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EEG Signatures of ICU Delirium and Post-ICU ADRD (INMO)
EEG provides an objective measure of dynamic changes in brain activity and can be performed at the bedside in acutely ill patients. The central hypothesis of this study is that there are objective EEG-based signatures of ICU delirium that predict patterns of post-ICU cognitive impairment and dementia. The specific aims are (1) to characterize quantitatively the resting-state EEG signatures associated with ICU delirium and (2) to determine the relationship between EEG signatures during recovery from critical illness and post-ICU cognitive performance in this population.
Study findings will yield critical information to advance our understanding of the neurobiology underlying delirium and its evolution to post-ICU ADRD by informing development of a novel delirium monitoring tool for the ICU and identifying EEG predictors of ADRD in survivors.
Spatiotemporal Dynamics of ICU Delirium in Hospitalized Nonagenarians
Although EEG activity patterns change with age and with age-related neurodegenerative diseases such as demneita, most clinical studies have historically excluded participants over the ange of 90 due to low population numbers, leading to concerns for risk of breaches in confidentiality. Very few studies have examined neurophysiologic meterics among individuals over 90 years of age, despite the fact that this segment of the population has grown substantially in recent years, and is projected to more than double in the next 2 decades. Furthermore, despite the increased risk of delirium with dementia and the increased risk of dementia with advancing age, the effects of dementia on EEG markers of delirium are largely unknown.
In this study, we are evaluating whether the EEG Delirium Index, which we previously developed using the pilot data from a cohort of mechanically ventilated participants in the ICU, can be generalized to a separate group of hospitalized patients with and without preexisting dementia. This study was conducted in a retrospective chohort of patients at Vanderbilt, after ethics approval by the Institutional Review Board.
Feasibility of Neuro Feedback Training in ICU Survivors: A Pilot Study
Characterizing the Spectral EEG Patterns Differentiating Delirium Phenotypes
Exploring Brain Criticality, Sedation, and Functional Outcomes After Trauma
The most widely used measurement of consciousness is the bedside examination, yet this is frequently confounded by substance intoxication, withdrawal, or sedative effect. An objective measurement of brain function that is impervious to these effects may improve prognostication after Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Brain criticality, measurable by EEG, may offer a useful adjunct to current algorithms for TBI outcome prediction. Criticality refers to the state of a dynamical system that is poised at the precipice between progressive evolution toward chaotic (unpredictable) conditions, and progressive evolution toward stable (predictable) conditions. Criticality-related measures of EEG signals change with states of consciousness and predict the brain's response to anesthetics. Critical dynamics also correlate with recovery of consciousness in a small series of severely brain injured patients. In a cohort of critically ill trauma patients with and without TBI, we aim to determine whether measures of EEG criticality could aid in prognostication of 3-month functional outcomes.
Last updated: 7/1/2026
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Unraveling the Post-Ictal Puzzle: An Assessment of Cognitive Disturbances After Epileptic Seizures
The global impact of epilepsy, affecting more than 50 million people worldwide, is profound with a significant subset experiencing generalized seizures associated with higher mortality, increased rates of sudden unexpected death, and worse cognitive decline. These seizures result in a broad range of psychosocial and socioeconomic consequences including post-ictal cognitive disturbances. Despite the commonality of cognitive impairments following seizures, there is a gap in understanding their trajectory and overall impact on the quality of life post-seizure. Our study aims to fill this gap by systematically assessing cognitive and quality of life changes post-seizure, utilizing repeatable and telephone accessible screening tools.
Taking the WTMT Virtual: Evaluation of a Novel Assessment for Determining Cognitive Health Over Video Call
The Written Trail Making Test (WTMT) is a common, well-validated assessment for evaluating visual scanning, graphomotor speed, and executive function. Performance on the test is significantly correlated with age and education level. It has also been shown to detect mild cognitive impairment (MCI), distinguish health patients from neurological patients, and predict future conversion from MCI to Alzheimer's Disease. However, there are currently not srong, virtual alternatives to the WTMT. The Oral Trial Making Test (OTMT) attempted to be just that, but it removed the visual and motor demands of the original test. Its correlation with part A of WTMT is weak, and it doesn't correlate with education, as WTMT does. This study aims to fill the gap by evaluating the efficacy and correlations of a novel, virtual version of the WTMT, called Trails V 2.0
Last updated: 7/1/2026
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EEG Correlates of Music Listening Under Varying Attentional Loads
Brain signal complexity increases when the brain processes music. However, it is unclear whether the musical properties affect these changes, or whether they are modulated by attention to the music listening experience. An understanding of these parameters is important to design music-based therapeutic interventions to alleviate psychological burden in critically ill patients, who often have a range of attentional capacities. This study explores the effects of music beat salience and genre on regional brain complexity patterns under varying attentional conditions.
EEG Correlates of Live Therapeutic Music in the ICU
This project aims to identify the dynamic changes in brain activity patterns (oscillatory power and variability, complexity and functional connectivity) in response to live therapeutic music among patients undergoing EEG as part of their routine clinical care.
Last updated: 7/1/2026