Electroencephalography (EEG)
A non-invasive way to measure and record postsynaptic neuronal activity in the brain using electrodes placed on the scalp. It is a particularly useful way of measuring brain activity as it a direct measure, has a very high temporal resolution meaning we can capture changes in the brain within tens to hundredths of milliseconds and can measure in the absence of physical or behavioural responses.
Surface EMG
Using electrodes placed on the skin, over the muscle of interest, surface EMG enables us to measure electrical activity within the muscle. Often used as a diagnostic tool for neurologic disorders particularly with movement-related symptoms, when combined with other techniques such as TMS it can help us examine the effects of compounds on corticospinal excitability/inhibition. The Science Behind can provide EEG and EMG equipment, technicians and specialists to interpret data for clinical trials.
Benefits
Using EEG is clinical drug trials (Pharmaco-EEG) offers several benefits as it:
- can be used as a safety end-point (see case study)
- is a cost-effective neuroimaging technique (relative to MRI/fMRI, PET and MEG scans)
- is an effective method for the evaluation of epileptogenic effects
- has a high degree of sensitivity to pharmacological effects on the central nervous system
- can generate a pharmacodynamic (PD) measure that can be used to examine the relationship with pharmacokinetic (PK) outcomes
- can provide an objective measure of excitability and inhibition when combined with other techniques such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).
Contact us to discuss a clinical trial or research study.
Services
The Science Behind can help Sponsors and CROs with some of these challenges in Phase 1 trials by providing the tools and specialist expertise to answer key questions in relation to safety and efficacy when bringing novel drug candidates to human clinical trials.
