Recording real-life memories with wearable sensors and implanted brain electrodes
Capturing Autobiographical memory formation in People moving Through real-world spaces Using synchronized wearables and intracranial Recordings of EEG
This project combines wearable sensors and implanted brain recordings to track how everyday autobiographical memories form in people, including those with Alzheimer's-related memory problems.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Utah State Higher Education System--University of Utah NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Salt Lake City, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11331976 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would carry wearable devices (a smartphone plus sensors for audio-video, GPS, motion, eye tracking, and body signals) while researchers synchronize those streams with intracranial EEG from implanted electrodes. The team will link real-world events you experience to precise brain activity to see how personal memories are encoded and later recalled. This work focuses on autobiographical memories—the detailed memories of your own life—and aims to capture them as they form during normal daily activities. The methods are developed at a hospital research center and involve close monitoring and data synchronization between devices and brain recordings.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people able to undergo intracranial EEG monitoring or people with early memory problems who can participate in intensive wearable monitoring at the research center.
Not a fit: People with advanced dementia who cannot consent, those unwilling or unable to wear continuous sensors, or individuals not eligible for intracranial monitoring are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal how real-life memories are stored in the brain and guide new ways to support memory in people with Alzheimer's disease.
How similar studies have performed: Prior lab-based and intracranial EEG studies have linked brain signals to memory, but merging continuous wearable recordings with synchronized implanted brain data in real-world settings is largely new.
Where this research is happening
Salt Lake City, United States
- Utah State Higher Education System--University of Utah — Salt Lake City, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Inman, Cory Shields — Utah State Higher Education System--University of Utah
- Study coordinator: Inman, Cory Shields
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 below.