Key result
A low-cost EEG system using dry electrodes achieved a 25dB signal-to-noise ratio in a neonatal simulation framework, with MicroTIPs performing comparably to wet electrodes at the frontal region.
Why the study?
Assessment of dry electrodes on neonates is limited by health and safety barriers, despite their potential to simplify EEG monitoring without gels.
Does a low-cost EEG system with dry electrodes provide comparable signal quality to wet electrodes in neonatal and adult models?
Does a low-cost EEG system with dry electrodes provide comparable signal quality to wet electrodes in neonatal and adult models?
A low-cost EEG system using dry electrodes can achieve comparable signal quality to wet electrodes in specific regions, potentially facilitating EEG use outside tertiary care.
Should not yet change neonatal EEG practice; leaves open broader validation beyond simulation.
Electroencephalography (EEG) is an important clinical tool for monitoring neurological health. However, the required equipment, expertise, and patient preparation inhibits its use outside of tertiary care. Non-experts struggle to obtain high-quality EEG due to its low amplitude and artefact susceptibility. Wet electrodes are currently used, which require abrasive/conductive gels to reduce skin-electrode impedance. Advances in dry electrodes, which do not require gels, have simplified this process. However, the assessment of dry electrodes on neonates is limited due to health and safety barriers. This study presents a simulation framework for assessing the quality of EEG systems using a neonatal EEG database, without the use of human participants. The framework is used to evaluate a low-cost EEG acquisition system and compare performance of wet and dry (Micro Transdermal Interface Platforms (MicroTIPs), g.tec-g.SAHARA) electrodes using accurately acquired impedance models. A separate experiment assessing the electrodes on adult participants was conducted to verify the simulation framework's efficacy. Dry electrodes have higher impedance than wet electrodes, causing a reduction in signal quality. However, MicroTIPs perform comparably to wet electrodes at the frontal region and g.tec-g.SAHARA performs well at the occipital region. Using the simulation framework, a 25dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was obtained for the low-cost EEG system. The tests on adults closely matched the simulated results.
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O’Sullivan et al. (2019) studied Neurological health monitoring in neonates. Low-cost EEG acquisition system and dry electrodes (MicroTIPs, g.tec-g.SAHARA) vs. Wet electrodes was evaluated on Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). A low-cost EEG system using dry electrodes achieved a 25dB signal-to-noise ratio in a neonatal simulation framework, with MicroTIPs performing comparably to wet electrodes at the frontal region.
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