If you’ve been keeping up with recent developments in wearable Brain Computer Interface (BCI) headsets, you likely already know about the cordless fNIRS and EEG headsets currently available in the commercial market. Unfortunately, these headsets are not sensitive and reliable enough yet to replace the wired BCI headsets found in top neuroscience laboratories. Fortunately, we may soon be approaching a point at which these portable headsets will allow researchers to take brain activity studies out of the lab and into the real world…
A case study by researchers at University College London sought to assess the usability of fibreless, wearable fNIRS headsets in non-laboratory settings—specifically, the streets of London. The study involved one patient walking down a few specific streets while performing various prospective memory tasks. Prospective memory is a form of memory that involves remembering to perform a planned action.
After studying the fNIRS data collected during various tasks, the researchers concluded that the headset was a feasible option for tracking brain activity in this real-world setting. The study illustrated increases in HbO2 (oxygenated hemoglobin) and decreases in HHb (de-oxygenated hemoglobin) in correspondence with both social and non-social prospective memory tasks.
While this case study was preliminary, it proved the feasibility of using an fNIRS headset in real-life situations, which means it may be a feasible tool for facilitating neurorehabilitation during normal day-to-day activities, such as cleaning or reading. Furthermore, the practicality of fNIRS portable headsets may help advance typical laboratory-simulated experiments by bringing them out of the unfamiliar, high-pressure laboratory setting to familiar, more natural real-world situations.
Link to study: https://www.jove.com/pdf/53336/jove-protocol-53336-using-fiberless-wearable-fnirs-to-monitor-brain-activity-real-world