Dr. Yeung Kin Chung Michael wins a fund from Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC) for his research on developing technological methods for brain training for autistic children.
Altered brain function is a hallmark feature of autism spectrum disorder and underpins cognitive, emotional, and social differences in autistic individuals. Unfortunately, in Hong Kong, the brain health of autistic children has been largely neglected. Technological methods that directly alter autistic brain functioning also remain lacking, and lead to suboptimal outcomes for many autistic children.
Neurofeedback training using either electroencephalography (EEG) or functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) has been shown to bring promising cognitive, emotional, and behavioral benefits to autism. In the Project entitled “Developing an EEG-fNIRS Neurofeedback Application for Brain Training for Autistic Children”, Dr. Yeung will lead his team to propose a proof-of-concept project in developing a versatile, currently nonexistent combined EEG-fNIRS neurofeedback application to offer synergistic brain training for autistic children.
“EEG-fNIRS technologies are relatively low-cost and user-friendly. I hope my research project will develop an ideal and novel multimodal interactive game application for remediating brain dysfunction. Using this application, we will evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of combined EEG-fNIRS neurofeedback training for improving functioning and symptoms in children with autism, “Dr. Yeung said.
This project is expected to enable a direct, comprehensive technology-based neurorehabilitation for autistic children, which can help reduce healthcare costs and feed the medical technology industry in Hong Kong.
