Emish Mohamed, Young Sean D
Department of Informatics, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-3100, USA.
Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-3100, USA.
Biomimetics (Basel). 2024 Apr 16;9(4):237. doi: 10.3390/biomimetics9040237.
Digital health tracking is a source of valuable insights for public health research and consumer health technology. The brain is the most complex organ, containing information about psychophysical and physiological biomarkers that correlate with health. Specifically, recent developments in electroencephalogram (EEG), functional near-infra-red spectroscopy (fNIRS), and photoplethysmography (PPG) technologies have allowed the development of devices that can remotely monitor changes in brain activity. The inclusion criteria for the papers in this review encompassed studies on self-applied, remote, non-invasive neuroimaging techniques (EEG, fNIRS, or PPG) within healthcare applications. A total of 23 papers were reviewed, comprising 17 on using EEGs for remote monitoring and 6 on neurofeedback interventions, while no papers were found related to fNIRS and PPG. This review reveals that previous studies have leveraged mobile EEG devices for remote monitoring across the mental health, neurological, and sleep domains, as well as for delivering neurofeedback interventions. With headsets and ear-EEG devices being the most common, studies found mobile devices feasible for implementation in study protocols while providing reliable signal quality. Moderate to substantial agreement overall between remote and clinical-grade EEGs was found using statistical tests. The results highlight the promise of portable brain-imaging devices with regard to continuously evaluating patients in natural settings, though further validation and usability enhancements are needed as this technology develops.
数字健康追踪是公共卫生研究和消费者健康技术中宝贵见解的来源。大脑是最复杂的器官,包含与健康相关的心理物理和生理生物标志物信息。具体而言,脑电图(EEG)、功能性近红外光谱(fNIRS)和光电容积脉搏波描记法(PPG)技术的最新发展使得能够开发出可远程监测大脑活动变化的设备。本综述中论文的纳入标准包括医疗保健应用中关于自我应用、远程、非侵入性神经成像技术(EEG、fNIRS或PPG)的研究。共审查了23篇论文,其中17篇关于使用脑电图进行远程监测,6篇关于神经反馈干预,未发现与fNIRS和PPG相关的论文。本综述表明,先前的研究已经利用移动脑电图设备在心理健康、神经学和睡眠领域进行远程监测,以及提供神经反馈干预。耳机和耳部脑电图设备最为常见,研究发现移动设备在研究方案中可行,同时能提供可靠的信号质量。通过统计测试发现,远程脑电图和临床级脑电图之间总体上存在中度到高度的一致性。结果凸显了便携式脑成像设备在自然环境中持续评估患者方面的前景,不过随着这项技术的发展,还需要进一步验证和提高其可用性。