Press Release IN THE FOCUS August 2009, Volume 32 Kabellose Erfassung lokaler Feldpotentiale und elektrische Stimulation der Großhirnrinde für medizinische Diagnostik und Neuroprothetik* Contents of this issue IN THE FOCUS BMBF-Project Products in Practice Brain Products goes eXtreme EEG - Recording EEGs in the Nepalese Himalayas What a title for a new project that dovetails with the successful completion of the FaSor project! Currently we are searching for an abbreviation which is easy to remember. For the moment let’s focus on the tasks: 1 Products Development Changes to Analyzer 2.0.1: Bugfixes and new Features 3 News in brief Downloads, Programms and Updates 3 Brain Products Projects FaSor (Fahrer als Sensor) The driver as sensor 4 User Research On the combination of EEG transcranial magnetic stimulation 5 Products Development actiCAP - technical innovations 7 Brain Products Projects „Long night of science - Berlin“ 8 Products Development BrainVision RecView 1.3: Continued developed software for real time data analysis 8 Young Scientist Award And the Award goes to ... Dr. Tobias Heed (University of Hamburg) by Alexander Svojanovsky, General Manager 1 Partners working alongside Brain Products include the Bremen Institute of Technology (ZKW, IMSAS, ITEM) and the University of Bonn (Epileptology). A system for use in epilepsy diagnostics and neuroprosthetics will be developed within the next 3 years. Implanted electrode grids send EEG data wirelessly to a receiver (outside the head) where the signals can be analyzed in real-time (spike detection as well as BCI algorithms are planned). Based on the categorized data, feedback is transmitted to the electrodes and electrical stimulation occurs. The whole system is intended to be portable and the power for both the electrodes and the stimuli will be induced externally. Although the aims are ambitious, all of the partners are confident and highly motivated to succeed in a project that is rich in promise. This project is financed by the BMBF (Federal Ministry of Education and Research) via the DLR (German Aerospace Center). The resulting product will have an enormous impact. More information will be available during the course of the project in our Press Releases and on our official project website. * wireless acquisition of local fieldpotentials and electrical stimulation of cerebral cortex for medical diagnostics and neuroprosthetics Products in Practice Brain Products goes eXtreme EEG - Recording EEGs in the Nepalese Himalayas by Pierluigi Castellone, International Sales Manager 9 Brain Products Distributors MES Medizinelektronik GmbH – Germany/Switzerland 9 Conference Event And the winners of $ 1,000 are ... 10 Brain Products Inside Dr. Michael Jachan as new software developer 10 Brain Products Inside Job Opportunities at Brain Products 11 News in brief Workshops & Exhibitions 12 Contact & Imprint 12 Some months ago, Brain Products launched a new project called „eXtreme EEG“. The idea is to support research groups which plan to record EEGs and other neurophysiological data under extreme conditions by providing them with a portable 16-channel research amplifier, an active electrode system, a laptop and web cam for the video EEG recording and, of course, our knowledge and expertise. The ultimate goal of this project is to find out how far the boundaries of what is possible can be pushed forward and identify potential new areas for EEG research. Among the many proposals we received in a period of just a few weeks, the one submitted by a group of worldfamous Hungarian mountaineers, which involved recording EEGs, respiration and blood pulse signals while climbing one of the highest mountains in the Himalayas, appealed to us an “extremely extreme” and challenging task. A few discussions with Mr. Koljar Lajos (leader of the expedition) and his team allayed any doubts we might have had and convinced us that we should support the project. The members of the expedition started their adventure on the 14th of April, departing from Budapest in the direction of Katmandu (Nepal) with two clear objectives in mind: To climb Mount ... page 1 of 12 Brain Products Press Release August 2009, Volume 32 Manaslu - the eight highest mountain in the world - and record neurophysiological data by means of the eXtreme EEG package! The Cap Preparation The preparation of the EEG cap in such extreme conditions was one of the aspects we wanted to be tested extensively during the Himalaya expedition. The unusual environmental conditions in which the neurophysiological data was recorded could have caused unexpected problems during the cap preparation like, for example, freezing of the gel. Nevertheless the equipment we supplied to the climbers performed excellently at both low and high altitudes and the team members encountered no problems during the preparation of subjects or while making the recordings. Reducing the impedance of the 16 active electrodes used for those measurements below 10 K Ohm was extremely easy and the preparation took less than 5 minutes. “That was just amazing!” – said Mr. Lajos. Data Recording The main goal of the recordings was to measure neurophysiological data under both normal and extreme conditions by using 16 EEG electrodes (Fp1, Fp2, O1, O2, FC5, FC6, CP5, CP6, F7, F8, TP9, TP10, Fz, Cz, Pz e Oz), a blood pulse and a respiration sensor. “Normal conditions” were defined as physiological activity recorded at an altitude Pic. 1: EEG cap preparation at 4.800 m: a lower than 1000 m member of the expedition fills the electrodes above sea level and in with SuperVisc gel “extreme conditions” as physiological activity recorded at an altitude higher than 4,800 m above sea level. Pic. 2 The FFT analysis performed for channel Oz for the “closed eyes” versus “Open Eyes” condition both at low and high altitude also confirms the good quality of the data. The analysis of the blood pulse signal revealed no significant change in the mean heart rate of the volunteer (a Himalayan high altitude native Sherpa). 