Comparison of electrode technologies for dry and portable EEG acquisition

Abstract

Clinical evaluation of electroencephalogram (EEG) is essential for monitoring the electrical activity present in the brain. In collusion with engineering advances, the movement towards portable, rapid and low-cost EEG acquisition and monitoring is growing. A low-cost and portable system for neonatal EEG is presented in this paper that aims to improve signal quality and robustness, while decreasing the preparation time and efforts required to complete a routine EEG recording. Several novel designs of dry, wet, active and passive electrodes are presented and compared with the standard EEG acquisition method using objective tests and subjective assessment by an epileptologist. It is shown that sufficient quality is achievable using dry setups, such as microneedle electrodes, with minimal patient preparation for the acquisition of clinical grade recordings.