EEG Analysis

Electroencephalography (EEG) measures electrical activity via electrodes placed on your scalp. EEG does this using electrodes; we have different types of electrodes in the lab. When done correctly, the electrical signals that we measure are generated from brain activity. At NCIL, we have three labs that are equipped to do EEG research. The Butterfly Room (so-called because of the butterflies on the walls) is equipped with a set of 64 Brain Products ActiChamp system, which allows us to simultaneously record data from two people as they engage in a conversation. The Grey Room (so named because it is... grey) is similarly equipped with a 64-channel ActiChamp system. The soundproof room (so-named because of the soundproofing) is equipped with 128 channel Electrical Geodesics system, which is different from the other systems because it does not use gel. We also have the ability to conduct EEG research the the main lab lobby space under certain circumstances.

Typically there are two broad categories of EEG signals that researchers investigate. The first category is oscillatory activity, which is generated by repetitive rhythms of neural and central nervous activity. Researchers often investigate the relationship between these patterns and cognition. At NCIL however, we focus extensively on a different technique called event-related potentials (ERP). ERP are electrical potentials that are time-locked to the onset of a stimulus, such as a word or a picture. We often compare ERP between various conditions in order to infer something about the neural activity or cognitive processes. As of 2019, NCIL conducts its routine ERP (and other EEG) analysis using a tool called MNE. MNE is a library of the Python programming language that facilitates EEG (as well as MEG) analysis. For more information about how to use MNE and Python, please refer to the Python page of this handbook.

References

Luck, S. J. (2014). An introduction to the event-related potential technique, 2nd edition. MIT Press.

Newman, A. J. (2019). Research methods for cognitive neuroscience. SAGE Publications.