CHBH Electroencephalography (EEG) Labs Lead:
Dr Ali Mazaheri
Technical / IT EEG Support:
chbh-help@contacts.bham.ac.uk
The electroencephalography (EEG) laboratories house Biosemi EEG systems. EEG allows for continuous recordings of electrical brain activity with millisecond time resolution. The EEG signal is a highly rich signal which allows for real time monitoring of brain processes, i.e. real time decoding of thoughts or perceptions. Furthermore, by applying sophisticated analysis methods it is possible to localize where in the brain electrophysiological activity is generated.
The Biosemi System has up to 128 channels mounted in an elastic cap which can be worn comfortably by the participant. The EEG laboratories are acoustically shielded to reduce noise. Stimuli can be presented visually and aurally via Psychtoolbox on a stimulus delivery computer. Simultaneous eye-tracking is also possible via an EyeLink eye-tracking system. Electrode positions can be digitised with Polhemus to allow for better source reconstructions. For data analysis we primarily rely on FieldTrip, EEGlab and MNE Python toolboxes.
How can researchers access the equipment within this lab?
To gain access to the EEG labs there are procedures for training, ethics and project proposals. For the procedures please see the CHBH Operating Procedures and Local Rules.
What research data is produced and what can we understand from this?
The EEG system records ongoing brain activity from humans subjects performing cognitive tasks. The tasks we use include, but are not limited to; attention, motor control, memory, language and speech. This allows for characterising brain dynamics – such as neuronal oscillations – associated with a given cognitive function. EEG records the brain activity with millisecond time-resolution and source modelling approaches allows for localising where in the brain the activity is activated. As such EEG is an excellent tool for studying the networks engaged in the working brain. Researchers at the CHBH have strong expertise in the role of neuronal oscillations and event-related potentials (ERPs).
How is this lab contributing to the CHBH values and principles?
The EEG system is used for conducting fundamental research on cognition as well as to investigate brain dynamics associated with neurological and psychiatric disorders. The data from the EEG system are complementary to data from other techniques housed in the CHBH, such as magnetoencephalography (MEG), or functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and stimulation techniques transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial electrical stimulation (tES). Therefore, we are integrating EEG research with other modalities to develop synergistic descriptions of brain processes. The research conducted on the EEG system is done in the spirit of open science and we strive to co-register new studies and make our approaches and data freely available.
For further information, please contact the CHBH EEG Lab Lead - Dr Ali Mazaheri
External researchers/collaborators
If you are an external researcher and would like to use CHBH facilities, please identify a suitable collaborator from the Principal Investigator lists located on our CHBH Research Theme pages, and contact them directly with your proposal. They will then review the scope of the proposal, costings, and modality availability, and advise on a potential collaboration.