Community Brain Recordings at Brain Hack Toronto

Still buzzing from Brain Hack in Toronto 🧠 where we shared our mission to accelerate open experimentation in brain and behavior research and ran a community brain recording pilot using NeuroFusion Explorer!

In 48 hours, we completed 25 brain recording sessions from 18 participants - one highlight for me was seeing people's eyes light up as they saw their brainwaves change in real time. The process was simple; A person is asked to wear a mobile EEG headset then complete a resting state task - closing and opening their eyes at alternating times. We then analyzed their brain activity with a focus on their alpha (7-13Hz) power which is a measure of attention. We also collected self reports of coffee, energy and stress levels through the day.

What Did We Find?

We found that alpha power when the eyes are closed is more than when the eyes are open. While our initial analysis was exploratory and not conclusive, this variation in alpha power between eyes-open and eyes-closed states suggests an intriguing pattern that warrants further investigation into factors like time of day, caffeine intake, and stress levels.

Experience of Participants

Getting started was a breeze - participants were up and running in under 5 minutes, a far cry from the typical 30+ minute setup in traditional lab environments involving multiple cables, gels and devices. The seamless integration of behavioral assessments and self-reporting made the whole experience feel natural and effortless. We're thrilled to see how this simplified approach is breaking down barriers and making brain research more approachable, taking it out of the lab and into the real world where it can have the most impact.

What Are We Doing Next?

We’re excited to continue community driven experimentation with researchers with our Neurofusion Explorer Research Fellowship in 2025. We want to increase the rate of experimentation for researchers and institutions that are developing biomarkers for mental health using mobile wearables, cognitive assessments & self-reports.

Ready to explore your research questions? Apply now to join our fellowship!