Mobile electroencephalography (EEG) is installed by University Research Facility in Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience (UBSN) in the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) for researchers to explore new frontiers in brain function and behaviour.
Representing the latest technology for neuroscience research, mobile EEG is a wireless system for EEG measurement to study real-time brain activity. The device allows remote data collection, enabling applications outside a laboratory setting. It has been applied to study memory, emotion and movement in real-world settings.
Compared to conventional wired EEG, this mobile system fits for experiments which involve dynamic motions such as research on locomotion and physical exercise. Versatility of mobile EEG significantly supports researchers for a wider scope of study and experiment.
Prof Marco Pang, Director of UBSN and Professor in Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, said, “We were always able to study all the hot topics such as sleep, memory, attention and emotion. And now, mobile EEG setups enable researcher to study neural activities with subjects performing physical activities or daily tasks in a more natural context.” For neuroscience research, this mobile device has facilitated Event-Related Potentials (ERP) analysis on short segments of EEG data that are time-locked to particular events of experimental interests. Respectively, mobile EEG enables tracking of lifestyle factors that are associated with rates of brain activity.
Linguistic research has applied EEG for investigation on the process of speech in the brain, particularly the relationship between brain signals and speech features. Mobile device enables experiments outside the laboratory for subjects in different locations.
Prof Gang Peng, Professor in Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, said, “Mobile EEG plays a role for its flexibility and mobility for reaching more diversified subjects, particularly for remote on-site experiments in linguistic fieldworks.” For instance, different tone systems are hypothesized to influence the brain process of pitch. Some minority languages have as many as five level tones. But native subjects of specific minority languages have to conduct the experiments in remote villages, and for such on-site settings, mobile EEG particularly facilitates the research.
Practically, mobile EEG benefits real-life applications in rehabilitation research. Prof Thomas Choi, Professor in School of Nursing, said, “For rehabilitation activities involving movements, the device has to move with the user.” For example, in spinal cord injury therapy, mobile EEG-based brain-computer interface (BCI) enables capture of movement intentions to drive assistive lower limb exoskeletons when a patient practises walking.
For rehabilitation, mobile EEG-based facilities BCI research for the evaluation of brain activity and interaction with in real-time interactive environment. The EEG signals acquired using BCI are studied for mental status and movement intention. BCI-based therapy for post-stroke rehabilitation targeting motor, cognitive and affect functions has shown promising results in research.
Mobile EEG is available in PolyU to apply for various research fields such as for mechanisms underlying cognitive process and body motion, EEG measurement outside laboratory and sport neuroscience.