53 bpm at high altitude versus 50 bpm at low altitude with the subject at rest confirms that adaptation to very high altitudes is a very smooth process for Himalayan natives. The good quality of the data recorded from the members of the Himalaya expedition proved how reliable and robust the V-Amp and the actiCAP are. Even when used under the most extreme environmental conditions the equipment performed just as good as in any EEG lab. To conclude this article, we would like to honor the memory of Dr. Szabò Levente, who was killed in an accident during the descent from Mount Manaslu. On the occasion of this tragedy, we would like to express our deepest condolences to Dr. Szabò’s family and friends. We would also like to thank the members of the Hungarian Himalaya expedition for their commitment; it was a pleasure to work with them! Additional information about the eXtreme EEG project can be found at www.brainproducts.com/extreme_eeg.php Each dataset consisted of two recordings (1) a measurement taken with the subject at rest (2) a measurement taken while walking and climbing. All the datasets were recorded together with a video using the BrainVision Recorder software. A video clip showing some of the videos captured during the measurements on the Manaslu can be found on our website at www.brainproducts.com/extreme_eeg.php Data Analysis The results of the analysis performed on the data by using the BrainVision Analyzer 2 software confirmed its good quality. As shown in picture 3, a typical increase in alpha activity in the “closed eyes” condition at both altitudes is clearly visible already from the Raw Data: Pic. 3 www.brainproducts.com page 2 of 12 Brain Products Press Release Product Development Changes to Analyzer 2.0.1: Bugfixes and new Features professional August 2009, Volume 32 2 by Dr. Achim Hornecker, General Manager Version 2 of BrainVision Analyzer, a product long-awaited by many, was released in June 2008. All the core elements of the program have been completely revised and prepared for the demands of the coming years on the basis of the Microsoft .NET framework. Despite the conduct of an intensive beta phase which lasted practically six months, the release still contained a number of minor bugs and inconsistencies some of which have been overcome over the last year by means of updates to individual modules or, at the very least, through robust workarounds. With Release 2.0.1, all those program components that initially benefited only from provisional fixes are now to be fully renewed and replaced. Of particular importance is the remedying of a bug which has been observed on Asian operating systems and relates to the scaling of the character sets which these employ. As a result, Release 2.0.1 provided the opportunity not only to undertake further bugfixes but also to make a series of minor and major improvements to the main program and the individual modules. For example, the handling of the marker data in the EditMarker module has been improved and it is now faster and simpler to edit and generate markers. The interface for the restoration of deleted nodes is now clearer and allows users to retrieve both individual nodes and entire subtrees. The Wavelet View now possesses an overlay capability. These overlays are displayed in the satellite diagrams and consequently permit a better comparison of time-frequency data. Overlays can also be temporarily activated or deactivated by clicking the label in order to provide a more extensive overview during the visual inspection of the data. It is also now possible to use the cursor keys to move the selected area associated with the transient views beyond the edge of the currently displayed section of the EEG. One recurrent problem associated with both Analyzer 1 and Release 2 took the form of the registered components which also include VisionToolbox. Various procedures performed at operating system level may cause the loss of these registrations, thus making it necessary to re-enter them using the RegisterComponents tool. * t News in brief: Downloads, Programms and Updates Version 2.0.1 of the Analyzer now possesses an extensive recognition and repair function which is able to eliminate the majority of such problems before they result in malfunctions during operation. However, this release contains not only bugfixes and enhancements. It also offers a number of useful new functions. The Marker Export function now also allows users to save data in XML format. In recent years, this format has established itself as a universal data exchange format and is therefore now more extensively supported by the Analyzer. The corresponding Marker Import module is also new. This makes it possible to read markers from files into the current node. Furthermore, it can also read markers from another history node and insert these in the current record. This function is also template-compatible. By way of example, let us consider the following case: After a Fourier transform, data processing in the frequency domain, and a subsequent reverse transform, the original time-domain markers are lost since these markers have no significance for the frequency domain. The Marker Import module now makes it possible