Last year, biotech startup iMediSync devoted a booth at CES 2020 to its signature product, a clinical, AI-driven platform for quantitative analysis of electroencephalography (qEEG), called iSyncBrain. This year, the company will showcase iSyncWave, a portable brain mapping and therapeutic device designed for both clinical and at-home use.

An EEG refers to measurements of electrical brain activity detected by sensors placed on the scalp. Brain mapping — or qEEG — involves a data-driven analysis of such measurements using a computer program. The wearable iSyncWave device is equipped with gel-free sensors and is worn on the head like a cap. The device also has LED photobiomodulators which can deliver red light therapy.

iSyncWave integrates with iSyncMe, a mobile app that connects with the full iSyncBrain platform. The app has an internal telemedicine platform, facilitating virtual mental health care assessments and appointments. Because iSyncWave can be used at home, the system potentially offers an end-to-end mental health care and treatment option without the need for a single office visit.

iMediSync has stated that it intended the new device for use in the detection and management of neuropsychiatric conditions, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease as well as depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other mood disorders. A few small studies do suggest that qEEG brain mapping may provide a biomarker that can help identify Parkinson’s disease and potentially other neurological conditions. Likewise, some evidence suggests that LED red light therapy has broad neurologic applications, but further research is needed.

Whether iMediSync has tapped an emerging market that is merely awaiting solid clinical validation remains to be seen. That said, a solution that truly simplifies the care cycle for neuropsychiatric patients would certainly make waves across the expanding landscape of mental health technology.