SBIR Phase I: Physiological Brain Measurement for Anxiety Assessment and Trending

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will directly help enhance care for the 30-to-40 million adults in the U.S. that live with anxiety disorders. Mental health widely impacts society, with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) reporting one-in-five adults in the U.S. experiencing a mental illness annually. This large group forms a vastly underserved patient population that is only beginning to receive the attention needed to provide more effective solutions. Further, the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the prevalence of these disorders and the need for improved care outcomes. Most practicing mental health clinicians have experienced significant increases of patients seeking care for anxiety, depression, and other disorders, taxing an already overwhelmed segment of healthcare. The proposed technology addresses needs for better methods to screen and triage patients, improve precision of pharmaceutical selection, and provide remote monitoring of health states, especially in at-risk sectors, to expand patient trending and ensure effective treatment outcomes. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project builds upon successful human research studies and pilot engineering to further the R&D of a commercially viable behavioral health vital sign. This vital sign measure utilizes a wearable electroencephalogram (EEG) sensor in concert with a mobile device application that allows a high-accuracy, physiological measurement of anxiety based upon brain biology. The activities of the Phase I grant focus on one of the enabling technologies for this new vital sign: the novel EEG sensor electrodes integrated into the wearable, which allow clinical-grade brain measurements simply, in any location, and at any time. These EEG sensor electrodes mimic the mechanical properties of human skin and have been shown through several research studies to provide high-quality signals over long durations without the use of inconvenient and messy conductive gels. The Phase I activities will build upon this platform with a series of design and fabrication experiments to make these electrodes field replaceable by novice users and to reduce the cost to a point that is viable in the market. Pilot wearable devices will be modified to accept these updated electrodes and user testing conducted to confirm electrical, comfort, and longevity performance. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.