to take over the markers from the last higher-level time domain node. As a result, there are no longer any limitations to the further processing of the data in the time domain and therefore to the implementation of user-defined frequency filters. The possibility of performing inverse ICAs represents a further improvement. A solution to this requirement already existed and was in intensive use. However, with the present extension to the ICA module, it is now possible to perform reverse transforms to ICA components interactively. As a result, it is now easy to apply any subsequent sequence of processing steps to various combinations of ICA components, thus permitting even more versatile use of the ICA. In the light of the bugfixes as well as the new possibilities that are available, Brain Products recommends that users upgrade to the new version as soon as possible. Like all updates to our software, it is, of course, free-of-charge to our customers and available in the download area of our website www.brainproducts.com For more information please visit our website at www.brainproducts.com/news.php BrainVision Recorder: New RDA Clients for Matlab, Python, and C++ : While it is being displayed, the EEG data can also be transferred to other programs (e.g. BCI, bio-feedback or other online analysis software) on the local PC or to other networked PCs via TCP/IP. This process is referred to as remote data access (RDA) during which BrainVision Recorder acts as server and the program receiving the data acts as client. Because of the increase in interest in these fields of application, we have made example solutions for some of the most popular clients – Matlab, Python, and naturally C++ – available at www.brainproducts.com/downloads.php www.brainproducts.com page 3 of 12 Brain Products Press Release August 2009, Volume 32 Brain Products Projects FaSor (Fahrer als Sensor) - The driver as sensor by Alexander Svojanovsky, Brain Products General Manager For the last 3 years, the FaSor project has been focusing on the interaction between driver, car and environment. Modern cars are equipped with various sensor technologies designed to increase both driver and traffic safety. Microsleep is one of the largest causes of accidents and of enough concern for the BMBF (Federal Ministry of Education and Research) to finance a project in which the driver contributed to the study of whether it is possible to detect levels of vigilance while driving. To help achieve this, Daimler rebuilt one of its flagship vehicles, the S-type Mercedes, which, of course, was filled with Brain Products equipment such as a 128channel BrainAmp system. Alongside images from a variety of cameras (front, back, driver), other relevant data such as steering wheel movements, speed and distance measurements were recorded synchronously with EEG data during the course of numerous 8-hour driving sessions. The driver, wearing our EEG cap, acted as the additional sensor. All the data from each session was analyzed on a statistical and scientific basis. The following sessions were then adapted in the light of the obtained data. Dr. Michael Schrauf, Daimler: Luggage trunk full of recording equipment www.brainproducts.com Our contribution consisted of developing techniques which make it possible to record reliable EEG data during real driving sessions in a car. Besides eliminating unexpected problems (seat heating) which interfere with the EEG, head movements (e.g. looking over one‘s shoulder) were the critical artifacts which had to be dealt with while also ensuring that the equipment was comfortable to wear. All of the experience gained contributed to the development of a new actiCAP electrode cap which can be used to record top-quality data in real-life environments. It also prompted us to set up our own eXtreme EEG project to gain more experience of real-life recordings and provide a database containing videos, data and reports for scientists. Dry electrodes are also being studied as a parallel development. We would like to thank all our partners for their enthusiasm and motivation and, in particular, Daimler and VDI/VDE-IT whose uncomplicated project administration was greatly appreciated. Online analysis and monitoring of driver’s vigilance, BrainVision RecView modules programmed by Daimler page 4 of 12 Brain Products Press Release August 2009, Volume 32 User Research On the combination of EEG transcranial magnetic stimulation by Domenica Veniero & Carlo Miniussi University of Brescia & IRCCS San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy A great advantage of EEG is the ability to acquire simultaneous measurements of activity in the entire brain, thus providing a broader picture of the cortical responses during a task execution or a given state of the subject (i.e., physiological or pathological). Nevertheless, as all neuroimaging techniques, EEG has its limitations. It only identifies correlational links between brain activity and behaviour/state. Combining two different methods, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and EEG, has the advantage of overcoming this limitation, thereby supplementing the information provided by correlational analysis with a technique that can establish a causal link between brain function and behaviour. The combination of TMS with EEG provides unique information on cortical reactivity and connectivity and is a powerful tool to directly investigate the effects induced by TMS on brain activity (1, 2). Coregistration also allows to study the TMS evoked activity from silent brain areas, so it theoretically extends our possibilities to