WAVi
Changing the Way Brain is Viewed

“If I Had More Time, I Would Have Written a Shorter Letter” is a misattributed quote that focuses on the importance of editing and conciseness in writing. Apparently, it was first used by French mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal in his work “Lettres Provinciales” in 1657. This quote highlights how crisp and to the point information makes life as well as any task easier. However, the same cannot be said about the present-day brain assessment tools such as electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) that produces lengthy and complicated diagnosis results, making it difficult for practitioners to understand and provide immediate care to the patients. This is what WAVi, an emerging medical-device company, set to change. WAVi offers its namesake brain assessment platform that leverages modern technologies like Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to assess mental function and disease states of the brain effortlessly and provide accurate results that are easily interpretable by the practitioners to deliver better patient care.

Headquartered at Englewood, Colorado, the WAVi platform includes an FDA approved EEG headset. Designed by legendary Italian firm MOMO DESIGN, the headset comes with multifaceted tools to help practitioners measure brain performance. The tools include EEG, Trail Making, Auditory and Visual ERP (event-related potential), Data Sharing, HRV, Standard Assessments, and Customizable Reporting. While EEG tracks and records brain wave patterns, Trail Making offers a measure of visual control and task switching. WAVi’s Auditory and Visual ERPs are used to measure cognitive response and cognitive control, respectively. The platform’s Data Sharing tool allows neurologists and practitioners to create a community where they can work together to enhance how the brain works.

Similarly, other tools play a prominent role in the measurement of brain performance. “The practitioners can carry out different brain assessments through our platform, and we combine the results from these assessments with the ones from the public domain to give a nice simple and actionable report,” remarks David Oakley, CEO, WAVi.

Because of multifaceted brain performance assessment tools and the ability to offer simple reports, the WAVi platform finds its application in both clinical and non-clinical settings. In a clinical setting, medical practitioners aiming to diagnose, prevent, or treat aging declines, Alzheimer’s disease, attention-deficit disorders, concussion, depression, and similar conditions will use this cost-effective and efficient platform in the normal course of their clinical evaluations. In a non-clinical setting, including health clubs, wellness centers, sports teams, and much more, it is quite common for performers to check their height, weight, and overall fitness. But with the WAVi platform, they can now track how exercise, nutrition, and change in lifestyle can transform the performance of the brain.

Oakley highlights another instance where the use of WAVi is opening new doors to enhance brain performance assessment efficiency. Most of the time, the primary care providers are on the frontline to diagnose brain-related issues such as concussion or dementia. Still, they do not have efficient tools to carry out such evaluations. The WAVi platform fills this gap. Also, with the platform, the primary care providers can share the reports in suitable formats with neurologists. “Our platform brings different practitioners together and these unique perspectives can lead to the delivery of better healthcare,” says Oakley.

Furthermore, other than clinical and non-clinical setups, WAVi contributes to brain performance assessment research as well. For this, the company has launched a research project named WAVi Research. The project creates and analyzes data sets that consist of a six-year longitudinal concussion study on NCAA athletes, correlations between heart and brain health; studies on hearing loss and mental function; pre-symptom Alzheimer’s; and the effects of interventions on brain performance. WAVi Research has been recently honored with an NIH grant to study acute pain and opioid abuse. In the future, too, the company is encouraging clinicians through open research collaborations made available by the WAVi cloud application.