Electroencephalographic-based wearable instrumentation to monitor the executive functions during gait: a feasibility study

A feasibility study on electroencephalographic monitoring of executive functions during dual (motor and cognitive) task execution is presented. Electroencephalographic (EEG) signals are acquired by means of a wearable device with few channels and dry electrodes. The light weight and wireless device allow for walking in a natural way. The most significant EEG features are investigated to classify different levels of activation for two fundamental Executive Functions (EF) both in sitting and walking conditions. Power spectral density in the gamma band resulted in the most relevant feature in discriminating low and high levels of Inhibition. Power spectral density in the beta and gamma bands resulted the most discriminating the level of activation of Working Memory. The study poses the basis for (i) monitoring the activation levels of EF during Gait allowing loss prevention in the elderly and (ii) specific cognitive rehabilitation aimed at the most relevant executive functions during walking

Instrumentation for EEG-based monitoring of the executive functions in a dual-task framework

Instrumentation for electroencephalographic (EEG)-based monitoring of the executive functions in a dual-task framework is proposed. The proposed system integrates in a single solution (i) the administration of the cognitive task, (ii) the EEG signal acquisition and processing, (iii) the data storage synchronized whit an external Gait Analysis system. The system is based on a wearable passive brain computer interface solution that allows EEG monitoring during gait, by means of acoustic stimuli. The centralized platform guarantees the synchronization of all the processes, and therefore, improves the state of the art accuracy in measurements related to executive functions and gait. An experimental validation demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed solution in terms of execution of cognitive tasks during gait, real-time monitoring of EEG signals, and synchronized storage of EEG data, gait and cognitive task performances

Instrumentation for EEG-based monitoring of the executive functions in a dual-task framework

Instrumentation for electroencephalographic (EEG)-based monitoring of the executive functions in a dual-task framework is proposed. The proposed system integrates in a single solution (i) the administration of the cognitive task, (ii) the EEG signal acquisition and processing, (iii) the data storage synchronized whit an external Gait Analysis system. The system is based on a wearable passive brain computer interface solution that allows EEG monitoring during gait, by means of acoustic stimuli. The centralized platform guarantees the synchronization of all the processes, and therefore, improves the state of the art accuracy in measurements related to executive functions and gait. An experimental validation demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed solution in terms of execution of cognitive tasks during gait, real-time monitoring of EEG signals, and synchronized storage of EEG data, gait and cognitive task performances

Evaluation of HER2-specific peptide ligand for its employment as radiolabeled imaging probe

HER2 transmembrane receptor is an important target in immunotherapy treatment of breast and gastroesophageal cancer. Molecular imaging of HER2 expression may provide essential prognostic and predictive information concerning disseminated cancer and aid in selection of an optimal therapy. Radiolabeled low molecular weight peptide ligands are particularly attractive as probes for molecular imaging, since they reach and bind to the target and clear from non-target organs and blood stream faster than bulky antibodies. In this study, we evaluated a potential HER2-imaging probe, an A9 nonapeptide, derived from the trastuzumab-Fab portion. Its cellular uptake was investigated by mass spectrometry analysis of the cytoplasmic cellular extracts. Moreover, based on in-silico modeling, DTPA chelator was conjugated to N-terminus of A9. 111In-labeled A9 demonstrated nanomolar affinity to HER2-expressing BT474 cells and favorable biodistribution profile in NMRI mice. This study suggests that the peptide A9 represents a good lead candidate for development of molecular probe, to be used for imaging purposes and for the delivery of cytotoxic agents

EEG-based system for Executive Function fatigue detection

An experimental campaign to prove the feasibility of electroencephalography (EEG)-based detection of the level of Executive Function (EF) fatigue is carried out. This work is a preliminary step to investigate EF fatigue during gait, therefore the proposed measurement instrumentation is highly wearable and suitable for use in movement. The employed instrumentation (i) acquires the EEG signal, (ii) allows the subject to perform cognitive tasks of increasing complexity based on acoustic stimuli, (iii) extracts the EEG features from the acquired data and (iv) detects a more or less intense EFs activation. The main EEG features proposed in the literature for EF analysis were considered. In particular, Power Spectral Density (PSD) in five EEG bands are tested to assess the fatigue of inhibition and working memory. The feasibility was verified on five healthy subjects. The proposed signal processing pipeline allows to achieve around 79 % and 81 % average accuracy in detecting the level of EF fatigue for inhibition and working memory, respectively