Study backs smartphone-linked brain tests for epilepsy

A 2026 study published in JAMA Cardiology tested an artificial intelligence system that uses electrocardiogram (ECG) readings to screen for impaired heart function in eight Kenyan health facilities.

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A portable brain test that uses a smartphone to send results to specialists could help patients suspected of having epilepsy access specialised testing closer to home, reducing the need for long journeys to major hospitals, joint tests by nine organisations, including the Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital (Kutrrh) said.

The smartphone-linked electroencephalography (EEG) test produced recordings that specialists could assess in 96 percent of 3,036 tests carried out at 29 healthcare sites across Kenya, an outcome that could reshape how neurological diagnoses are done. Most results were available within one to two hours.

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Note: The results are not exact but very close to the actual.