Monitoring Sleep Quality Through Low α-Band Activity in the Prefrontal Cortex Using a Portable Electroencephalogram Device: Longitudinal Study

Background The pursuit of sleep quality has become an important aspect of people’s global quest for overall health. However, the objective neurobiological features corresponding to subjective perceptions of sleep quality remain poorly understood. Although previous studies have investigated the relationship between electroencephalogram (EEG) and sleep, the lack of longitudinal follow-up studies raises doubts about the reproducibility of their findings. Objective Currently, there is a gap in research regarding the stable associations between EEG data and sleep quality assessed through multiple data collection sessions, which could help identify potential neurobiological targets related to sleep quality. Methods In this study, we used a portable EEG device to collect resting-state prefrontal cortex EEG data over a 3-month follow-up period from 42 participants (27 in the first month, 25 in the second month, and 40 in the third month). Each month, participants’ sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) to estimate their recent sleep quality. Results We found that there is a significant and consistent positive correlation between low α band activity in the prefrontal cortex and PSQI scores (r=0.45, P<.001). More importantly, this correlation remained consistent across all 3-month follow-up recordings (P<.05), regardless of whether we considered the same cohort or expanded the sample size. Furthermore, we discovered that the periodic component of the low α band primarily contributed to this significant association with PSQI. Conclusions These findings represent the first identification of a stable and reliable neurobiological target related to sleep quality through multiple follow-up sessions. Our results provide a solid foundation for future applications of portable EEG devices in monitoring sleep quality and screening for sleep disorders in a broad population.