Personalized brain-monitoring system to guide anesthesia in older adults
Official title: Developing an Elderly Patient-Specific, Accurate, Intuitive and Highly Interpretable System for Unconsciousness Management in General Anesthesia Using PASCALL FDA-Cleared Intraoperative EEG Monitor
Funded at Pascall Systems, Incorporated · NIH-11375757 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project is building a user-friendly EEG system to help tailor propofol anesthesia for older adults, including people with Alzheimer's and related dementias.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 2 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Pascall Systems, Incorporated NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | September 15, 2024 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,089,346 |
| NIH project number | 4R44AG090247-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11375757 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are older adults (often ≥60–65 years) having surgery under propofol-based general anesthesia, including patients with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not receiving propofol, children or much younger adults, or people treated at hospitals that do not use the PASCALL monitor are unlikely to benefit from this work.
What this research studies
You would be monitored with a wireless, FDA-cleared EEG device that reads your brain activity during surgery. The team will use two brain-state markers (Alpha Modulation Index and Slow Frequency Modulation Index) plus a patient-specific responsiveness algorithm to suggest the right propofol dosing. That guidance aims to avoid giving too much anesthesia, which can lead to post-operative delirium in older patients. The work builds on a prior device clearance and focuses on people aged 60+ and those with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could lower rates of over-sedation and reduce post-operative delirium in older adults, especially those with Alzheimer’s or related dementias.
How similar studies have gone: Prior EEG-guided anesthesia studies have had mixed results for preventing delirium, while this project builds on an FDA-cleared monitor and newer, less-tested brain-state markers.
Where this research is happening
-
Pascall Systems, Incorporated
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Le Mau, Tuan — Pascall Systems, Incorporated
- Study coordinator: Le Mau, Tuan
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Elderly-friendly, interpretable brain-monitoring to guide anesthesia with a FDA-cleared EEG device
A small FDA-cleared brain-monitoring system and new, easy-to-understand brain-state markers will help tailor anesthesia doses for older adults, especially those with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
-
How common anesthetics affect Alzheimer-related brain changes in men and women
This project looks at whether common anesthetics cause Alzheimer-related brain changes differently in men and women and whether sex hormones might protect older adults who need surgery.
-
Understanding how people wake up from general anesthesia
This grant studies why people wake up from anesthesia and what happens in the brain when they emerge, aiming to reduce confusion and agitation after surgery.
-
How different anesthesia drugs and sleep affect brain cells during slow waves
This project tests how various anesthesia drugs and natural sleep cause slow brain waves and whether they involve the same brain circuits in people like you.
-
Active monitoring to guide pain and nerve block care during surgery and recovery
A new method using brain-wave signals could help doctors tailor pain relief during surgery and after, improving comfort and reducing opioid use.
-
Investigating how different anesthetics and sleep affect brain wave patterns.
This study is looking at how different types of anesthesia affect brain activity during sleep and anesthesia, using tiny animals to help us learn more about how our brains work when we're unconscious, which could improve how we use anesthesia in people.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.