Imagine a tiny, unobtrusive brain monitor — like an earbud or a hearing aid — that could read brainwaves through the ear.
Amazing as it sounds, this tiny device could help predict seizures and track daily seizures in people with uncontrolled epilepsy, according to a small pilot study.
Engineers at Imperial College in London have developed exactly that. An EEG device that can be worn inside the ear, like a hearing aid.
They say the device will allow scientists to record EEGs for several days at a time. This would allow doctors to monitor patients who have regularly recurring seizures.
The device is limited by the fact that it’s best at recording activity from the region it’s attached to, the temporal lobe, but an ear-based EEG has other advantages.
Having a device that fits right in the ear makes it easier to keep the electrodes in the same spot for accurate readings, and reduces the signal noise created by body movement.
The wearer can still hear through it, making it an inconspicuous way to monitor the brain activity of people who have daily seizures.
By nestling the EEG inside the ear, the engineers avoid a lot of signal noise usually introduced by body movement. And it allows researchers to record EEG data over multiple days, even as patients move around.
They can also ensure that the electrodes are always placed in exactly the same spot which, they say, will make repeated readings more reliable.
“The ideal is to have a very stable recording system, and recordings which are repeatable,” explains co-creator Dr. Danilo Mandic.
“It’s not interfering with your normal life, because there are acoustic vents so people can hear. After a while, they forget they’re having an EEG.”
Also, an Israeli start-up called HeadSense, has developed a pair of earbuds which claims it can monitor pressure inside the human skull.
These earbuds are made of medical-grade EEG sensors to capture brain activity 2,000 times per second and a Bluetooth radio to shoot your thoughts to the smartphone, tablet, or PC of your choice.
HeadSense’s earbuds work by emitting low-frequency sounds and monitoring changes in the sound waves as they pass through the brain.
Increased pressure causes blood flow in the brain to decrease.
And according to HeadSense, the corresponding narrowing of the blood vessels causes the sounds to raise in pitch.
This data is fed wirelessly to the device of your choice which performs the calculations to convert the measurements into a pressure reading.
It all sounds pretty amazing.
And of course, for patients who don’t respond to drugs, it could be a triumph.
But larger trials are needed, before these earbuds become an approved FDA reality.
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