spatially and functionally characterize complex brain networks (2, 3). Finally, TMS EEG co-registration can be used to infer the role of specific brain activity (4). Nevertheless, even after the introduction of recording systems which can work in high magnetic field, preventing saturation of the amplifiers, TMS-EEG co-registration may be technically challenging (5). We still miss crucial information about what the best technical conditions to record such a signal are and, above all, how long the TMS-induced artifact lasts. In this vein, we conducted a study (6) to provide experimental data about the artifact duration and to investigate the influence of some parameters on TMS-EEG co-registration. To better characterize the artifacts and to exclude any cortical responses, a phantom ‘head’ was employed and then compared to the results obtained from a knee stimulation (a model with skin properties similar to the scalp but without cortical responses) and a cortical stimulation. EEG signal was acquired with BrainAmp 32 MR plus or BrainAmp DC, with a resolution of 0.1, band-pass filtered at 0.01–1000 Hz and sampled at 5000 Hz. The artifact shape and duration induced by different types of Magstim stimulator (monophasic, biphasic with four boosters, and biphasic with single power supply module), four figureof-eight coils (standard 50-70 mm, custom 25-70 mm), intensities (ranging from 10% to 100% of the stimulator output) and frequencies (single pulse, 5 Hz and 20 Hz) was compared. Domenica Veniero Most of the sessions were recorded from TMS-compatible sintered Ag/AgCl electrodes (EasyCap GmbH, Herrsching, Germany) i.e., rings of 2 mm thickness, with inner and outer diameters of 6 mm and 12 mm, respectively. Moreover to verify whether the electrodes shape is able to modify the artifacts features, some electrodes had a 2 mm slit in the ring or the slit closed by means of silicone. Additional recordings were done with small sintered Ag/AgCl disks that were 1 mm thick and 3 mm in diameter, mounted in an elastic cap (EasyCap GmbH, Herrsching, Germany). Our main result indicates that, regardless to the above cited parameters, TMS induced artifact always lasted about 5 ms (5–5.6 ms). When the knee was stimulated, we found an induced artifact comparable in length to that evoked by the stimulation of the phantom. Finally, when cortical stimulation was compared to the other models, a similar timecourse was found up to 5 ms. Interestingly, differences just appeared at about 5 ms after the TMS pulse when the EEG signal went back to baseline for all conditions with exception of the cortical stimulation in which two additional deflections appeared at 6 and 8 ms. Besides the above described TMS-artifact, several milliseconds after TMS pulses, the signal was contaminated by a coil-rechargeartifact that was present with biphasic stimulators, but not with the monophasic one. Its amplitude was constant (±12 μV), while its latency increased with the increase of the power strength, i.e., from 8 to 70 ms. msec Figure 1. Effect of stimulus intensity (from 10 to 100% of MSO) on the artifact length. Each line represents the average of 100 stimuli. www.brainproducts.com Figure 2. Amplitude and latency of the later artifact in the EEG signal as a function of stimulus intensity (% of MSO). page 5 of 12 Brain Products Press Release These data were collected using an EEG recording system that allows continuous data recording without saturation of the signal and does not require pinning the preamplifier output to a constant level during TMS delivery. In such a way, we were able to follow the signal evolution even in a time window usually left out for technical reasons. We also verified that high frequency TMS was not able to induce any modulation of the artifact amplitude or duration per se. Because of this, no summation of the induced artifacts was found. Nevertheless, the artifact induced by the TMS pulse is not the only problem. We also found that the wires should be arranged in an orientation away from the coil or coil cable, regardless of where stimulation takes place on the head. The reorientation of the wires before stimulation can therefore help to record cleaner signals. The impendence values also play an important role in the artifact contamination, as we found that for high values (about 20 kΩ) signal recovering time was slower (15–20 ms) and artifact amplitude was more than two times the amplitude then the lower impedance condition (0-3 kΩ). To avoid additional noise it should also be useful to hold the lower surface of the coil approximately 1 mm from the stimulating electrodes. It is important to consider that TMS is also inducing non specific or indirect responses in the brain, which may influence the EEG recording (2). These non specific, task unrelated contaminations consist of auditory responses (due to the coil click); of somatosensory August 2009, Volume 32 responses (mostly due to trigeminal afferents or afferent responses after motor cortex stimulation); of muscular responses (because of eye blink startle reflexes, eye movements induced by the coil click, or peripheral muscular contractions due to peripheral stimulation). Also, general arousal due to TMS or auditory inter-sensory facilitation by the coil click might be present. Other challenges come from the stimulator recharging artifacts which in some cases could overlap real cortical responses, even if it is clearly visible as a short transient response, with fixed latencies and that correlate with stimulation intensity. All these effects should be eliminated or masked whenever possible. In instances