A personalized earbud for non-invasive long-term EEG monitoring.

Abstract

<i>Objective</i>. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the reliability, comfort, and performance of a custom-fit, non-invasive long-term electrophysiologic headphone, known as Aware Hearable, for the ambulatory recording of brain activities. These recordings play a crucial role in diagnosing neurological disorders such as epilepsy and in studying neural dynamics during daily activities.<i>Approach.</i>The study uses commercial manufacturing processes common to the hearing aid industry, such as 3D scanning, computer-aided design modeling, and 3D printing. These processes enable the creation of the Aware Hearable with a personalized, custom-fit, thereby ensuring complete and consistent contact with the inner surfaces of the ear for high-quality data recordings. Additionally, the study employs a machine learning data analysis approach to validate the recordings produced by Aware Hearable, by comparing them to the gold standard intracranial electroencephalography recordings in epilepsy patients.<i>Main results.</i>The results indicate the potential of Aware Hearable to expedite the diagnosis of epilepsy by enabling extended periods of ambulatory recording.<i>Significance.</i>This offers significant reductions in burden to patients and their families. Furthermore, the device's utility may extend to a broader spectrum, making it suitable for other applications involving neurophysiological recordings in real-world settings.