An In-Ear Brain Monitor Could Watch For Seizures Discreetly
Earpiece EEG Looney et al. via IEEE Life Sciences The hearing-aid sized device could allow researchers to record EEG data over multiple days, even as patients move around. Measuring the brain's electric signals, a process called electroencephalography (EEG), is a useful way to diagnose seizures and evaluate sleep disorders. Attaching a jumble of electrodes and wires to the scalp, though, is messy, time-consuming and requires a patient to sit still in a lab, so researchers are limited to recording data over a period of only a few hours. Engineers from Imperial College London hope to give EEG recording a little more flexibility with a device designed to be worn nestled in the outer ear like a hearing aid. It three electrodes record data from within the ear canal, a technique its creators say performs on par with a traditional scalp EEG, but can be used to conveniently record activity over...