Defining the Problem

Recently (2022-present), viral videos on social media have drawn attention on issues of inclusivity in brain sensing to a larger audience. With our combined years of expertise with EEG and Black hair, we made this site as a guidebook to help patients, researchers, and clinicians collect high-quality and inclusive EEG.

The Problem - Medical Racism, Ignorance, Design Problems?

EEG devices record brain waves by placing metal wires on the scalp at specific placements, sometimes via a cap or net. When someone has thick, dense, long, or voluminous hair (and especially if the hair is curly or kinky), some people have difficulty placing the wires. How come some clinicians don't have a problem getting EEG to work on curly haired people? How come so many people -- especially Black people -- have issues with this?

We have published findings that show that it's not just a problem for the patients, but indeed EEG results can be skewed in people with coarse, curly hair [see here]. We are a team that seeks to educate clinicians on ways they can make EEG, and other head-based modalities, more inclusive and equitable for everyone.

Special shout out to Sadé Naima and Deja Amoral on TikTok and all the other Black folks who have pointed this out over the years. Please email us if you'd like to be named here or have your video embedded.

Solutions

To our knowledge, there are two devices in development to specifically work on Black hair. See the two videos below for examples from Arnelle Etienne (Carnegie Mellon) and Joy Jackson (University of Florida).

We also point to the EEG Hair Prep Guide by Lietsel Jones (University of Central Florida).

All 3 of these solutions are made by Black women students

who identified these problems and solved them with their engineering and cultural expertises.

Popular Press

How confusion about textured hairstyles can prevent some patients from getting necessary medical imaging | CNNSadé Lewis of Queens, New York, has suffered migraines since she was a kid, and as she started college, they got worse. A recent change in her insurance left the 27-year-old looking for a new neurologist. That’s when she found West 14 Street MedicalArts in New York.

HairWare device to help break down barriers in health careWhen engineering senior Joy Jackson learned that neuroscience researchers struggle to get a good EEG signal from people with textured hair, she created a device to help bridge this gap in health care research.

The Fight to Fix a Racist Medical Gadget | Science VsThe EEG is an incredibly important medical tool — and it’s been failing Black patients for decades. So today we’ll hear from two young, Black scientists who teamed up with hairdressers to do something about it. We speak to neurologist Dr. Jessie Baity, engineer Arnelle Etienne, biomedical scientist Lietsel Jones, and hairstylist Nina Woodley.

EEG research is racially biased, so undergrad scientists designed new electrodes to fix it'Sevo' electrodes are designed with coarse, curly hair in mind

An EEG for Black people: It came to Arnelle Etienne in a dreamArnelle Etienne, an Inverse young innovator, noticed a problem during her time as a lab assistant while a student at Carnegie Mellon. Her EEG solution came to her in a dream.

Biomedical Innovation for Everyone, Bias-Free - IEEE Pulse

New electrodes can better capture brain waves of people with natural hairElectrodes weren’t designed for people with thick, curly hair. A redesign is needed, says engineer Pulkit Grover.

About the Authors

We are a group of neuroscientists, engineers, and Black hair enthusiasts who have observed and been frustrated by EEG techniques not being inclusive to people with coarse, dense, long, and curly hair.

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