where this is not possible, these artifacts should, as part of the experimental design, be reproduced in separate conditions (i.e., via control stimulation at appropriate sites), and their effects should be taken into account during data analysis. A critical point is the choice of the acquisition parameters. We suggest using a high sampling rate, 5000 Hz and a low pass filter at 1000 Hz. Lower sampling rate or filters will cause a rippling of the signal, an increase in the duration and therefore will limit the possibility of getting information from the first milliseconds after the pulse. In conclusion data suggest that it is possible to analyze the TMS evoked response starting from 5 ms after the pulse onset. The capability of combining EEG with TMS represents an important innovation that will open new frontiers in the field of basic and clinical neuroscience. References 1) S. Komssi, S. Kahkonen (2006) The novelty value of the combined use of electroencephalography and transcranial magnetic stimulation for neuroscience research. Brain Res Rev 52, 183–92. 2) C. Miniussi , G Thut (2009) Combining TMS and EEG offers new prospects in cognitive neuroscience. Brain Topogr doi: 10.1007/s10548-009-0083-8. 3) P. Taylor, V Walsh, M Eimer (2008) Combining TMS and EEG to study cognitive function and cortico–cortico interactions. Behav Brain Res 191, 141–14. 4) G. Thut, C. Miniussi (2009) New insights into rhythmic brain activity from TMS-EEG studies. Trends Cogn Sci 13, 182-9. 5) C. Bonato, C. Miniussi, P.M. Rossini (2006) Transcranial magnetic stimulation and cortical evoked potentials: a TMS/EEG coregistration study. Clin Neurophysiol 111, 699–1707. 6) D. Veniero, M. Bortoletto, C. Miniussi (2009)TMS-EEG co-registration: On TMS-induced artifact. Clin Neurophysiol 120, 1392-1399. www.brainproducts.com page 6 of 12 Brain Products Press Release August 2009, Volume 32 Product Development actiCAP - technical innovations by Dr. Davide Riccobon, Product & Risk Manager Is there anyone who has not yet heard of our actiCAP systems? actiCAPs are high-tech active electrode caps which make it possible to record EEG signals that are practically free of artifacts both in the laboratory as well as in more natural, and also more extreme, situations (find example at www.brainproducts.com/extreme_ eeg.php). Some of the more interesting features they offer are: Special miniaturized processors which convert elec-trode input impedance directly at the sensing site, thus boosting signal resistance against electromagnetic artifacts during electrodeto-amplifier transmission. What is more, noise reduction circuits (active shielding) guarantee an optimized signal-to-noise ratio. Threecolor LEDs indicate the impedance level directly at the electrode, thus making it possible to prepare subjects without connecting them to the amplifier. Last but not least, actiCAPs can be used with all our amplifier systems. Pic. 2 Since market launch in 2005, the quality and standards characteristic of actiCAPs have been continuously improved in the light of both Brain Products’ experience and our customers’ opinions and requirements. Brain Products is now proud to present a summary of the most important product improvements of recent months. Electrodes • The electrodes are fixed in a rigid case (see picture 1). This design has a number of advantages: better fit in the electrode holders, better electrode protection against pressure and improved protection of pellets against breaking, easy to clean. • Gel is now applied through an elongated aperture (see picture 2) instead of a small hole. This is not only more accurate but also permits faster cleaning by reducing washing times by about 30%. • Transparent casting compound to enhance electrode visibility and provide a more attractive appearance. • Clips on cable harness (one clip for 4 cables) keep cables separate (see picture 3) Pic. 3 Splitter Box • Connector fastening inside box: electrode coupling to the connector is more stable and the electrodes cannot be accidentally detached from the connector. • Clip on splitter box (see picture 4): boxes can now be fixed on the subject’s clothes and there is therefore no risk of the cap becoming displaced due to cable and box weight. Pic. 4 We are currently working on further improvements to the actiCAP control software itself and its implementation within our well known acquisition software (BrainVision Recorder). We will keep you informed of these developments in forthcoming Press Releases. Pic. 1 www.brainproducts.com page 7 of 12 Brain Products Press Release August 2009, Volume 32 Brain Products Projects „Long night of science - Berlin“ by Alexander Svojanovsky, General Manager Every year, the Universities open their doors and present their current research projects to interested members of the public. At the 9th Long night of science, math graduate Thorsten Zander and his PhyPa team demonstrated the Panda Game which uses alpha activity to control a jumping bear. Any visitor who wanted to could try out the game and propel the Panda into the sky by doing nothing other than relaxing. One innovation took the form of the Brain Products dry electrode cap which was used to record the EEG from 3 occipital positions. Some 50 people (with a 0% failure rate) undertook the 10-minute calibration process involving several concentration/relaxation commands in order to prepare them to play the game which was controlled simply by their minds. For more information, please visit our web site or click this link to watch the YouTube video: www.youtube.com/ watch?v=y_uRYJzDv_E Product Development BrainVision