Electroencephalography (EEG) measures the brain's local field potential from the surface of the scalp. This method is useful for studying cognitive processes, neurological states, and medical conditions. Its relative low- cost, ease-of use, and non-invasiveness increase its utility in brain monitoring for both research and medical applications. Unfortunately, the process of acquiring EEG is often not inclusive of all research subjects. EEG typically requires scalp abrasion and application of conductive gels to create a low impedance contact between exposed skin and the electrode tips. This approach is critical to obtaining good signals and reducing artifacts; however, it creates challenges for the hair of Black or African American people. Studies have shown that tightly curled hair (Type 4) of African origin impacts the ability of EEG caps to place electrodes to measure brain activity and the hair's low absorption of liquid can impact the conductance of the saline solutions used to conduct signal. In addition, people of African origin often select hairstyles with various braiding, locs, or weaving with synthetic hair, which can impede electrode placement and are commonly listed as exclusion criteria for research, thereby excluding people of African origin at higher rates. Furthermore, even when they do participate in collection, EEG technology unsuited to their hair type/style may lead to lower signal-to-noise ratios than on other subjects, resulting in their data being rejected from the study's analysis, thereby creating an unintentional racial barrier to study inclusion. Quantum Applied Science & Research (QUASAR), Inc. has developed innovative dry active pinned electrodes that work through hair without the need for abrasion or gels and acquire high-quality EEG signals comparable to those from gold-standard wet electrodes. This Phase I SBIR project aims to establish the feasibility of new dry or wet electrode tip designs that address the challenges posed by Type 4 hair types and commonly associated hairstyles. New designs will be tested on phantom mannequin heads and validated on human participants. The overall outcome of this project will be novel EEG electrode designs and systems that will reduce EEG access disparity for people of African origin in medical research and healthcare applications.
Public Health Relevance Statement: Narrative Electroencephalography (EEG) is useful for studying cognitive processes, neurological states, and medical conditions. Its relative low-cost, ease of use, and non-invasiveness increase its utility in brain monitoring for both research and medical applications. Unfortunately, the process of acquiring EEG is often not inclusive of all research subjects because of barriers posed by hair/hairstyles typical of Black subjects. This Phase I SBIR project aims to develop an EEG system that will reduce the EEG access disparity for people of African origin in medical research and healthcare applications by developing specialized technology to overcome these hair- related barriers.
Project Terms: comparison control; compare to control; Disparity; Disparities; access disparities; accessibility disparities; disparities in access; inequity in access; inequity in accessibility; absorption; Acceleration; Attention; Black race; Black; Brain; Brain Nervous System; Encephalon; Creativeness; creativity; Mental Depression; depression; Electrodes; Electroencephalography; EEG; Electroencephalogram; Electromagnetics; Environment; Epilepsy; Epileptic Seizures; Epileptics; Seizure Disorder; epilepsia; epileptogenic; Gel; Hair; Head; Human; Modern Man; Manikins; Mannequins; Methods; Motion; Persons; Noise; Race; Races; racial; racial background; racial origin; Records; Research; Saline; Saline Solution; Scalp structure; Scalp; Signal Transduction; Cell Communication and Signaling; Cell Signaling; Intracellular Communication and Signaling; Signal Transduction Systems; Signaling; biological signal transduction; Technology; Testing; Work; Measures; Medical Research; Research Subjects; Artifacts; Morphologic artifacts; Afro American; Afroamerican; African American; health care; Healthcare; Caring; Electrical Impedance; Impedance; electric impedance; sensor; improved; Surface; Penetration; Phase; Medical; Neurological; Neurologic; African; fluid; liquid; Liquid substance; tool; Source; System; Location; Width; novel; Participant; Exclusion; Applied Research; Applied Science; Positioning Attribute; Position; Skin; Thickness; Thick; Address; Length; Data; Dryness; Collection; Exclusion Criteria; Small Business Innovation Research Grant; SBIR; Small Business Innovation Research; Validation; validations; Monitor; Process; Development; developmental; cost; designing; design; quantum; Outcome; Population; innovate; innovative; innovation; resistant; Resistance; data acquisitions; data acquisition; commercial application; Geometry; cognitive process; Underrepresented Groups; under representation of groups; under represented groups; under represented people; under represented populations; underrepresentation of groups; underrepresented people; Underrepresented Populations; recruit; Black American; Black Populations; Black group; Black individual; Black people; Blacks; African American population; African American group; African American individual; African American people; African Americans
