First published: 25th June 2021

Cumulus Neuroscience has published a paper researching the feasibility of at-home EEG assessment, a core component of the Company’s digital CNS biomarker platform, in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry.

The paper is the first large field study to evaluate the feasibility of gathering large-scale EEG data using novel technology in the home environment with healthy adult users. Cumulus’ dry-sensor, portable wireless EEG headset is designed for low patient burden and real-world use and could have several advantages over traditional EEG – such as enabling larger cohorts in clinical trials and more frequent sampling, leading to better progression tracking and earlier detection of disease. These benefits could be applied to a range of disease areas, including Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia and depression, and may enhance the success rate of clinical trials for new treatments in these disease areas.

In the study, healthy adults aged 40–79 years volunteered to use the system at home for 12 weeks, 5 times a week, for 30 minutes per session. The headset recorded EEG while users played gamified cognitive and passive tasks through a tablet application. Data was uploaded to cloud servers and remotely monitored via web-based dashboards.

Seventy-eight participants completed the study, and high levels of adherence were maintained throughout, with mean compliance over the 12-week period of 82%. Reported ease of use was also high. Findings from behavioural response measures and EEG components replicated well-known patterns of age-related change and demonstrated the feasibility of using low-burden, large-scale, longitudinal EEG measurement in community-based cohorts.

“We were impressed that participants were compliant with the schedule, and that more than 95% of sessions recorded at home were useable,” commented Professor Bernadette McGuinness of Queen’s University Belfast, co-author of the paper. “This is an excellent example of how extensive data can be gathered in a short space of time from users with minimal training when using innovative platforms like Cumulus’ and opens the door to better real-world measurement of cognitive metrics.”

The full paper, Feasibility of Repeated Assessment of Cognitive Function in Older Adults Using a Wireless, Mobile, Dry-EEG Headset and Tablet-Based Games, can be accessed here.