RecView 1.3: Continued developed software for real time data analysis RECVIEW professional by Pierluigi Castellone, International Sales Manager, and Anja Egger, Marketing Manager Brain Products is proud to announce that the new BrainVision RecView 1.3 has been released and is available for download. What is RecView for? BrainVision RecView (“Recording Viewer”) is an add-on module for the BrainVision Recorder which allows monitoring the quality of the EEG recording data in real-time and provides a number of online processing filters for this purpose. RecView can be used on the computer on which the Recorder is installed or on further computers in the network. This networking capability allows to run up to ten RecView programs simultaneously on different computers in conjunction with just one Recorder. In addition to traditional signal processing filters such as the frequency filter or the FFT filter, RecView also provides special filters for correcting scanner and pulse artifacts for EEG data recorded in a MRI scanner, by using the same history tree concept already implemented in BrainVision Analyzer. BrainVision RecView is widely used in the EEG/fMRI co-registration to remove both the gradient and the ballistocardiogram artifact permitting experimental control during the scan. The RecView uses the Template Drift Compensation algorithm to remedy template jitter caused by imperfect synchronization between the EEG amplifier and the scanner clocks and thus it ensures an optimal data correction at any time. Furthermore, the RecView is widely used for BCI and neurofeedback applications as its modular structure allows expanding the software by incorporating user-defined filters. What is new in the RecView 1.3? The new version was featured by a number of helpful improvements, including: segments of the complete data set on the basis of all or selected event-related markers. The average filter is used to average previously segmented data or frequency data. Improved FFT filter: When choosing the new overlap option, the blocks (expressed as number of data points) are not processed sequentially, but are instead overlapped. This new feature optimizes RecView 1.3 for neurofeedback applications. LORETA filter: The LORETA filter in RecView 1.3 allows to calculate virtual channels over „regions of interest“ (ROI’s) and to use the LORETA method to trace signals back to their sources in the various regions of the brain. Each ROI is displayed in RecView as a virtual channel. Bipolar Montage: The bipolar montage filter defines new channels which are derived from the difference in voltage between the two original channels. Map Filter: The map filter is now available on frequency data as well as on continuous time data. The map shows the interpolated voltage distribution calculated in realtime over the surface of the head. Miscellaneous: • Filters can be daisy-chained to introduce branches and create extensive filter trees. In this way, for instance, it’s possible to take the output data from a MRI artifact correction and use it as the input data for a FFT filter. • RecView allows showing impedance values. If you have questions or are interested in evaluating this outstanding piece of software, we invite you to contact our local dealers or our sales department writing to sales@brainproducts.com The segmentation & averaging filters: The newly-added filters in RecView 1.3 allow performing data segmentation by cutting out www.brainproducts.com page 8 of 12 Brain Products Press Release August 2009, Volume 32 BP Young Scientist Award And the Award goes to ... Dr. Tobias Heed* (University of Hamburg) by Stefanie Rudrich, Events & Public Relations From June 11th - 13th, 2009, several hundred scientists again attended the annual meeting of the German Society for Applied Psychophysiology (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Psychophysiologie und ihre Anwendung; DGPA) “Arbeitstagung Psychologie und Methodik” which, this year, was held at the University of Leipzig. And just as in previous years, the DGPA awarded prizes - one of which was sponsored by Brain Products - to young scientists who presented outstanding papers or posters. thus varying the spatial distance between each hand and each foot. The authors found that centro-parietal ERPs measured 100–140 msec post-stimulus were more positive when the participants attended to a foot on the same anatomical side as the stimulated hand. ERPs were also more positive when the Euclidean distance between the stimulated hand and the attended foot was small rather than large. When a foot was stimulated and a hand attended to, a similar modulation of foot-related ERPs was observed. In the afternoon of June 13th, Professor Paul Pauli (President of the DGPA) and Alexander Svojanovsky The results of the study suggest that the location (General Manager of Brain Products) presented the Dr. Tobias Heed*, winner of the of tactile events affecting any kind of body part is Brain Products Young Scientist Award for a DistinYoung Scientist Award 2009 stored in the form of anatomical coordinates, while guished Contribution in EEG research to Dr. Tobias simultaneously being remapped to external spatial Heed* for his paper „Common anatomical and external coding for hands coordinates. The use of both anatomical and external coordinates may and feet in tactile attention: Evidence from event-related potentials“ facilitate the control of actions oriented toward tactile events and the (Heed, Tobias & Röder, Brigitte/Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience/ choice of the most suitable effector. published on the web