Standardized synchronization and validation pipeline for physiological biomarkers across multiple devices
Behavior Research Methods, vol. 58
Abstract
Wearable devices enable continuous monitoring of physiological signals in real-world settings, yet a standardized approach for synchronizing signals across devices remains lacking. We present a generalizable, user-friendly pipeline that enables synchronization of any two devices capturing the same physiological signals, without requiring coding expertise. The pipeline performs resampling, dynamic time warping alignment, amplitude correction via wavelet transforms, and signal standardization, followed by agreement analyses at both waveform and feature levels. To demonstrate its validity, we applied the pipeline to a case study comparing two research-grade devices, the Empatica E4 and the EmbracePlus, using up to 48 h of concurrent recordings from 31 participants. We compared signal-level agreement across waveform similarity, amplitude distribution, spectral content, and extracted features between the two research-grade devices to determine their interchangeability for longitudinal and multi-site studies. Specifically, we aimed to determine how well these devices agree at the signal level and to identify which physiological signals are most robust to device-specific variability. Four signals were examined (blood volume pulse, electrodermal activity, accelerometry, and temperature) using NeuroKit2 and FLIRT. We computed Pearson and concordance correlation coefficients, Bland-Altman bias and limits of agreement, root mean squared error (RMSE), KL divergence, spectral coherence, mutual information, and feature-level correlations using NeuroKit2 and FLIRT. Results showed near-perfect agreement for BVP (concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) ≈ 1.0; coherence ≤ 0.98) and phasic EDA features (CCC 0.85-0.99), whereas tonic EDA, temperature, and accelerometry exhibited systematic amplitude biases (EmbracePlus lower) and axis-dependent variability (Z-axis CCC = 0.85; Y-axis = 0.19). Relative signal dynamics were preserved across devices despite differences in absolute levels. These findings support integration of BVP, EDA, and TEMP data across E4 and EmbracePlus with proper preprocessing, while highlighting calibration needs for movement signals.
Authors 12
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Radboud University Nijmegen · Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging · Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour
Affiliation as printed
Donders Center for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University, Kapittelweg 29, 6525 EN, Nijmegen, the Netherlands. selin.acan@ru.nl
Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University, Kapittelweg 29, 6525 EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. selin.acan@ru.nl
Science and Treatment Innovation, Fivoor, 3014 AE, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. selin.acan@ru.nl
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Instituto de Salud Carlos III · Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental · Hospital Clínic de Barcelona · Consorci Institut D'Investigacions Biomediques August Pi I Sunyer · Universitat de Barcelona
Affiliation as printed
Biomedical Research Networking Centre, Consortium on Mental Health (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
Bipolar and Depressive Disorders Unit, IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Department of Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences (UBNeuro), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
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Affiliation as printed
School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Dugald Stewart Building, 10 Crichton St, Edinburgh, EH8 9AB, UK
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Affiliation as printed
School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Dugald Stewart Building, 10 Crichton St, Edinburgh, EH8 9AB, UK
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Instituto de Salud Carlos III · Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental · Hospital Clínic de Barcelona · Consorci Institut D'Investigacions Biomediques August Pi I Sunyer · Universitat de Barcelona
Affiliation as printed
Biomedical Research Networking Centre, Consortium on Mental Health (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
Bipolar and Depressive Disorders Unit, IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Department of Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences (UBNeuro), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
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Radboud University Nijmegen · Radboud University Medical Center
Affiliation as printed
Department of Medical Biosciences, Radboud University Medical Center (Radboudumc), Geert Grooteplein 28, 6525, GA, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Affiliation as printed
James Cook University, 18 Joan St, Mornington, QLD, 4825, Australia
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Developmental Psychology, Tilburg University, 5037 AB, Tilburg, The Netherlands
Science and Treatment Innovation, Fivoor, 3014 AE, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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Radboud University Nijmegen · Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour
Affiliation as printed
Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University, Kapittelweg 29, 6525 EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Mitra Baratchi Aachen
Affiliation as printed
Leiden University, Rapenburg 70, 2311 EZ, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Radboud University Nijmegen · Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour
Affiliation as printed
Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University, Kapittelweg 29, 6525 EN, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Radboud University Nijmegen · Tilburg University
Affiliation as printed
Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, 6525 GD, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Department of Developmental Psychology, Tilburg University, 5037 AB, Tilburg, The Netherlands
National Expert Centre Intellectual Disabilities and Severe Behavioral Problems, De Borg, 3723 MB, Bilthoven, The Netherlands
Science and Treatment Innovation, Fivoor, 3014 AE, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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