Wireless, 32-channel, EEG and epilepsy monitoring system

The authors have developed and clinically tested a mobile, low power, 32-channel, miniature, narrow band RF telemetry system (902-928 MHz) for real-time electroencephalography (EEG) epilepsy monitoring and evaluations. The transmitter units, which contain the amplification, analog-to-digital (A/D) conversion and the radio-telemetry circuitry and are powered by one regular 9 V battery, are small and light-weight such that they can be worn comfortably on a headband. The receiver units are connected to a laptop PC via the serial port. A Microsoft Windows based software allows for the EEG signals to be viewed in real-time and recorded to the hard disk for later analysis. The developed system enables several days of round-the-clock epilepsy monitoring while the patient is moving freely in the vicinity of the receiver (up to 150 ft away) and without having the subject tethered with wires. This feature makes the system very convenient and comfortable particularly for children and elderly patients. By enabling the real-time EEG monitoring to be performed outside the specialized epilepsy clinics, the portable system will reduce the cost of long-term epilepsy monitoring. The wireless system has been successfully tested and compared with the state-of-the-art clinical units at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation Epilepsy center with both normal subjects and epileptic patients.