Rapid Profiling of EEG Responses to Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation in Parkinson’s Disease: A Biomarker-Driven Screening Framework
<b>Background/Objectives</b>: Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with alterations in resting-state Electroencephalogram (EEG) biomarkers. Identifying stimulation protocols that reliably shift these biomarkers toward healthy-like patterns is essential for developing personalized neuromodulation strategies. This study introduces a rapid, biomarker-driven framework for screening the EEG effects of diverse Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation (GVS) waveforms in PD. <b>Methods</b>: More than 300 subthreshold GVS stimuli were delivered during resting-state EEG to PD (<i>n</i> = 5) subjects and Healthy Controls (<i>n</i> = 5). A composite biomarker score that included spectral, cross-frequency, aperiodic, and complexity measures quantified stimulation-related changes. A linear classifier and multi-criteria decision analysis were used to evaluate and rank stimuli. <b>Results</b>: Stimulation produced consistent improvements in the composite biomarker score, with the strongest effects observed for beta-range sinusoids, multisine waveforms, frequency-modulated stimuli with a 75 Hz carrier, and PAC-modulated signals. No significant post-stimulation carryover effects were detected. <b>Conclusions</b>: While preliminary, this exploratory framework enables rapid, interpretable profiling of EEG responses to non-invasive stimulation in PD. By prioritizing candidate GVS protocols based on biomarker shifts rather than behavioural endpoints, the approach provides a practical foundation for future personalized neuromodulation strategies.
Authors
- Martin J. McKeown (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4048-0817)
- Maryam S. Mirian (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5411-9902)
- Sepideh Hajipour Sardouie (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0594-3019)
- Varsha Sreenivasan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3225-7057)
- Martin S. Keung (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6028-2674)
- Zahra Kavian
- Mahdi Babaei
- Shervin Mehrtash
- Mahsa Naseri
- Hanaa Diab
- Mohamad Hosein Faramarzi
Institutions
- University of British Columbia (CA)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Biomedicines
- Published
- 2026-02-03
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines14020352
- Primary Topic
- Neurological disorders and treatments
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00