April 25, 2025 — An assistant professor at the University of Memphis has been awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation to develop an innovative neuroimaging headband technology that will utilize a non-invasive and drug-free approach.
The study is being led by Dr. Manob Saikia, director of the Biomedical Sensors & Systems Lab and assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the UofM Herff College of Engineering.
The headband technology has potential implication to monitor brain activity to assist in diagnosing and treating neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, epilepsy, depression and trauma-related brain injuries. It is estimated that 100 million Americans are affected by brain disorders along their lifespan according to the National Institutes of Health.
“Our project is working to develop neurofeedback technology which has a lot of variation depending on individuals and their stages,” Saikia said. “This technology has the potential to transform the landscape of neurological disease management.”
Saikia’s headband technology can be used at home and is designed to be user friendly. The headband will utilize functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and electroencephalography technology (EEG) — which unlike an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) — can provide real-time data of brain activity without needing to be done in a clinic and at a much lower cost.
Used in conjunction with a phone app which will employ an interactive game for the patient to play, the data collected analyzes the user’s brain activity and is monitored simultaneously by a clinician. This data can then be used to provide neurofeedback to clinicians. The training protocol on the app will vary based on what is prescribed by a clinician.
This innovative method will empower both patients and clinicians and has the potential to be able to regularly monitor conditions including ADHD, anxiety, depression and even cognitive decline — allowing individuals to be proactive in their own brain health.
“This technology will give you the opportunity to take care of your own health, mental brain health and its long-term goal is changing the entire society of how to think. Basically, we are talking about neurological disease management and its main application to provide real time insight into your brain activities. The app will save all your activities, the scores and how you perform as you are improving your brain function or whether it is declining,” Saikia said.
In addition, Saikia’s research will explore and address the signal quality of fNIRS which tends to decrease signal strength in darker skin tones. Saikia’s lab will explore the potential ability to differentiate between various skin tone types, optimize signal quality and adjust accordingly, improving accuracy in collected data.
Parker King, Assistant Director
University Media and Public Relations
University of Memphis
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