Abstract

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), approximately 3.4 million Americans suffer from some form of epilepsy. While the type and severity of seizures experienced by epilepsy patients vary over a wide range, all seizures are inherently caused by abnormal neuro-electric patterns occurring at the surface of the brain. The Portable Electroencephalographic Ictal Pattern Recognition and Monitoring Device (PEIPR MD) is a wearable device that will record, store, and process a user’s brain activity for the purpose of detecting the onset of an epileptic event. The device will be worn on the head and will apply a variety of analog and digital signal processing techniques to monitor the recorded data. It will also integrate via Bluetooth with an Android device to distribute alerts over the internet to a predefined set of individuals if a threshold event is detected (e.g. medical professionals or a user’s family). An added benefit of such a device is the in situ collection of EEG data. That is, even when the device does not detect a threshold event, it will collect a patient’s EEG data as they perform their normal daily routine. This type of information can help physicians develop individualized treatment plans to address the unique symptoms of a specific patient and thereby improve clinical outcomes. While a few commercial products currently exist that perform these tasks, they can be prohibitively expensive. The goal of this project is to develop a device that will deliver the same functionality at a drastically reduced cost.