Real-time emotional dynamics and public discourse on Sina Weibo following the first imported mpox case in mainland China: A sentiment analysis study.

Electroencephalography (EEG) is a widely used method in cognitive neuroscience for understanding both typical and atypical brain function. Compared to other neurophysiological techniques, EEG possesses several unique strengths, including its ability to measure neural activity with unparalleled temporal resolution [,]. Furthermore, EEG is noninvasive, highly tolerable, and cost-effective, which makes it exceptionally well-suited for a wide range of clinical applications and lifespan developmental research []. A particularly powerful technique derived from EEG is the analysis of event-related potentials (ERPs). ERPs are small voltage fluctuations in the ongoing EEG that are time-locked to the presentation of a specific sensory, cognitive, or motor event []. This method allows researchers to isolate and examine the brain’s phased response to discrete stimuli with millisecond precision, making the ERP technique ideal for elucidating the temporal sequence of information processing in the brain. Despite its broad utility, the generalizability of EEG findings has been significantly compromised by the historical and systematic exclusion of participants from racially and ethnically underrepresented groups (REUG) [,,]. A systematic review of 700 articles highlights the scale of this issue, finding that EEG samples consist predominantly of White participants (78%) from North America and Western Europe, while Blacks, Hispanic/Latino and Asian participants are notably underrepresented []. This widespread exclusion is driven by multifaceted systemic issues. For many underrepresented groups, including Hispanic and Asian populations, barriers include a well-founded distrust in medical research stemming from historical exploitation [,], linguistic and cultural barriers, and limited access to research opportunities, often due to geographic or socioeconomic factors []. For Black individuals, these systemic issues are compounded by a primary technological barrier. Standard EEG caps and sensors have not been designed for these hair textures. [] Common hairstyles in the Black community such as braids, cornrows, or locs can impede the close scalp adherence required to record reliable and valid EEG data [,]. This technological incompatibility has a direct, two-fold impact. First, EEG research may lead to proactive exclusion, where labs may deem these hairstyles as exclusionary due to anticipated poor signal quality [,]. Second, even when included, participants with coarse or curly hair may face significant data retention issues, as the poor scalp-electrode connection often results in high impedances and a poor signal-to-noise ratio, rendering the collected data unusable for statistical analysis [,].