Development of a human electrophysiology laboratory to advance cognitive neuroscience in western Kenya

Abstract

Abstract Increasing evidence underscores the influence of social determinants and cultural factors on brain structure and function. Neurophysiological approaches offer unique advantages for assessing brain physiology and cognitive functioning, but challenges remain in building the capacity necessary to support the use of these resources in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The establishment of a first-of-its-kind neurophysiology lab in East Africa in January 2022, the Moi University Clinical and Cognitive Neuroscience Center (MU CCNC), promotes dedicated research infrastructure for patients within Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH), the second- largest national referral hospital in Kenya, which serves about 24 million individuals. Built within the Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH), a three-decade long collaboration between MTRH and a consortium of North American universities, the critical lessons learned while building this infrastructure in a low-resource setting included overcoming barriers to using and maintaining highly sensitive equipment in a setting with substantial environmental noise and electrical interference, ensuring secure and accurate data storage for complex files from precisely synchronized programs, and establishing standard operating procedures for laboratory continuity. Within the first two years of the establishment of the lab, capacity building has been prioritized, with a focus on extending neurophysiology train- ing to research staff, students, and faculty throughout Kenya and developing research questions that can be addressed with lab methods and resources. By describing the process of developing a comprehensive human electrophysiology lab in a LMIC, we hope to streamline implementation for researchers to establish neurophysiology infrastructure in similar settings.