Showing posts with label ECG data acquisition software. Show all posts

Wireless | Flow State

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A flow state typically occurs when a person’s abilities match the level of difficulty for the current task they are completing. During this state, researchers have found that most people who exhibit flow experience changes in blood pressure, muscle activation, and mental focus, among other responses. They also lose self-awareness and subjectively evaluate time as passing more quickly than usual. All of these factors relate to both the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, suggesting that flow may involve a non-reciprocal coactivation of both systems. Neuroscience and Psychology researchers in Stockholm, Sweden hypothesize that these effects suggest a potential physiological component that differentiates flow from other states of increased mental effort. This indication may provide accurate measurement of deep concentration in a flow state during various activities, including, but not limited to, music, video games, and writing. To test this hypothesis, the researchers had a total of 77 participants play a modified version of the video game Tetris and then complete a questionnaire about their experience. Participants were instructed to play three game difficulties: Easy, Optimal, and Difficult. In the Optimal setting, researchers adjusted the speed of the game to match the participants’ ability, based on initial performance. Speed was then decreased and increased by three stages for Easy and Difficult modes, respectively. Wireless ECG and Respiration data was recorded using the wearable BioNomadix amplifier (BN-RSPEC); surface electrodes were placed on the left and right chest. In addition, mental activity was measured in 35 participants—this was determined by frontal lobe oxygenation, which was recorded by placing the BIOPAC fNIR100 optical brain imaging sensor on the forehead of each participant. After completing all three video game difficulties, subjects were given a questionnaire to indicate their subjective experience with each game level. The results found that while larger respiratory depth was associated with deeper flow, there was no significant correlation between frontal cortex activity and flow.

Noninvasive Cardiac Output | Data Acquisition

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Noninvasive Cardiac Output (NICO) measures can be determined by employing electrical bioimpedance (EBI) measurement techniques. Electrical bioimpedance is the characteristic impedance of a volume of tissue and fluid. For Cardiac Output measures, the relevant tissue includes the heart and the immediate surrounding volume of the thorax, and the relevant fluid is blood.
The electrical impedance of the thorax (Zt) can be thought of as composed of two impedance types:
  1. The base impedance (Zo) corresponding to non-time varying tissues, such as muscle, bone and fat. Zo is measured when the pulsatile volume is minimal.
  2. The delta impedance (dZ) corresponding to time-varying fluid volume (blood).
http://www.biopac.com/noninvasive-blood-pressure-amplifier-nibpZt drops with each pulsatile volume of blood ejected from the heart. dZ/dt is the magnitude of the largest impedance change during systole.
Noninvasive cardiac output amplifiers incorporate a precision high-frequency current source, which injects a very small (400 microamp rms) current through the measurement tissue volume defined by the placement of a set of current source electrodes. A separate set of monitoring electrodes measures the voltage developed across the tissue volume. Because the current is constant, the voltage measured is proportional to the characteristics of the biological impedance of the tissue volume.
BIOPAC data acquisition hardware for recording real-time Noninvasive Cardiac Output parameters include tethered amplifiers such as the NICO100C (or NICO100C-MRI for fMRI environments), EBI100C, or SS31L, or the wireless BioNomadix BN-NICO.
Hardware simultaneously measures impedance magnitude and phase, and may incorporate an internal derivative function to output dZ/dt simultaneously with Z; an AcqKnowledge calculation channel can also be used to determine dZ/dt. The internal derivative function inverts the polarity of the dZ/dt signal so that it displays a positive-going peak, coincident with negative slopes indicated in Z, as per academic research convention.
Disposable Ag/AgCl Paired Electrodes (EL500) are recommended for bioimpedance and cardiac output studies. Paired electrodes provide fixed spacing between the dual contacts and are pre-gelled with hypo-allergenic, wet liquid gel electrolyte (10% chloride salt); the gel cavity is situated between electrode and skin surfaces and helps reduce motion artifact.
The impact of movement artifacts on recorded data is a significant methodological concern in impedance cardiography; Ensemble Averaging tools in AcqKnowledge provide an automated strategy to remove these artifacts. Watch a demo now!

Data Hardware & Software Platforms

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Data acquisition hardware and software requirements vary widely based on experiment protocol, classroom setup, field studies, etc. BIOPAC data acquisition hardware platforms support wired, wireless, and fMRI setups, for human or animal subjects, with powerful, intuitive data software for research and teaching applications. Use with a variety of amplifiers, stimulators, triggers, transducers, gas analysis modules, and/or electrodes to acquire life science signals, including ECG, EEG, EOG, EMG, EGG, EDA, Respiration, Pulse, Temperature, Impedance Cardiography, Force, Accelerometry, Goniometry, Dynamometry, Gyro, and more. Combine data hardware for multi-subject or multi-parameter protocols.

