NeuroVigil, a California-based startup company, is testing a new product that potentially could monitor brain activity to diagnose sleeping disorders, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
The portable wireless device, called the iBrain, analyzes electrical brain activity using a single electrode instead of numerous pads and wires.
To use the iBrain, patients wear an elastic head harness with a tiny probe attached. The probe collects brain activity data and can send the information overnight via a cell phone to computers at NeuroVigil.
Philip Low, founder and head of NeuroVigil, said the iBrain eventually could be sold to consumers. Although NeuroVigil currently is testing the device only for diagnosing sleep disorders, Low said it potentially could be used to:
- Diagnose neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, autism or schizophrenia;
- Measure how new drugs affect the brain; and
- Track the recovery of brain trauma patients.
Roche Signs On for Clinical Trials
In October, NeuroVigil and Swiss drugmaker Roche signed a contract to provide the devices for clinical drug trials.
Researchers will use the iBrain to monitor changes in neurological activity at low doses before visible signs of side effects appear (Darcé, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8/25).