Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT05066009

Sleep/Wake State Assessment with Non-invasive Earbuds

This study is a within subject's assessment of whether a novel wearable technology, NextSense electroencephalography earbuds (EEGBuds), is able to detect differences in onset to sleep from wake versus in-laboratory, gold-standard electroencephalography (EEG) utilized as part of a standard four trial Maintenance of Wakefulness Test (MWT) at medicated baseline versus free of prescribed medications for promoting wake (random order).

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Age range

18 year–60 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Emory Sleep Center

Atlanta, Georgia, 30329, United States

About this study

Detection of "sleepiness" has for more than four decades relied upon methods that acquire the electroencephalogram (EEG) from multiple surface electrodes applied to the scalp and hardware that amplifies and stores information on a central processing unit (CPU). There are substantial limitations to this methodology beyond the fact that it is time, labor, and cost intensive. Such procedures restrict a subject's freedom of movement and necessitate that patients are monitored by trained staff in an accredited laboratory which levies substantial time and financial burdens upon patients and families. Finally, the test-re-test reliability and utility of testing paradigms reliant solely on an EEG 'signature' to detect statistically meaningful - let alone clinically meaningful - changes is dubious, and has come under increased scrutiny.

This study will assess whether novel wearable technology (NextSense EEGBuds and/or Ellcie Healthy Glasses) are able to detect differences in onset to sleep in patients diagnosed as having one of the central disorders of hypersomnolence (e.g., narcolepsy type 1 or type 2, or idiopathic hypersomnia) while using their prescribed wake promoting medication(s) versus while they are not medicated, and how it's sensitivity compares to differences as detected by the standard MWT. The two study visits will occur within 16 days of one another.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Adults ages 18-60 years of age previously diagnosed with narcolepsy type I (NT1), narcolepsy type 2 (NT2), or idiopathic hypersomnia (IH).
  • Requiring daily wake promoting medication(s) continuously for 3 months for diagnosed NT1, NT2 or IH with symptomatic improvement on treatment documented by standard subjective or objective tools.

Exclusion criteria

  • Presence of a diagnosed or suspected co-morbid sleep-related breathing disorder, parasomnia, or other sleep-related movement disorder.
  • Unstable psychiatric disorder (e.g., acute psychosis, acute suicidal ideation or major depressive episode, active substance abuse/dependence).
  • History of malignancy (active or in remission for < 2 years) or active infectious disease at time of screening.
  • Inability to safely tolerate wearing earbuds due to recent injury, skin breakdown, or infection.
  • Uncorrected near visual acuity no worse than 20/50.
  • Any other condition which may affect the outcome of this study or safety of the participant as determined by the principal investigator.

Treatment and study plan

NextSense EEG-enabled earbuds

Device

Each NextSense EEGBud device comes with a universal-fit and/or custom-fit earmold with biometric sensors to detect the EEG, motion (via tri-axial accelerometers), and heart rate. A unique custom mold is created employing a 3D printer to capture the geometry of a patients' ear and external auditory canal with a ring laser scanner to an accuracy of within 0.1 mm. This design process allows for a custom fit, and therefore both comfort and complete, consistent contact with the inner surface of the ear canal, providing high quality signal capture of brain activity, and head and eye movements. In addition to the custom fit earmold, universal fit earmolds are available as well. The universal fit earmolds were designed also to allow for comfort and consistent contact with the inner surface of the ear canal to provide high quality signal capture of brain activity, and head and eye movements.

Other names: EEGBud

Ellcie Healthy eyeglasses

Device

Ellcie Healthy glasses frames are embedded with multi-modal sensors for measuring eye movements, head movement, and ECG.

Drug Holiday

Other

Participants will not take their prescribed wakefulness promoting medication(s) for one day to complete the study assessments. Medications typically used to promote wakefulness include amphetamine salts (Adderall), armodafinil (Nuvigil), clarithromycin (Biaxin), flumazenil, methylphenidate (Ritalin), and modafinil (Provigil).

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in sleep onset latency

    Time frame: Study visits 1 and 2 (up to 16 days)

    Sleep onset latency is the time in minutes it takes to transition from wakefulness to sleep. Within-individual change in the mean onset to sleep will be assessed from the two MWT sessions performed as detected by NextSense EEGBuds.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Intraclass correlation between measurement methods

    Time frame: Up to 16 days

    The coefficient of intraclass correlation (ICC) between the individual sleep onset latencies as derived by NextSense EEGBuds vs. those revealed by gold standard EEG and conventional scoring. Higher correlation values (typically 0.75 to 1.00) indicate greater agreement between the measurements.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Emory University

Other

Collaborators

  • NextSense, Inc.

Registry information

Official study title

Feasibility of Detecting Within Subject Differences in Sleepiness with NextSense Earbud Electroencephalography Devices

Important dates

Study start
2021
Primary completion
2023
Study completion
2023
First posted
Oct 4, 2021
Registry last updated
Feb 11, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.