Toward Scalable Mental Health Screening: Gender-Sensitive Biomarkers from Portable Prefrontal EEG Devices

Toward Scalable Mental Health Screening: Gender-Sensitive Biomarkers from Portable Prefrontal EEG Devices | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Toward Scalable Mental Health Screening: Gender-Sensitive Biomarkers from Portable Prefrontal EEG Devices Shu Tang, Chuanliang Han, Xuebing Li This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7197377/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 10 Nov, 2025 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted 12 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a prevalent mental health condition associated with substantial emotional and functional impairment. While interest in neurophysiological markers is growing, gender-specific neural oscillatory patterns measured by portable EEG devices remain underexplored. Objective: This study examined whether relative spectral power in the high alpha band (11–13 Hz), recorded by a three-channel prefrontal EEG device during eyes-closed resting state, is associated with emotional states and clinical diagnosis, with attention to gender differences. Methods: Forty participants (18 MDD patients, 22 healthy controls; 22 females) from the MODMA dataset completed EEG recordings using both a 128-channel laboratory system and a portable three-channel device (Fp1, Fpz, Fp2). Emotional status was assessed using PHQ-9, GAD-7, and CTQ-SF. Pearson correlations were conducted between spectral power (4–20 Hz) and emotional scale scores. Results: Spectral features from the portable EEG closely matched those of the lab system (r = 0.975). High alpha power positively correlated with all three scales, especially in females, where associations extended into the low beta range. At 11.9 Hz, PHQ-9 correlations were significant for both males (r = 0.40, p = 0.011) and females (r = 0.33, p = 0.037). High alpha power also distinguished MDD from controls (r = 0.32, p = 0.042), independent of age and education. Conclusion: Frontal high alpha activity measured by a portable EEG device is a promising neural marker of emotional dysregulation, with stronger and broader associations observed in females. These findings support gender-sensitive EEG-based screening approaches for mood disorders in community and clinical settings. Health sciences/Biomarkers Health sciences/Diseases Health sciences/Medical research Health sciences/Neurology Biological sciences/Neuroscience EEG depression high alpha gender differences portable neurotechnology depression screening emotional biomarkers Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 10 Nov, 2025 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 14 Aug, 2025 Reviews received at journal 12 Aug, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 11 Aug, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 10 Aug, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 09 Aug, 2025 Reviews received at journal 07 Aug, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 07 Aug, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 07 Aug, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 07 Aug, 2025 Editor invited by journal 30 Jul, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 28 Jul, 2025 First submitted to journal 28 Jul, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7197377","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":498797489,"identity":"f6ef4bb4-5342-4031-a862-d6db57dfec95","order_by":0,"name":"Shu Tang","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAv0lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYLACxgYGZn72BiJV80C1sEv2HCBRC7/BjAQitdiznz388ueOw9IGko833mCosYkmbAtPXpo175nDxubSacUWDMfSchsIOyzHzJix7XCy5ewcMwnGhsNEaOF/Y2b4s+1w/YabZ4jVIpFj/IC37TCzwQ0eYrXceGPGzNuWzizZA/RLAjF+Ye/PMf74s80aGJWHN974UGNDWAsQsElAGQYSCUQoBwHmD3AtROoYBaNgFIyCEQYAhJM8TwnrF+kAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Chinese Academy of Sciences","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Shu","middleName":"","lastName":"Tang","suffix":""},{"id":498797490,"identity":"85a43981-0cc8-4485-b716-42ece846823f","order_by":1,"name":"Chuanliang Han","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"The Chinese University of Hong Kong","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Chuanliang","middleName":"","lastName":"Han","suffix":""},{"id":498797491,"identity":"8e16ad7d-c414-47f2-b502-0b98c9fe908b","order_by":2,"name":"Xuebing Li","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Chinese Academy of Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Xuebing","middleName":"","lastName":"Li","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-07-23 14:23:24","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7197377/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7197377/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-23112-w","type":"published","date":"2025-11-10T15:57:46+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":96105970,"identity":"cf6fdfe5-f9ca-4388-8609-89161ac906ac","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-17 16:12:29","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1243223,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"MainManuscript20250723.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7197377/v1_covered_c63f3574-d181-4263-b237-e01776570d89.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Toward Scalable Mental Health Screening: Gender-Sensitive Biomarkers from Portable Prefrontal EEG Devices","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"EEG, depression, high alpha, gender differences, portable neurotechnology, depression screening, emotional biomarkers","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7197377/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7197377/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003ch2\u003eBackground:\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eMajor depressive disorder (MDD) is a prevalent mental health condition associated with substantial emotional and functional impairment. While interest in neurophysiological markers is growing, gender-specific neural oscillatory patterns measured by portable EEG devices remain underexplored.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eObjective:\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis study examined whether relative spectral power in the high alpha band (11\u0026ndash;13 Hz), recorded by a three-channel prefrontal EEG device during eyes-closed resting state, is associated with emotional states and clinical diagnosis, with attention to gender differences.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMethods:\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eForty participants (18 MDD patients, 22 healthy controls; 22 females) from the MODMA dataset completed EEG recordings using both a 128-channel laboratory system and a portable three-channel device (Fp1, Fpz, Fp2). Emotional status was assessed using PHQ-9, GAD-7, and CTQ-SF. Pearson correlations were conducted between spectral power (4\u0026ndash;20 Hz) and emotional scale scores.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eResults:\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eSpectral features from the portable EEG closely matched those of the lab system (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.975). High alpha power positively correlated with all three scales, especially in females, where associations extended into the low beta range. At 11.9 Hz, PHQ-9 correlations were significant for both males (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.40, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.011) and females (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.33, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.037). High alpha power also distinguished MDD from controls (r\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.32, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.042), independent of age and education.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConclusion:\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrontal high alpha activity measured by a portable EEG device is a promising neural marker of emotional dysregulation, with stronger and broader associations observed in females. These findings support gender-sensitive EEG-based screening approaches for mood disorders in community and clinical settings.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Toward Scalable Mental Health Screening: Gender-Sensitive Biomarkers from Portable Prefrontal EEG Devices","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-08-12 13:02:10","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7197377/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2025-08-14T19:20:30+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-08-12T20:10:31+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"181830651977652359751573434458921045936","date":"2025-08-11T12:56:34+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"231585892895678320395425646554270799281","date":"2025-08-10T16:44:11+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"233953754702582784129183040257694687879","date":"2025-08-09T11:56:08+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-08-07T08:21:43+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"40721087345369688309674198302192911187","date":"2025-08-07T06:40:11+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-08-07T06:35:49+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-08-07T06:32:27+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2025-07-30T12:34:25+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-07-28T06:05:56+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Scientific Reports","date":"2025-07-28T05:29:24+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"0bd955f5-5645-40db-9a13-473ff5ad3684","owner":[],"postedDate":"August 12th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[{"id":52977566,"name":"Health sciences/Biomarkers"},{"id":52977567,"name":"Health sciences/Diseases"},{"id":52977568,"name":"Health sciences/Medical research"},{"id":52977569,"name":"Health sciences/Neurology"},{"id":52977570,"name":"Biological sciences/Neuroscience"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-11-17T16:11:10+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-7197377","link":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-23112-w","journal":{"identity":"scientific-reports","isVorOnly":false,"title":"Scientific Reports"},"publishedOn":"2025-11-10 15:57:46","publishedOnDateReadable":"November 10th, 2025"},"versionCreatedAt":"2025-08-12 13:02:10","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1038/s41598-025-23112-w","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-23112-w","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7197377","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7197377","identity":"rs-7197377","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}