SBIR Phase I: Physiological Brain Measurement for Anxiety Assessment and Trending

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力将直接帮助加强对美国3000万至4000万患有焦虑症的成年人的护理。 心理健康广泛影响着社会，全国精神疾病联盟（NAMI）报告说，美国每年有五分之一的成年人患有精神疾病。 这个庞大的群体构成了一个服务严重不足的患者群体，他们才刚刚开始受到提供更有效解决方案所需的关注。 此外，COVID-19大流行的到来只会加剧这些疾病的流行，并需要改善护理结果。 大多数执业心理健康临床医生都经历了寻求焦虑，抑郁和其他疾病治疗的患者显着增加，这给已经不堪重负的医疗保健部门带来了负担。 该技术解决了对更好的方法的需求，以筛选和分诊患者，提高药物选择的精度，并提供健康状态的远程监控，特别是在风险部门，以扩大患者趋势，并确保有效的治疗结果。这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目建立在成功的人类研究和试点工程，以进一步研发商业上可行的行为健康生命体征。 该生命体征测量利用可穿戴脑电图（EEG）传感器与移动终端应用程序配合，其允许基于大脑生物学对焦虑进行高精度生理测量。 第一阶段资助的活动集中在这一新的生命体征的实现技术之一：集成到可穿戴设备中的新型EEG传感器电极，它允许在任何位置和任何时间简单地进行临床级的大脑测量。 这些EEG传感器电极模仿人类皮肤的机械特性，并且已经通过几项研究表明，在不使用不方便和凌乱的导电凝胶的情况下，可以长时间提供高质量的信号。 第一阶段的活动将建立在这个平台上，通过一系列的设计和制造实验，使这些电极可以由新手用户现场更换，并将成本降低到市场上可行的水平。 飞行员可穿戴设备将进行修改，以接受这些更新的电极和用户测试，以确认电气，舒适性和寿命性能。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will directly help enhance care for the 30-to-40 million adults in the U.S. that live with anxiety disorders. Mental health widely impacts society, with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) reporting one-in-five adults in the U.S. experiencing a mental illness annually. This large group forms a vastly underserved patient population that is only beginning to receive the attention needed to provide more effective solutions. Further, the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the prevalence of these disorders and the need for improved care outcomes. Most practicing mental health clinicians have experienced significant increases of patients seeking care for anxiety, depression, and other disorders, taxing an already overwhelmed segment of healthcare. The proposed technology addresses needs for better methods to screen and triage patients, improve precision of pharmaceutical selection, and provide remote monitoring of health states, especially in at-risk sectors, to expand patient trending and ensure effective treatment outcomes.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project builds upon successful human research studies and pilot engineering to further the R&D of a commercially viable behavioral health vital sign. This vital sign measure utilizes a wearable electroencephalogram (EEG) sensor in concert with a mobile device application that allows a high-accuracy, physiological measurement of anxiety based upon brain biology. The activities of the Phase I grant focus on one of the enabling technologies for this new vital sign: the novel EEG sensor electrodes integrated into the wearable, which allow clinical-grade brain measurements simply, in any location, and at any time. These EEG sensor electrodes mimic the mechanical properties of human skin and have been shown through several research studies to provide high-quality signals over long durations without the use of inconvenient and messy conductive gels. The Phase I activities will build upon this platform with a series of design and fabrication experiments to make these electrodes field replaceable by novice users and to reduce the cost to a point that is viable in the market. Pilot wearable devices will be modified to accept these updated electrodes and user testing conducted to confirm electrical, comfort, and longevity performance.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.