboratories".

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the Wearable Cognitive Assessment and Augmentation Toolkit (WearCAAT) for functional neuroimaging research.
• To analyze human participant data collected during an NIH-funded study using WearCAAT.
• To demonstrate the platform's utility in multimodal neuroimaging settings.

Main Methods:

• Utilized WearCAAT with healthy college-aged adults (ages 18-30) performing shortened neurocognitive tasks (4 min each).
• Collected multimodal data using research-grade electroencephalography (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) sensors.
• Analyzed behavioral responses and neuroimaging correlates, focusing on the visual oddball task for P300 (EEG) and oxygenated hemoglobin (fNIRS) changes.

Main Results:

• 57 participants (27 male, 30 female) completed the study; 4 excluded due to technical errors.
• Increased mean response times for infrequent stimuli (718 ms) vs. frequent stimuli (542 ms) (P<.001).
• Observed higher P300 amplitudes (EEG) over midline regions and increased oxygenated hemoglobin (fNIRS) over the prefrontal cortex.

Conclusions:

• WearCAAT outcomes for the visual oddball task align with existing literature, demonstrating initial validity.
• The platform shows promise for neurocognitive imaging in mobile, ecologically valid settings.
• This represents a novel approach to dedicated neuroimaging using a mobile "pocket laboratory".