March 2025
Received funding for project
COMING SOON!
Will begin running participants.
34
Expected total number of participants.
Study Status
- Protocol Design
- Data Collection
- Data Analysis
- Manuscript(s) Preparation
- Publication
Protocol 013
Validation of a Novel Optical Sensor for Consciousness Detection via Concurrent EEG/Polysomnography
The Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies (IACS), with funding from Senzient, Inc., is conducting a research study exploring the relationship between brain activity and a novel investigational optical signal that may be associated with consciousness.
Can a purely optical device really track the presence and quality of conscious experience, and how does its signal relate to what we already measure with EEG? To find out, we are recording the Sentiometer simultaneously with 64-channel EEG and polysomnography in healthy adults across sleep, auditory oddball, frequency-tagged visual entrainment, gameplay versus meditation, backward-masked perception, and full-field color paradigms — systematically probing whether the optical signal tracks sleep stage transitions, conscious target detection, perceptual awareness thresholds, and the content of visual experience, or whether it reflects something redundant with established neural measures.
Sign Up To Be A Participant
We are looking for healthy adults to participate in a single research session at our Santa Monica laboratory.
- You will participate in a single 4.5-hour session involving a series of short cognitive and sensory tasks — including listening to tones, viewing colors on a screen, playing a simple computer game, and practicing a brief guided meditation — followed by a 2-hour nap while we record your brain activity.
- Throughout the session, you will wear an EEG cap and a small optical sensor, along with physiological monitors.
Interested in Participating? Sign up and check your eligibility:
Compensation:
You will be compensated $135 for your participation (approximately $30/hour). Parking validation is also provided.
Important Details:
- Single visit, approximately 4.5 hours at IACS (2811 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 510, Santa Monica, CA 90403)
- You must be able to nap during the daytime
- On the day of your session, you will be asked to avoid all caffeine and recreational drug use and to wake up one hour earlier than usual
- Participation is voluntary and you may withdraw at any time
- All data collected will be anonymized and kept confidential
This study has been reviewed by an Institutional Review Board; For more information, please contact nicco@advancedconsciousness.org
Associated Articles / Blogs
2025
- Tiny Blue Dot Foundation. (2025, July 29). Tiny Blue Dot Foundation awards $9M for Perception Box: Neuroscience exploring youth mental health, psychedelics, VR therapy, body image, and emotional resilience. PR Newswire.
Project Contributors
Funded By
