Korean patients with brain diseases including dementia and depression may be able to treat themselves at home using the latest electroencephalography technology starting next year.

Mensia Technologies, an emerging French company specializing in real-time monitoring of brain activity, on Tuesday announced its collaboration with a Korean firm which is currently developing the world’s first EEG-driven treatment option for brain disease patients.

EEG is a means of measuring voltage fluctuations resulting from ionic current flows within the neurons of the brain.

While Mensia Technologies offers advanced software solutions for neurophysiology and neurofeedback, including a 3-D visualized display of one’s brain activity in real-time, the Korean firm Ybrain is coming up with a drug-free, wearable treatment device for Alzheimer’s patients.

The device, which is currently on a clinical trial, is scheduled to be released in South Korea for sale as early as next year.

The device consists of a headband with two censors, which does not require liquid or gel to be attached to one’s head, and emits electronic signals to stimulate the patients’ brain activity.

The stimulation of the device, which can be worn at home, is most effective in reducing symptoms of early dementia patients, said Lee Ki-won from Ybrain.

The French company’s technology, which allows an individual to monitor brain activity as well as stress levels on their own in real-time, is extremely useful for their current project, said Yun Kyong-sik, the CEO of the Korean company.

For example, one of the pieces of real-time software developed by Mensia allows PTSD patients to relax and control their emotions on their own, by showing an animated balloon on the computer screen connected to their brain. When their stress level is high, the balloon rises, reflecting the state of the brain in real-time. When the level is low, the balloon drops.

“Ultimately, we would like to develop a technology that predicts one’s future brain condition,” Yun said in a joint press conference in Seoul on Tuesday. “Working with Mensia Technologies will help us reach that goal.”

The new treatment option could be useful for South Korea, where the growing number of its dementia patients is considered a future threat to its economy. The nation’s Health Ministry predicts that the number of those with dementia will exceed the 1 million mark in the country by 2024, and that it will cost some 43.6 trillion won ($43.1 billion) to treat the patients by 2030. They also predict that the number of dementia patients will in fact exceed the number of those aged 65 or older by 2024.

Jean-Yves Quentel, the CEO of the French company, said the increasing number of Alzheimer’s patients in South Korea will eventually require new treatment options that focus on early diagnosis and prevention of the disease. Most of the currently available medications for Alzheimer’s disease have been proven to be ineffective in counteracting the symptoms, he said.

The French company is also collaborating with two major laboratories in neurophysiology in South Korea, including the DataCenter for Korean EEG at Seoul National University and the department of biomedical engineering at Hanyang University.

By Claire Lee (dyc@heraldcorp.com)