Development and testing of portable EEG event-related brain potential capability

近年来，一些低成本，便携式脑电图（EEG，或“脑波”）可穿戴技术已经进入市场，增加了科学家，工业甚至商业产品的大脑分析的可及性。然而，在这些系统真正可用之前，仍然存在一个关键障碍，那就是软件的开发，使科学家能够轻松地收集和分析来自头带的数据，比如InteraXon公司开发的MUSE。换句话说，虽然硬件能力目前存在，但软件是限制这些移动脑电图技术使用的障碍。此外，考虑到以这种方式获取有效数据所需的技术需求，收集事件相关电位（ERP）数据的能力甚至受到更大的限制。ERP数据是关键，因为它允许人们探测大脑对特定事件的反应。事实上，测量ERP数据可以让科学家研究大范围的大脑功能，如记忆、注意力、感知、学习和决策。因此，开发支持低成本脑电图系统（如MUSE头带）能力所需的软件非常重要。本文提出的研究将为MUSE脑电图头带开发这种功能。这个项目的结果是，科学家、工业界的研究人员，甚至临床医生都可以访问移动脑电图和ERP数据，这将使他们能够在广泛的环境中研究人类大脑功能，这在今天是不可能的。想象一下，如果诊断某种疾病所需的神经评估可以很容易地到家里来，而不是让人们去医院。考虑到这一点，对加拿大的好处是无限的——我们几乎有能力在任何情况下进行大脑分析，这将对研究、工业和临床环境产生直接影响，从而提高我们对人类大脑的了解，并有可能改善加拿大人的健康。

In recent years a number of low-cost, portable electroencephalographic (EEG, or "brain-wave") wearable technologies have come to market increasing the accessibility of brain analysis for scientists, industry, and even commercial products. However, a crucial barrier that remains until these systems are truly accessible is the development of software that allows scientists to easily collect and analyse data from headbands such as the MUSE developed by InteraXon Inc. In other words, while the hardware capability is present currently software is a barrier limiting the use of these mobile EEG technologies. Further, and more exclusive, the ability to collect event-related potential (ERP) data is even more restricted given the technical requirements needed to obtain valid data in this manner. ERP data is key because it allows one to probe the brains response to specific events. Indeed, measuring ERP data allows scientists to study a large range of brain functions such as memory, attention, perception, learning, and decision-making. As such, it is important to develop the software needed to support the capability of low-cost EEG systems such as the MUSE headband for this type of research.The research proposed here will develop this capability for the MUSE EEG headband. As a result of this project, scientists, researchers in industry, and even clinicians will have access to mobile EEG and ERP data that will allow them to study human brain function in a wide range of settings not possible today. Imagine for instance, if the neural assessments needed to diagnose a certain condition could easily come to one's home as opposed to having people have to come to the hospital. With this in mind, the benefit for Canada is limitless - we almost have a capability to brain analysis in any context which will have immediate impact in research, industry, and clinical environments to improve what we know about the human brain and potentially also improve the health of Canadians.