Brain Function Biomarker Testing In Psychiatry With Universal Brain EEG

Kazu Okuda, MD, described Universal Brain’s UBP system, as a brain function measurement tool built around a simple EEG clinical procedure. According to Okuda, obtaining a brain function biomarker has traditionally required substantial time and effort, and psychiatry lacked a routine, objective measure comparable to blood testing used elsewhere in medicine. The UBP system was designed to make brain function recording practical enough for everyday clinical use, with the goal of giving clinicians a reliable reference point throughout a patient's treatment course.

Okuda said the product's indication for use is broad, covering neurological and psychiatric conditions in which a reliable biomarker was needed, though initial marketing would focus on depression clinics before expanding to neurology and memory clinics. Depression clinics may be prioritized for use because many already offer transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and have staff experienced in operating specialized equipment.¹ Okuda also described depression as a highly heterogeneous condition, with substantial variation in symptoms and treatment needs across patients, reinforcing the need for an objective brain function measure to guide care.²

The company has positioned the UBP system as a scalable brain function biomarker technology intended to become a platform for psychiatric and neurological practice more broadly. "I think this is the first scalable brain function biomarker technology that is on the market, and we hope to be a platform of psychiatry and neurological practice," Okuda said.

Beyond its immediate clinical application, Okuda pointed to the longer-term potential of the data collected through the UBP system. Okuda noted this work remained in the research and development stage, supported by an ongoing clinical study examining the relationship between treatment response and brain function profile. Okuda hoped the UBP system will become a routine, vital measure in psychiatric practice, comparable to a blood test.

Dr Okuda is the chief executive officer of Universal Brain.

References

1. Baskaran A, Milev R, McIntyre RS. The neurobiology of the EEG biomarker as a predictor of treatment response in depression. Neuropharmacology. 2012;63(4):507-513.

2. Widge AS, Bilge MT, Montana R, et al. Electroencephalographic biomarkers for treatment response prediction in major depressive illness: a meta-analysis. Am J Psychiatry. 2019;176(1):44-56.