SBIR-STTR Award

Electroencephalography (EEG) -- a neural sensing modality essential for diagnosis of epilepsy, stroke, brain injuries and other neurological disorders -- is not accessible to individuals with coarse and curly hair common in Black populations. The springiness of these hair-types makes it difficult to maintain a good electrodes-scalp contact. Consequently, Black patients are denied the same quality of care as others. Our team has designed the first electrodes -- Sevo electrodes1, and complementary hair-braiding techniques -- that work with these hair-types. In the proposed work, Precision Neuroscopics will rigorously quantify improvement in EEG metrics obtained using Sevo electrodes in clinical and research lab settings, as well as obtain new designs that broaden the applicability and market of Sevo. Aim 1 will test Sevo electrodes in a) clinical setting, comparing with clinical standard systems and electrodes; and b) neuroscience lab setting, comparing with state-of-the-art systems used in neuroscience labs. Aim 2 will broaden the applicability and the market for Sevo by designing i) braid-free electrodes; ii) embedding novel conductive sponge electrodes to obtain electrodes that are quick-apply and yet can be used for a long time; iii) electrodes designed high-density EEG installation. By testing rigorously in a clinical setting, we test our electrodes on a relevant population, namely, children suffering from epilepsy. While our electrodes will help all patients and participants with this hair-type, they will be of even greater help for patients with Down's syndrome and autism spectrum, who find it difficult to have EEG electrodes applied on their scalp, a difficulty compounded for Black patients suffering from these disorders. The project can thus support the NIH INCLUDE initiative (https://www.nih.gov/include-project) specific to Down's syndrome patients, and broadly, enable inclusive NIH studies as required by federal law (Public Health Service Act sec. 492B, 42 USC 289a-2) and NIH policy.

Public Health Relevance Statement:
Electroencephalography (EEG) -- a neural sensing modality essential for diagnosis of epilepsy, stroke, brain injuries and other neurological disorders -- is not accessible to individuals with coarse and curly hair. This is because of difficulty in maintaining good electrodes-scalp contact with this hair-type, denying Black patients patients the same quality of care as others. In the proposed work, Precision Neuroscopics will rigorously quantify improvement in EEG metrics obtained using Sevo electrodes, which are the first electrodes that work with this hair-type, in clinical and research lab settings, as well as obtain new designs that broaden the applicability and market of Sevo.

Project Terms:
Attention; Awareness; Black race; Black; Brain Diseases; Brain Disorders; Encephalon Diseases; Intracranial CNS Disorders; Intracranial Central Nervous System Disorders; Child; 0-11 years old; Child Youth; Children (0-21); youngster; Clinical Research; Clinical Study; Coma; Comatose; Communities; comorbidity; co-morbid; co-morbidity; Diagnosis; Disease; Disorder; Down Syndrome; Down's Syndrome; Downs Syndrome; Langdon Down syndrome; Mongolism; Trisomy 21; chromosome 21 trisomy syndrome; congenital acromicria syndrome; morbus Down; pseudohypertrophic progressive muscular dystrophy; trisomy 21 syndrome; Electrodes; Electroencephalography; EEG; Environment; Epilepsy; Epileptic Seizures; Epileptics; Seizure Disorder; epilepsia; epileptiform; epileptogenic; Gold; Hair; Pediatric Hospitals; Children's Hospital; Industry; Laws; Lead; Pb element; heavy metal Pb; heavy metal lead; NIH; National Institutes of Health; United States National Institutes of Health; Nervous System Diseases; Neurologic Disorders; Neurological Disorders; neurological disease; nervous system disorder; Neurosciences; Noise; Patients; Sponges; Porifera; Questionnaires; Research; Investigators; Researchers; Research Personnel; Scalp; Scalp structure; Cell Communication and Signaling; Cell Signaling; Intracellular Communication and Signaling; Signal Transduction Systems; Signaling; biological signal transduction; Signal Transduction; Apoplexy; Brain Vascular Accident; Cerebral Stroke; Cerebrovascular Apoplexy; Cerebrovascular Stroke; brain attack; cerebral vascular accident; cerebrovascular accident; Stroke; Testing; Time; United States Public Health Service; Public Health Service; USPHS; Universities; Work; Healthcare; health care; electric impedance; Electrical Impedance; Impedance; Injury; injuries; density; improved; Procedures; Clinical; Medical; Ensure; Individual; Policies; Acquired brain injury; brain damage; brain-injured; Brain Injuries; Collaborations; Hour; Clinic; Techniques; System; Diagnostic Device; Diagnostic Equipment; Medical center; American; experience; Performance; success; neural; relating to nervous system; novel; Participant; Modality; Position; Positioning Attribute; QOC; Quality of Care; response; Intervention Strategies; interventional strategy; Intervention; Skin; Autism; Autistic Disorder; Early Infantile Autism; Infantile Autism; Kanner's Syndrome; autistic spectrum disorder; autism spectrum disorder; Data; Exclusion Criteria; Monitor; design; designing; next generation; Population; innovation; innovate; innovative; multidisciplinary; standard of care; implicit bias; treatment disparity; disparities in treatment; supportive environment; enthusiastic atmosphere; enthusiastic environment; supportive atmosphere; black patient; Black Populations; Black group; Black individual; Black people; Blacks

