TY - JOUR
T1 - Auricular Electrophysiology Demonstrates Enhanced Stability Under Vehicle Vibration and Acceleration
AU - Ascani Orsini, Alessandro
AU - Liu, Chang
AU - Shen, Beichen
AU - Cao, Mingfeng
AU - Xu, Haoyu
AU - Ananthakumar, Thamilezai
AU - Cho, Sung Min
AU - Thakor, Nitish
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Association of Military Surgeons of the United States 2026. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact [email protected] for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact [email protected]. This article is published and distributed under the terms of the Oxford University Press, Standard Journals Publication Model (https://academic.oup.com/pages/standard-publication-reuse-rights)
PY - 2026/7/1
Y1 - 2026/7/1
N2 - Introduction: Real-time cortical and cardiac electrophysiology provides direct insight into brain and heart function, revealing early signs of neurological or circulatory instability, supporting medics with rapid triage, continuous monitoring, and intervention during transport, evacuation, or battlefield operations. However, their deployment remains limited by motion and vibration artifacts that degrade signal integrity in dynamic field settings. This study examines the feasibility of auricular (in-ear) electrode configurations for improved signal robustness compared with scalp and wrist sites under both sustained vibration and dynamic acceleration within custom-built electrodes on matched electronics. Materials and Methods: Simultaneous recordings were obtained from the auricular canal (electroencephalogram [EEG] and electrocardiogram [ECG]), temple (F7 EEG), and wrist (ECG) in n = 5 participants across 3 motion conditions: engine off (parked), engine on (parked), and city driving (∼30 mph[jls-end-space/]). Signal quality was assessed via waveform morphology, frequency-domain signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), coherence, and root mean square error (RMSE) relative to inertial measurement unit (IMU) data. Results: Across 5 participants, auricular channels showed reduced 60 Hz interference (∼-8 dB) and slightly higher SNR (median increase of 2 dB during driving) compared with scalp and wrist sites. This trend may reflect mechanical and electromagnetic shielding because of the enclosure of the canal. Under motion conditions, coherence and RMSE suggest weaker coupling between IMU motion and auricular signals compared with on-body sites (∼[jls-end-space/]0.03 higher RMSE and (Formula presented) lower coherence). Conclusions: Auricular recordings indicate feasible signal integrity under vehicular motion, compared to conventional scalp and wrist placements. These preliminary results indicate suitability for neurocardiac monitoring.
AB - Introduction: Real-time cortical and cardiac electrophysiology provides direct insight into brain and heart function, revealing early signs of neurological or circulatory instability, supporting medics with rapid triage, continuous monitoring, and intervention during transport, evacuation, or battlefield operations. However, their deployment remains limited by motion and vibration artifacts that degrade signal integrity in dynamic field settings. This study examines the feasibility of auricular (in-ear) electrode configurations for improved signal robustness compared with scalp and wrist sites under both sustained vibration and dynamic acceleration within custom-built electrodes on matched electronics. Materials and Methods: Simultaneous recordings were obtained from the auricular canal (electroencephalogram [EEG] and electrocardiogram [ECG]), temple (F7 EEG), and wrist (ECG) in n = 5 participants across 3 motion conditions: engine off (parked), engine on (parked), and city driving (∼30 mph[jls-end-space/]). Signal quality was assessed via waveform morphology, frequency-domain signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), coherence, and root mean square error (RMSE) relative to inertial measurement unit (IMU) data. Results: Across 5 participants, auricular channels showed reduced 60 Hz interference (∼-8 dB) and slightly higher SNR (median increase of 2 dB during driving) compared with scalp and wrist sites. This trend may reflect mechanical and electromagnetic shielding because of the enclosure of the canal. Under motion conditions, coherence and RMSE suggest weaker coupling between IMU motion and auricular signals compared with on-body sites (∼[jls-end-space/]0.03 higher RMSE and (Formula presented) lower coherence). Conclusions: Auricular recordings indicate feasible signal integrity under vehicular motion, compared to conventional scalp and wrist placements. These preliminary results indicate suitability for neurocardiac monitoring.
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105046536504
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105046536504#tab=citedBy
U2 - 10.1093/milmed/usag045
DO - 10.1093/milmed/usag045
M3 - Article
C2 - 42560238
AN - SCOPUS:105046536504
SN - 0026-4075
VL - 191
SP - 145
EP - 154
JO - Military medicine
JF - Military medicine
ER -