ahead of printed version). Dr. Heed is a post-doctoral researcher in Prof. Brigitte Röder‘s BioIn this study, Dr. Heed und Dr. Röder recorded event-related logical Psychology Lab at Hamburg University‘s Psychological potentials (ERPs) in participants who received tactile stimuli to the Department. He received an award and certificate as well as € 1.000 hands and feet while attending to only one limb. The hands were for research trips. Our congratulations once again! placed near the feet either in an uncrossed or a crossed posture, * Tobias Heed has previously published under the name Tobias Schicke. Brain Products Distributors MES Medizinelektronik GmbH – Germany/Switzerland by Alexander Svojanovsky, General Manager The company has recently welcomed two new recruits: Jens Grunert, formerly worked as Head of Neurology for EEG company Schwarzer and assumed his duties as MES General Manager on 1st April 2009. His knowledge of EEG & EMG, in combination with his management capabilities, will help reinforce the company’s customer orientation. David Kadlec has moved from Brain Products to MES, thus strengthening our sales and support operations. He has already worked for several years as a well-trained Brain Products technician and is therefore extremely experienced in the use of all our products, while also being skilled in support issues. These two newcomers will continue to promote the long-standing philosophy originated by Erich Svojanovsky. Welcome and good luck! www.brainproducts.com Jens Grunert David Kadlec page 9 of 12 Brain Products Press Release August 2009, Volume 32 Conference Event And the winners of $ 1,000 are ... by Stefanie Rudrich, Events & Public Relations Given the popularity of our last year’s special conference event Although some of the questions were (we must admit) a little tricky, (“Crack the Safe”) among conference attendees, we decided to many participants either knew or worked out the right answers. keep entertaining you at our stand in 2009. This year’s challenge: The lucky winner of the 1000 US Dollars – drawn by a computer- test your knowledge of EEG, EEG / fMRI, Brain Mapping and our controlled lottery wheel – was Anders Eklund, a PhD Student from the company & products by answering 4 quiz questions and win University of Linköping (Division of Medical Informatics, Department US $ 1,000. of Biomedical Engineering) in Sweden, the country which will host For both ISMRM (held in Honolulu/USA) and Human Brain Mapping the ISMRM 2010. Hau’oli*, Anders! (*Hawaiian for “congratulations”) (San Francisco/USA), we created a pool of approximately 50 questions Two months later, we ran the same competition at the HBM in San relating either to EEG research or to our company. A computer then Francisco / USA (June 19th – 21st). Again many attendees decided randomly selected 4 questions for each conference attendant who to test their knowledge and take part in the quiz. In the end, the volunteered to take part. To make the task easier, 3 possible answers lucky winner in San Francisco was Cosimo Del Gratta, Associate were presented with each question. Anyone who answered all the Professor of Physics from the Gabriele D‘Annunzio University questions correctly was automatically entered in the prize draw held (Department of Clinical Sciences and Bioimaging) in Chieti, at the end of the conference. Italy. Cosimo had already taken the quiz in Honolulu but was not At the ISMRM (April 19th – 23rd), dozens of participants took on the challenge and most of them proved to be real experts in the field. Anders Eklund, MSc lucky enough to win there. 8 weeks later, he made it. Well done, Cosimo! Prof. Cosimo Del Gratta Brain Products Inside Who is who: Dr. Michael Jachan as new software developer by Dr. Michael Jachan, Software Developer Dr. Michael Jachan holds both a PhD and an MSc in telecommunications/signal processing from Vienna University of Technology, awarded in June 2006 and June 2001 respectively. in a cooperative project combining the Physics Department and the Department of Neurology. In 2001/2002, he was employed at the Telecommunications Research Center (ftw) in Vienna where he worked on an xDSL system simulator. Since April 2009, he has been working as a software developer at Brain Products GmbH where he specializes in algorithm implementation and the design of graphical elements. His research interests include statistical inference, time-frequency signal processing, and EEG processing. Between 2002 and 2006, he was employed as a research and teaching assistant at the Institute of Telecommunications and RadioFrequency Engineering at the Vienna University of Technology. From 2006 to 2009, he worked at the FDM (Freiburg Center for Data Analysis and Modeling), University of Freiburg, where he was involved www.brainproducts.com page 10 of 12 Brain Products Press Release August 2009, Volume 32 Brain Products Inside Job Opportunities at Brain Products by Alexander Svojanovsky, Brain Products General Manager Applicants with scientific orientation Providing quality and innovation with outstanding service and support standards is a key element of Brain Products‘ business strategy. Direct user feedback also forms the basis for new developments. Our focus is therefore directed towards a fast, reliable and comprehensive scientific and technical support which creates a satisfying and profitable relationship between our customers and us, allowing us to constantly stay up to date with the changing needs of our users. Brain Products is now strengthening its multidisciplinary support and sales team and is looking for motivated applicants with