The Scientists Behind The Brain Resilience Study
Complexity and resilience: How wearable technology could transform brain health monitoring
The Brain Resilience Study team is pushing the boundaries of what at-home brain health monitoring could look like. In this installment of our researcher spotlight series, we meet one researcher whose work is exploring whether wearable devices already on the market could one day help detect early signs of cognitive decline outside of the clinic.
Leading this work is Maryam Faeed, a Master's researcher in psychology specializing in the neuroscience of cognitive aging. Working with brain imaging data early in her career sparked her interest in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease and dementia and the profound ways they reshape who we are.
“I found it remarkable how changes at the cellular level can shape overall brain activity and lead to differences in memory, personality, and identity” Maryam explains. “That connection between what the brain is going through and what we can actually see is what made me want to explore further."
That curiosity brought her to SFU’s Institute for Neuroscience and Neurotechnology (INN), where she is now exploring how wearable technology could transform the way we monitor brain health as we age.
Maryam’s research uses affordable, commercially-available devices that are already on the market for sleep tracking and meditation to investigate whether they can also be used to track how our brains are aging.
Traditionally, brain activity has been measured using high-resolution neuroimaging tools such as MRI or whole-head electroencephalography (EEG) systems, which require extensive setup and specialized training to operate. In contrast, Maryam’s work uses wearable EEG headbands with just a few electrodes, offering a more practical and user-friendly alternative.
“These devices are smaller, more convenient, and potentially more accessible,” Maryam explains. “If we can show that they are effective for detecting differences in brain function, they could open the door to monitoring brain health outside of traditional lab settings.”
Maryam’s work examines brain signal complexity, a measure that’s been linked to the brain’s ability to support cognitive function. Her early findings are promising. Older adults who perform better on memory and learning tasks show distinct patterns of brain signal complexity. Interestingly, these patterns also differ between male and female participants, pointing to the role that biological sex may play in how the brain ages.
“Brain health is not one-size-fits-all,” says Maryam. “If we want to understand cognitive aging, we need to consider individual differences, including biological and social factors.”
Maryam’s work is part of INN’s broader effort to do exactly that. By examining biological, social, and lifestyle factors together, including sleep, environment, and genetics, the Brain Resilience Study aims to better understand why some people remain more resilient to neurodegeneration than others.
While the research is ongoing, its long-term implications are significant. These brain signal complexity patterns, detected with a simple wearable device, could one day serve as accessible markers of cognitive health.
For Maryam, the goal is to empower people early. “Early detection is key,” she says. “If we can identify changes in brain activity earlier, it could help guide interventions at a time when they are most effective and improve outcomes.”
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