Electroencephalography (EEG) -- a neural sensing modality essential for diagnosis of epilepsy, stroke, brain injuries and other neurological disorders -- is not accessible to individuals with coarse and curly hair common in Black populations. The springiness of these hair-types makes it difficult to maintain a good electrodes-scalp contact. Consequently, Black patients are denied the same quality of care as others. Our team has designed the first electrodes -- Sevo electrodes1, and complementary hair-braiding techniques -- that work with these hair-types. In the proposed work, Precision Neuroscopics will rigorously quantify improvement in EEG metrics obtained using Sevo electrodes in clinical and research lab settings, as well as obtain new designs that broaden the applicability and market of Sevo. Aim 1 will test Sevo electrodes in a) clinical setting, comparing with clinical standard systems and electrodes; and b) neuroscience lab setting, comparing with state-of-the-art systems used in neuroscience labs. Aim 2 will broaden the applicability and the market for Sevo by designing i) braid-free electrodes; ii) embedding novel conductive sponge electrodes to obtain electrodes that are quick-apply and yet can be used for a long time; iii) electrodes designed high-density EEG installation. By testing rigorously in a clinical setting, we test our electrodes on a relevant population, namely, children suffering from epilepsy. While our electrodes will help all patients and participants with this hair-type, they will be of even greater help for patients with Down's syndrome and autism spectrum, who find it difficult to have EEG electrodes applied on their scalp, a difficulty compounded for Black patients suffering from these disorders. The project can thus support the NIH INCLUDE initiative (https://www.nih.gov/include-project) specific to Down's syndrome patients, and broadly, enable inclusive NIH studies as required by federal law (Public Health Service Act sec. 492B, 42 USC 289a-2) and NIH policy.

Public Health Relevance Statement:
Electroencephalography (EEG) -- a neural sensing modality essential for diagnosis of epilepsy, stroke, brain injuries and other neurological disorders -- is not accessible to individuals with coarse and curly hair. This is because of difficulty in maintaining good electrodes-scalp contact with this hair-type, denying Black patients patients the same quality of care as others. In the proposed work, Precision Neuroscopics will rigorously quantify improvement in EEG metrics obtained using Sevo electrodes, which are the first electrodes that work with this hair-type, in clinical and research lab settings, as well as obtain new designs that broaden the applicability and market of Sevo.

Project Terms:
Attention; Awareness; Black race; Black; Brain Diseases; Brain Disorders; Encephalon Diseases; Intracranial CNS Disorders; Intracranial Central Nervous System Disorders; Child; 0-11 years old; Child Youth; Children (0-21); kids; youngster; Coma; Comatose; Communities; comorbidity; co-morbid; co-morbidity; Diagnosis; Disease; Disorder; Down Syndrome; Down's Syndrome; Downs Syndrome; Langdon Down syndrome; Mongolism; Trisomy 21; chromosome 21 trisomy syndrome; congenital acromicria syndrome; morbus Down; pseudohypertrophic progressive muscular dystrophy; trisomy 21 syndrome; Electrodes; Electroencephalography; EEG; Electroencephalogram; Environment; Epilepsy; Epileptic Seizures; Epileptics; Seizure Disorder; epilepsia; epileptogenic; Gold; Hair; Pediatric Hospitals; Children's Hospital; Industry; Laws; Lead; Pb element; heavy metal Pb; heavy metal lead; Marketing; United States National Institutes of Health; NIH; National Institutes of Health; nervous system disorder; Nervous System Diseases; Neurologic Disorders; Neurological Disorders; neurological disease; Neurosciences; Noise; Patients; Porifera; Sponges; Questionnaires; Research; Research Personnel; Investigators; Researchers; Scalp structure; Scalp; Signal Transduction; Cell Communication and Signaling; Cell Signaling; Intracellular Communication and Signaling; Signal Transduction Systems; Signaling; biological signal transduction; Stroke; Apoplexy; Brain Vascular Accident; Cerebral Stroke; Cerebrovascular Apoplexy; Cerebrovascular Stroke; brain attack; cerebral vascular accident; cerebrovascular accident; stroked; strokes; Testing; Time; United States Public Health Service; Public Health Service; USPHS; Universities; Work; health care; Healthcare; Electrical Impedance; Impedance; electric impedance; injuries; Injury; density; improved; Procedures; Clinical; Medical; Ensure; Individual; Policies; Acquired brain injury; brain damage; brain-injured; Brain Injuries; Collaborations; Hour; Clinic; Reaction; Techniques; System; Diagnostic Equipment; Diagnostic Device; Medical center; American; experience; Performance; success; neural; novel; Participant; Modality; Positioning Attribute; Position; Quality of Care; QOC; response; Intervention; Intervention Strategies; interventional strategy; Skin; autism spectrum disorder; Autism; Autistic Disorder; Early Infantile Autism; Infantile Autism; Kanner's Syndrome; autistic spectrum disorder; Data; Dryness; Exclusion Criteria; Monitor; designing; design; next generation; Population; multidisciplinary; standard of care; implicit bias; disparities in treatment; inequality in treatment; treatment inequality; treatment inequity; treatment disparity; enthusiastic atmosphere; enthusiastic environment; supportive atmosphere; supportive environment; black patient; Black Populations; Black group; Black individual; Black people; Blacks