Research hardware platforms are fully-integrated with AcqKnowledge® data acquisition software, which provides automated routines for data scoring, measurement, and reporting, and can support multiple hardware units. Teaching platforms include Biopac Student Lab software with media-rich tutorial style guide lessons for specified objectives, plus active learning options for student-designed experiments and advanced analysis.

Wired (tethered) data acquisition hardware platforms include the MP150 and MP36R Research Systems. The MP150 16-channel system with universal amplifier provides high resolution (16 bit), high-speed acquisition (400 kHz aggregate) with16 analog inputs and two analog outputs, digital I/O lines (to automatically control other TTL level equipment), and online calculation channels. The MP36R 4-channel research system with built-in amplifiers provides four analog inputs and one analog output, I/O port for digital devices, calculation channels, trigger port, headphone jack, and electrode impedance checker. The MP36R supports software-controlled amplifiers and calculation channels.

Wireless data hardware includes options for live or logged data:
BioNomadix wireless, wearable physiology monitoring devices noninvasively record high-quality, full-bandwidth data while comfortably allowing subjects to move freely in natural indoor environments. Digital transmission and transducers placed close to the signal source provide excellent signal quality. Record up to 16 channels of BioNomadix data with a BIOPAC MP150 System—the system also works with multiple MP150 systems or third-party data acquisition hardware via an isolated power supply module. 

Mobita® 32-channel wearable wireless systems are ideal for biopotential applications that demand subject mobility and data logging. The Mobita EEG System uses water electrodes—no skin prep or gels required. Record live data into AcqKnowledge or log to an internal storage card for later upload into AcqKnowledge; modes are easily switched to suit specific protocols.

B-Alert X10® Wireless Systems provide nine channels of high fidelity EEG plus ECG, and data software for cognitive state metrics software is available. The stand-alone system easily interfaces with MP150 Research System to synchronize with other physiological data.

BioHarness® with AcqKnowledge is a lightweight, non-restrictive data logger and telemetry system to monitor, record, and analyze a variety of physiological parameters, including ECG, respiration, posture, and acceleration.

Stellar® Small Animal Telemetry Licenses with AcqKnowledge control wireless data acquisition from Stellar Implantable Telemetry Systems. The easy-to-configure Animal Scheduler works for a subset or complete group of conscious, unrestrained small animals for long term recordings. Multiple display modes can be viewed simultaneously, and signal conditioning tools (e.g., filtering and artifact removal) can be applied.


These and other BIOPAC data hardware and software solutions are used in thousands of labs worldwide and cited in thousands of publications. Learn more about research systems and teaching systems.

End the Complications of Data Acquisition Hardware

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data acquisition hardware

Data Acquisition and analysis for the life sciences has improved immensely from the days of chart recorders and oscilloscopes. Remember when data had to be scored by hand, and marked and measured with a ruler? The old technology of the past has given way to sophisticated data acquisition hardware and data acquisition software platforms of the present day that allow researchers to record, display, and analyze data intuitively with easy-to-use hardware and simple pull-down software menus.

Data Acquisition hardware is no longer complicated equipment, full of knobs, dials and switches — rather it is easy to use, flexible and available for a wide range of application areas. Wireless data acquisition hardware allows of recording of mobile or ambulatory subjects in real world environments or virtual reality paradigms. Data can be streamed live or logged to an internal storage for later upload. Data acquisition hardware is also available for specialty applications like fMRI, now researchers can record physiology in the MRI to examine subject responses during functional magnetic resonance imaging tests.

After acquiring physiological data, researchers can use data acquisition software with automated analysis routines to mark, score, and output results from the data. Data acquisition software is intuitive and feature rich, with real-time display options, real-time calculation channels, and post acquisition analysis tools including cycle detectors, rate calculators, frequency and power analysis and specific automated analysis routines for signals such as ECG, EMG, EEG, Blood Pressure, ICG, EDA, and more!

