A Dry Electrode for Universal Accessibility to EEG

摘要 脑电图（EEG）从头皮表面测量大脑的局部场电位。这 这种方法对于研究认知过程、神经系统状态和医学状况是有用的。相对较低的- 成本、易用性和非侵入性增加了其在用于研究和医疗的脑监测中的实用性 应用.不幸的是，获取EEG的过程往往不包括所有的研究对象。 EEG通常需要头皮磨损和应用导电凝胶来创建低阻抗接触 在暴露的皮肤和电极头之间。这种方法对于获得良好的信号和减少 然而，它对黑人或非洲裔美国人的头发造成了挑战。研究表明 非洲血统的紧密卷曲的头发（4型）影响EEG帽放置电极测量的能力， 大脑活动和头发对液体的低吸收会影响用于 传导信号。此外，非洲血统的人经常选择各种辫子，locs，或 用合成头发编织，这可能会妨碍电极放置，通常被列为排除 研究标准，从而以较高的比率排除了非洲裔人。此外，即使他们 参与采集，EEG技术不适合其发型/风格可能导致信噪比降低 比其他科目，导致他们的数据被拒绝从研究的分析，从而创造 无意中造成的种族障碍 Quantum Applied Science & Research（QUASAR），Inc.开发了创新的干活性钉扎电极 通过头发工作，而不需要磨损或凝胶，并获得高质量的EEG信号， 与金标准湿电极相比。第一阶段SBIR项目旨在建立新的 干或湿的电极尖端设计，其解决了由类型4毛发类型所带来的挑战， 相关发型新设计将在体模人体模型头上进行测试，并在人体上进行验证。 参与者该项目的总体成果将是新颖的EEG电极设计和系统， 在医学研究和医疗保健应用中减少非洲裔人获得脑电图的差距。

Abstract 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.