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
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