Long-Term EEG Monitoring in Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease Using Ear-EEG: A Feasibility Study

Abstract

Background: Previous studies have reported that epileptiform activity may be detectible in nearly half of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) on long-term electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings. However, such recordings can be uncomfortable, expensive, and difficult. Ear-EEG has shown promising results for long-term EEG monitoring, but it has not been used in patients with AD. Objective: To investigate if ear-EEG is a feasible method for long-term EEG monitoring in patients with AD. Methods: In this longitudinal, single-group feasibility study, ten patients with mild to moderate AD were recruited. A total of three ear-EEG recordings of up to 48 hours three months apart for six months were planned. Results: All patients managed to wear the ear-EEG for at least 24 hours and at least one full night. A total of 19 ear-EEG recordings were performed (self-reported recording, mean: 37.15 hours (SD: 8.96 hours)). After automatic pre-processing, a mean of 27.37 hours (SD: 7.19 hours) of data with acceptable quality in at least one electrode in each ear was found. Seven out of ten participants experienced mild adverse events. Six of the patients did not complete the study with three patients not wanting to wear the ear-EEG anymore due to adverse events. Conclusion: It is feasible and safe to use ear-EEG for long-term EEG monitoring in patients with AD. Minor adjustments to the equipment may improve the comfort for the participants.