Neuromarketing Solutions | Data Acquisition

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Neuromarketing
Neuromarketing solutions are available that allow you to examine physiological responses to products, environments, other stimuli or decision making tasks. Multiple physiological signals can be recorded and analyzed for Neuromarketing, including EEG. EEG analysis options allow for understanding of the subject's cognitive state for a variety of Neuromarketing tasks.  Gauging level of engagement, workload and drowsiness while performing tasks or participating in consumer test situations can provide valuable insight into product development and marketing. Neuromarketing solutions should be as unobtrusive as possible, allowing for wireless EEG and other physiological signals to be recorded and analyzed from mobile subjects. Whether subjects are in a lab or real-world environment, users should have the ability to stream physiological data live or record and log up to 32-channels of high-quality biopotential data.


neuromarketing
For some applications, long-term activity studies may be necessary. Solutions are available that allow users to monitor subjects in their home environment over multiple hours or days. For example, record ECG, EEG, Respiration, EMG, and GPS positioning data to look at overall activity levels and physiological responses to different Neuromarketing stimuli and daily activities that include product interactions.

Neuromarketing and Neuroeconomics | Data Acquisition

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Neuromarketing and neuroeconomics research use physiological data to examine a participant’s response to a product, service, or decision making task. Researchers combine cognitive, sensorimotor, and affective responses to marketing stimuli from advertisements to political debates.


neuromarketing research
Physiological signals for macroeconomic or micromarketing analysis can be recorded almost anywhere, including: the lab, during fMRI, a workplace environment, virtual reality scenarios, in a subject's home, or mobile application. Wireless data systems allows participants to move and respond freely.

A wide range of recording options can ensure quality data collection in a comfortable and unobtrusive manner to seamlessly capture the most important events in a neuromarketing and neuroeconomic study.
Examine responses to stimuli or decision making tasks in the brain with EEG or fNIR data. Analyze cognitive state, level of engagement, workload and drowsiness while subjects participate in a consumer test, perform a task, watch a presentation, etc.

 Record a variety of biometrics to examine stress and arousal to specific stimuli, such as facial EMG, ECG/Heart Rate, skin conductance level (EDA/GSR), or respiration.
Combine eye tracking data with other physiological variables to provide context for the subject's emotional response to certain types of stimulation.

Synchronize with video to visually correlate subject’s behavior with the data...replay the video and see what the subject was doing at key points during neuromarketing study. Synchronize with GPS data to better understand a subject’s lifestyle. Create reports that classify specific and non-specific response events to specific stimuli results from automated scoring and analysis software that helps to measure, score, and output experiment results.

 For more information and products surrounding this topic, follow through to BIOPAC.com.

AcqKnowledge Electrocardiogram(ECG) Routines

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What is an ECG?
An ECG - or electrocardiogram – is a common test used to gauge heart health. It monitors the electrical activity of the heart, which can indicate problems related to heart rate and valve health. Other reasons an ECG may be performed are to:
  • Check how the heart responds to exercise (as with a classic treadmill test)
  • See if the walls of the heart chambers are hypertrophied
  • Discover the cause of specific symptoms of heart disease
  • An ECG calculates a wide range of valuable data valuable including:
  • Heart Rate
  • Heart Rhythm
  • Evidence of previous heart attacks
  • Possibility of coronary artery disease
  • Signs of decreased oxygen to the heart


The main types of ECG are:
Cardiac stress test - this one is recorded while the subject is active, usually walking on a treadmill or riding on an exercise bike. The typical time for this test is 15-30 minutes.
Ambulatory - This ECG test is done using a transportable recording device, often called a data logger, that is worn for 24 hours or more, with the subject free to move around in a normal fashion. This type of test is typically used to study infrequent symptoms that might not show up in a resting ECG test. The subject is usually asked to keep track of his/her own symptoms in a journal of some kind, keeping track of the time of each symptom to be later compared to the results of the ECG test.
Resting - This is the most common ECG test and is taken while the subject is lying down for usually 5-10 minutes. Subjects are instructed to keep as still as possible to avoid other muscle activity interfering with the activity of the heart.
Some possible limitations of an ECG test include:
Some irregularity surfacing through the test are false positives, often times not having any medical importance after further assessment is done.
The test can also show up negative for subjects with some form of heart disease including diagnosed coronary artery disease.

BIOPAC's ECG data acquisition software
AcqKnowledge includes the following automated ECG routines, as well as numerous other automated analysis routines and transformation tools:
Detect and Classify Heartbeats

Locate Human ECG Complex Boundaries

 Heart Rate Variability


    Personalize your package with specialized amplifiers, leads, electrodes, and/or transducers. Have the ability to record the max of 16 channels of high-fidelity ECG and additional physiological data either wirelessly with BioNomadix or via standard wired amplifiers.
    Contact BIOPAC today for more information.

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