Abstract
BackgroundSleep is commonly assessed by recording the electroencephalogram (EEG) of the sleeping brain. As sleep assessments in a lab environment are cumbersome for both the participant and researcher, it would be highly desirable to record sleep EEG with a user-friendly and mobile device. Dry electrodes that are reusable, low-cost, and easy to apply would be an essential component of such a device. In this study, we developed a testing protocol to investigate the performance of novel flat-type dry electrodes for sleep EEG recordings in free-living conditions.MethodsOvernight sleep EEG, electrooculogram and electromyogram of four young and healthy participants were recorded at home. Two identical ambulatory recording devices, one using novel flat-type dry electrodes, the other using self-adhesive pre-gelled electrodes, simultaneously recorded sleep EEG. Between both electrode types, we then compared the signal quality, the incidence of artifacts, the sensitivity, specificity and inter-scoring reliability (Cohen’s kappa) of sleep staging, as well as the agreement of important characteristics of sleep-specific EEG microstructure features, such as slow waves (0.5–4 Hz) and sleep spindles (10–16 Hz).ResultsOur testing protocol comprehensively compared the two electrode types on a macro- and microstructure level of sleep. The dry and pre-gelled electrodes both had comparable signal quality and sleep staging was feasible with both electrodes. Also, slow-wave and spindle characteristics were similar. However, sweat artifacts were more prevalent in the flat-type dry electrodes.ConclusionWith a reliable testing protocol, the performance of dry electrodes can be compared to reference technologies and objectively assessed also in free-living conditions.
Highlights
The benefits of sleep on physical and mental health are evident
We developed the testing protocol by following a realistic procedure where novel flat-type dry electrodes are compared against established pre-gelled electrodes
We evaluated whether a new generation of dry electrodes with a biocompatible, low impedance contact surface are in principal suitable for sleep EEG assessments in a proof-ofconcept study
Summary
The benefits of sleep on physical and mental health are evident. getting a restful night of sleep can be a difficult endeavor. The EEG is part of every scientific and clinical assessment of sleep This assessment typically involves lab visits, stationary amplifiers, as well as a challenge for participants to sleep in an unfamiliar environment, which can lead to the well-known first night effect (Toussaint et al, 1997). This first night effect together with a considerable nightto-night variability of sleep, even under controlled conditions (Buckelmüller et al, 2006), limits the validity of a single night assessment in a research or clinical setting. We developed a testing protocol to investigate the performance of novel flat-type dry electrodes for sleep EEG recordings in free-living conditions
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