Wearable Device to Quantify Sleep & Sleepiness Abnormalities for Detection of mTBI

The overall goal of this project is to develop a novel, miniaturized, wearable neurobehavioral device that will quantify the presence and severity of night sleep abnormalities and daytime sleepiness using state of the art EEG acquisition hardware as well as high-resolution signal acquisition and processing methods. The intended use of the device is for early detection of mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) based on quantification of sleep abnormalities and excessive daytime sleepiness. To achieve this goal, we will develop (and test with mTBI patients) a novel integrated device with the following two major technical capabilities (1) Hardware: Robust, convenient, and self-administering means of acquiring EEG and other biosignals during sleep study, and EEG and behavioral response during daytime test of sleepiness, and (2) Software/Algorithm: Sensitive and high-resolution signal processing methods and EEG-based algorithms for tracking the fluctuations in the wake and sleep stages for a more precise characterization of the sleep architecture and quality, as well as daytime sleepiness. The output of the algorithms, which are embedded within the EEG hardware, will be then utilized for a more sensitive quantification of wake-sleep disorder and abnormalities that would be correlated with the presence and severity of mTBI.