Emami, P. | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2026

Evaluating the Sensitivity of Dry and Gel-Based Wearable EEG for Cognitive Load Estimation

PurposeWe present a large-scale (N=120) comparative study of gel-based and dry electroencephalography systems for cognitive load analysis in tasks involving information visualization stimuli. Although dry systems are increasingly adopted owing to their portability and fast setup, their sensitivity to cognitive-related measurements (as compared to gel-based systems) remains debated. This limits the understanding of whether dry systems provide sufficient sensitivity for cognitive load assessment under controlled task conditions. MethodsWe analyzed a diverse set of signal quality metrics, such as signal-to-noise ratio and channel retention, combined with spectral features across frequency bands to evaluate the ability for each device to capture workload-related neural markers during information visualization tasks. ResultsAlthough the gel-based device showed consistently better quality results than the dry one, the effect sizes suggest a small practical significance of the differences between systems. These results demonstrate that dry systems can provide adequate physiological sensitivity for cognitive load assessments. ConclusionOur findings highlight the trade-off between usability (setup, calibration, etc.) and data fidelity, providing practical guidance for choosing electroencephalography systems for cognitive workload monitoring and applied neuroengineering research. Overall, the results suggest that dry systems can support coarse-grained cognitive load assessment, while gel-based systems remain advantageous when greater sensitivity is required.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2021

3,3'-Diindolylmethane induces apoptosis and autophagy in fission yeast

3,3-Diindolylmethane (DIM) is a compound derived from the digestion of indole-3-carbinol, found in the broccoli family. It induces apoptosis and autophagy in some types of human cancer. DIM extends lifespan in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. The mechanisms by which DIM induces apoptosis and autophagy in humans and expands lifespan in fission yeasts are not fully understood. Here, we show that DIM induces apoptosis and autophagy in log-phase cells, which is dose-dependent in fission yeast. A high concentration of DIM disrupted the nuclear envelope (NE) structure and induced chromosome condensation at an early time point. In contrast, a low concentration of DIM induced autophagy but did not disrupt NE structure. The mutant defective in autophagy was more sensitive to a low concentration of DIM, demonstrating that the autophagic pathway contributes to the survival of cells against DIM. Moreover, our results showed that the lem2 mutant is more sensitive to DIM. NE in the lem2 mutant was disrupted even at the low concentration of DIM. Our results demonstrate that the autophagic pathway and NE integrity are important to maintain viability in the presence of a low concentration of DIM. The mechanism of apoptosis and autophagy induction by DIM might be conserved in fission yeast and humans. Further studies will contribute to the understanding of the mechanism of apoptosis and autophagy by DIM in fission yeast and humans.

molecular biology↗