Abstracto

Improving access to brain-based assessment: a pilot study of mobile EEG.

Kate B Nooner

While mental health problems are prevalent, the availability of services to assess and treat them is limited, particularly for underserved populations. Brain-based assessments may be useful to inform services for a variety of mental health problems in underserved populations. Thus far, current methods of brain-based assessments are generally costly and not widely available. The purpose of the present pilot study is to evaluate mobile EEG as a potential way to bring more brain-based assessments to the community. The current pilot study compares mobile wireless EEG to traditional wired EEG at three midline electrode sites (Fz, Cz, and Pz). The goal of this pilot study is to begin to establish mobile EEG as a tool for assessing brain function in underserved mental health settings. Paired sample t-tests of the P300 component of event related potentials (ERPs) measured during a standardized response inhibition task indicated that there were not statistically significant differences between the mobile and traditional EEG assessments. There were no statistically significant differences in ERP peak latency or peak amplitude at the electrode sites. This suggests that that mobile EEG may be a useful tool for reducing health disparities in underserved communities with limited resources while still providing similar results as traditional EEG.