A system that would comprise mobile and stationary electronic hardware and software subsystems has been proposed for collection and automated interpretation of electro-encephalo-graphic (EEG) data from subjects in everyday activities in a variety of environments. By enabling collection of EEG data from mobile subjects engaged in ordinary activities (in contradistinction to collection from immobilized subjects in clinical settings), the system would expand the range of options and capabilities for performing diagnoses.

This Probe Assembly would be one of several mounted in a helmet. Each such assembly would hold an EEG electrode in one of the required positions on the wearer’s head.

Each subject would be equipped with one of the mobile subsystems, which would include a helmet that would hold “floating electrodes” (see figure) in those positions on the patient’s head that are required in classical EEG data-collection techniques. A bundle of wires would couple the EEG signals from the electrodes to a multi-channel transmitter also located in the helmet. Electronic circuitry in the helmet transmitter would digitize the EEG signals and transmit the resulting data via a multi-directional RF patch antenna to a remote location.

At the remote location, the subject’s EEG data would be processed and stored in a database that would be auto-administered by a newly designed relational database management system (RDBMS). In this RDBMS, in nearly real time, the newly stored data would be subjected to automated interpretation that would involve comparison with other EEG data and concomitant peer-reviewed diagnoses stored in international brain data bases administered by other similar RDBMSs.

This work was done by Frederick Mintz and Philip Moynihan of Caltech for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. For more information, download the Technical Support Package (free white paper) at www.techbriefs.com/tsp under the Bio–Medical category.

In accordance with Public Law 96-517, the contractor has elected to retain title to this invention. Inquiries concerning rights for its commercial use should be addressed to:

Innovative Technology Assets Management
JPL
Mail Stop 202-233
4800 Oak Grove Drive
Pasadena, CA 91109-8099
(818) 354-2240
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Refer to NPO-42386, volume and number of this NASA Tech Briefs issue, and the page number.



This Brief includes a Technical Support Package (TSP).
Document cover
Mobile Collection and Automated Interpretation of EEG Data

(reference NPO-42386) is currently available for download from the TSP library.

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