EEG-Del

Principal Investigator: Dr Rachael Lawson

Co-Supervisors: Prof Mark Baker, Prof Louise Allan, Prof John-Paul Taylor
Funder: Alzheimer’s Society Lewy Body Dementia Doctoral Training Network

This project investigates whether electroencephalography (EEG) can be used to detect and characterise delirium in people with Lewy body disease (LBD). Delirium is common in LBD and linked to worse outcomes, yet it remains difficult to recognise clinically because its symptoms overlap with the fluctuating cognition, hallucinations, and attentional problems already seen in LBD.

The study combines clinical neuroscience and mobile EEG technology to explore the neural signatures of delirium in real-world hospital settings. We will assess the feasibility of whether high-quality EEG can be acquired from inpatients with LBD during a delirium episode using portable equipment suitable for acute clinical environments. The mobile EEG recordings collected during a delirium episode and again after recovery will be analysed to characterise changes in neural oscillations, connectivity, and network complexity.

By integrating EEG features with detailed clinical measures of attention, arousal, cognition, and delirium severity, the project aims to identify potential EEG biomarkers that can help distinguish delirium from underlying LBD symptoms and predict which patients are at highest risk of poor cognitive or functional outcomes. Developing these markers could support earlier detection, improve diagnostic accuracy, and ultimately enable better risk stratification, guiding clinicians in identifying vulnerable individuals who may benefit from closer monitoring or targeted interventions.