A new study published in the journal Nature has established a proof-of-principle for conducting neurobehavioural testing outside conventional lab facilities using accessible smartphone technology.

The study, conducted by Henk-Jan Boele, et al, tested a smartphone-based software platform, called BlinkLab, to perform neurobehavioral testing without the need for facial instruments or other fixed-location equipment.

“Since these tests are reflex-based and do not require verbal or social interaction, they allow for large-scale, cross-cultural human studies and cross-species translational research,” the study authors said.

Neurobehavioral testing of brain function can reveal fundamental mechanisms underlying neuropsychiatric conditions, but conventional tests typically require test subjects to be at a lab facility and wear instruments attached to the face, which can make participants uncomfortable.

BlinkLab’s AI-based platform can be used at home or in other environments. The tests include eyeblink conditioning, a form of sensory-motor associative learning; prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle response, which measures the ability to filter out irrelevant information through sensorimotor gating and startle habituation, which measures the ability for the intrinsic damping of repetitive stimuli.

Read the full study here.

Click here to connect with BlinkLab for an Investor Presentation