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Developing Brain Vital Signs: Initial Framework for Monitoring Brain Function Changes Over Time
Ghosh Hajra S, Liu CC, Song X, Fickling S, Liu LE, Pawlowski G, Jorgensen JK, Smith AM et al.. Frontiers in neuroscience, 2016-05-12
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Clinical assessment of brain function relies heavily on indirect behavior-based tests. Unfortunately, behavior-based assessments are subjective and therefore susceptible to several confounding factors. Event-related brain potentials (ERPs), derived from electroencephalography (EEG), are often used to provide objective, physiological measures of brain function. Historically, ERPs have been characterized extensively within research settings, with limited but growing clinical applications. Over the past 20 years, we have developed clinical ERP applications for the evaluation of functional status following serious injury and/or disease. This work has identified an important gap: the need for a clinically accessible framework to evaluate ERP measures. Crucially, this enables baseline measures before brain dysfunction occurs, and might enable the routine collection of brain function metrics in the future much like blood pressure measures today. Here, we propose such a framework for extracting specific ERPs as potential "brain vital signs." This framework enabled the translation/transformation of complex ERP data into accessible metrics of brain function for wider clinical utilization. To formalize the framework, three essential ERPs were selected as initial indicators: (1) the auditory N100 (Auditory sensation); (2) the auditory oddball P300 (Basic attention); and (3) the auditory speech processing N400 (Cognitive processing). First step validation was conducted on healthy younger and older adults (age range: 22-82 years). Results confirmed specific ERPs at the individual level (86.81-98.96%), verified predictable age-related differences (P300 latency delays in older adults, p < 0.05), and demonstrated successful linear transformation into the proposed brain vital sign (BVS) framework (basic attention latency sub-component of BVS framework reflects delays in older adults, p < 0.05). The findings represent an initial critical step in developing, extracting, and characterizing ERPs as vital signs, critical for subsequent evaluation of dysfunction in conditions like concussion and/or dementia.
Key findings
- Results confirmed specific ERPs at the individual level (86.81-98.96%), verified predictable age-related differences (P300 latency delays in older adults, p < 0.05), and demonstrated successful linear transformation into the proposed brain vital sign (BVS) framework (basic attention latency sub-component of BVS framework reflects delays in older adults, p < 0.05).
Why it matters
This paper proposes a framework for extracting event-related brain potentials as potential brain vital signs for monitoring brain function. It confirmed specific ERPs at the individual level and age-related differences, but it is a monitoring framework, not a treatment or cure for Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Effect size98.96%
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 44/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Frontiers in neuroscience) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Frontiers in Neuroscience: journal h-index 226 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2016 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 4 / 7 | Cited 58 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 4.8 citations a year over 12 year(s) since 2016 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 4.1× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 17 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Ryan C.N. D’Arcy: h-index 34 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Mayo Clinic: institution h-index 1,606 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 6 institution(s) in 3 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 27242415) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 44 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
- DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2016.00211
- PubMed: 27242415
- Original source →
- Free full text: Frontiers in Neuroscience →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Ghosh Hajra, S., Liu, C. C., Song, X., Fickling, S., Liu, L. E., Pawlowski, G., et al. (2016). Developing Brain Vital Signs: Initial Framework for Monitoring Brain Function Changes Over Time. Frontiers in neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2016.00211
Vancouver
Ghosh Hajra S, Liu CC, Song X, Fickling S, Liu LE, Pawlowski G, et al. Developing Brain Vital Signs: Initial Framework for Monitoring Brain Function Changes Over Time. Frontiers in neuroscience. 2016. doi:10.3389/fnins.2016.00211. PMID: 27242415.
BibTeX
@article{ghoshhajra2016-27242415,
author = {Ghosh Hajra, S. and Liu, C. C. and Song, X. and Fickling, S. and Liu, L. E. and Pawlowski, G. and Jorgensen, J. K. and Smith, A. M. and others},
title = {{Developing Brain Vital Signs: Initial Framework for Monitoring Brain Function Changes Over Time}},
journal = {Frontiers in neuroscience},
year = {2016},
doi = {10.3389/fnins.2016.00211},
pmid = {27242415},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2016.00211}
}
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.