How does BrainYears™ compare to resting-state neural imaging devices used in clinics?

Some clinical neural measurement devices use advanced sensing technologies — such as functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) or other optical methods — to measure brain activity. These are significant investments ($28,000–$100,000+/year) and capture real neural data. Some, including fNIRS-based systems, can be deployed during cognitive tasks — not just at rest.

However, fNIRS measures blood oxygenation changes at a sampling rate of 5–10 Hz, which is too slow to capture event-related potentials and the pre-conscious neural processes that unfold in under 500 milliseconds. BrainYears™ captures at 1,000 Hz with millisecond-level temporal resolution — precise enough to resolve event-related potentials and the neural processes that unfold in under 500 milliseconds.

This is what makes it possible to extract 643 validated biomarkers from a 15-minute task-based protocol, achieving published accuracy of MAE 4.4 years from a portable wearable device, at a fraction of the cost of these systems, with integrated neurofeedback and photobiomodulation capability.