a scientific orientation interested in the fascinating field of Neuroscience. • a high level of analytical skills, quick comprehension and pleasure in finding solutions • excellent communicational skills, enjoying contact with customers • ability of communicating complex scientific topics to different target audiences • quick learner who is taking initiative and can work independently • eager to travel and work with people from different parts of the world • programming skills or Matlab experience are preferable • excellent written and spoken English Applicant requirements: • • an academic degree (PhD) in a relevant field of neurosciences, psychology, physics, biophysics, biomedical technology or a related field experience in analyses of neurophysiological studies - ideally as a user of our hard- and software solutions Please send your application documents by mail to: Brain Products GmbH, Mr. Alex Svojanovsky, Zeppelinstrasse 7, D-82205 Gilching, or by email to as@brainproducts.com Research Assistant Brain Products GmbH (Gilching) in conjunction with the University of Bremen have the following vacancy to start immediately: Research Assistant This is a full-time post for a period of 36 months in the field of electrical engineering. Salary will be paid according to the pay scale TV-L 13. Brain Products and the University of Bremen are collaborating on a project sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in which an interdisciplinary group of electrical engineers, microsystems engineers, neurobiologists and neurophysicists are working together closely on new technologies, processes and methods for intracranial diagnosis and therapy. The research project offers the opportunity to conduct research in the field of brain/machine interfaces (BMI), in other words in a field that is currently undergoing very rapid and successful growth internationally. The interdisciplinary approach brings together biological and technical systems and opens up completely new options for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of serious brain malfunctions. One vacancy in the field of electrical engineering has arisen as a result of the project sponsorship. The successful candidate will be employed by Brain Products GmbH and seconded to the University of Bremen for the duration of the project. Depending on the precise www.brainproducts.com field of expertise of the successful candidate, he/she will be assigned to the Institute for Theoretical Electronic Engineering and Microelectronics or the Institute for High-Frequency Engineering. Candidates should hold a first degree in a relevant scientific subject and have a good knowledge of English. It is assumed that candidates will be interested in fundamental scientific research and circuit engineering and will be prepared to engage in interdisciplinary, creative and independent scientific work within the project. The posts are also intended to lead to the award of a doctorate degree. The following topics are to form the subject of the research: • Implementation of wireless power and signal transmission systems that are capable of being implanted • Design of circuits and chips for miniaturized multichannel microelectrodes The University is striving to increase the proportion of women in the sciences and therefore explicitly encourages women to apply. Academic and personal suitability being equal, candidates with severe disabilities will be preferred. Please send applications with the usual documentation by email only and in PDF format to Professor Steffen Paul steffen.paul@item. uni-bremen.de. The closing date for applications is 15 September 2009. page 11 of 12 Brain Products Press Release August 2009, Volume 32 For more information and registration please visit www.brainproducts.com/workshops.php News in brief: Workshops t Analyzer 2 Advanced User Workshop Zurich (Switzerland), September 1st & 2nd t Basic User Training London (UK), September 24th t Analyzer 2 Intermediate User Workshop London (UK), September 24th & 25th More information on these future conferences & exhibitions is available at www.brainproducts.com/events.php News in brief: Conferences & Exhibitions t 32nd European Conference on Visual Perception Regensburg (Germany), August 24th to 28th t 31st International Confernece of the EMBC Minneapolis, Minnesota (USA), September 2nd to 6th t 10th International Congress of the Europ. Society of MR in Neuropediatrics Zurich (Switzerland), September 3rd to 5th t 8. Berliner Werkstatt MMS Berlin (Germany), October 7th to 9th t Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience 2009 Chicago, Illinois (USA), October 17th to 21st t 49th SPR Annual Meeting Berlin (Germany), October 21st to 24th This Press Release is published by Brain Products GmbH, Zeppelinstrasse 7, 82205 Gilching, Germany. Phone +49 (0) 8105 733 84 0, www.brainproducts.com Notice of Rights All rights reserved in the event of the grant of a patent, utility model or design. For information on getting permission for reprints and excerpts, contact marketing@brainproducts.com. Unauthorized reproduction of these works is illegal, and may be subject to prosecution. Notice of Liability The information in this press release is distributed on as „As Is“ basis, without warranty. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this press release, neither the authors nor Brain Products GmbH, shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the instructions contained in this book or by the computer software and hardware products decribed here. Copyright © 2009 by Brain Products GmbH www.brainproducts.com page 12 of 12