Around the Clock: Wearing a Flex-Printed trEEGrid Electrode Patch and Miniaturized Amplifier for Nearly 24 Hours Across Daytime and Overnight EEG Sessions

Long-term EEG measurements (over eight hours) can allow a deeper understanding of everyday life brain functioning. However, most EEG systems can only be used for short periods in controlled settings, due to limitations in comfort, signal quality of EEG electrode sensors and amplifier size. In this study, we measured brain activity during day and night on ten lab member participants using our new flex-printed trEEGrid patch electrodes and a miniaturized and modularized amplifier prototype. The patch was left on participants up to 24 h while they went about their day. EEG was recorded during several exploratory tasks and overnight. Daytime scenarios included auditory and visual oddball tasks, as well as a resting-state measurement and sudoku cognitive load task. Impedances were recorded throughout all tasks. Ag/AgCl ‘ring’ electrodes were used as comparison. Daytime tasks were performed twice (i.e., once in the afternoon and again the next morning), to assess signal quality changes over time. P3 oddball, resting state and workload-related spectral effects were observed on both days. Auditory N1 amplitudes were similar between the patch and ring electrodes. The system shows promising data quality over the nearly 24 h wearing time and allows new possibilities for daytime and sleep EEG studies.