BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK

Belgrade, Republic of Serbia March 14th - 20th , 2011

Research group for Biomedical Instrumentation & Technologies, http://bmit.etf.rs/ University of Belgrade, Faculty of Electrical Engineering

BCI from SSI: Brain-Computer Interface from Student-Student Interface

Faculty of Electrical Engineering

Nikola Tesla

University of Belgrade, Faculty of Electrical Engineering Bulevar Kralja Aleksandra 73, Belgrade, Serbia Tel: +381/11/3218-348 Fax: +381/11/3248681
http://www.etf.bg.ac.rs/

Laboratory for Biomedical Instrumentation & Technologies http://bmit.etf.rs/index.html

E-mail: bmit_contact@etf.rs
The Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering and Technologies (BMIT) was formed to provide the necessary support for professional and educational activities of students and staff at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the University of Belgrade.

The Laboratory follows strict ethical policy based on Helsinki declaration. The experimental work in the laboratory includes only healthy individuals. The validation of methods and instruments in individuals with health impairments take place by our clinical partners and collaborators with medical background and qualifications.

The main direction of activities is the development of clinical devices with the overall goal to design systems which could in the future replace the import of expensive electrophysiological and other equipment. Among other, we developed the system for acquisition and processing of data in nuclear medicine (gamma camera) that is used within the Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade and Clinical Center of Vojvodina, Novi Sad. We developed a polyEMG and EMNG systems that are used for research in the Institute for rehabilitation "Dr Miroslav Zotovi". We also developed research tools and devices that are used in clinical environment.

In relation to the strong research and scientific interest of the staff specific attention is dedicated to motor neural prostheses. In the Laboratory we are developing various elements needed for functional use of electrical stimulation and rehabilitation of movement (electrodes, controllers, stimulators, sensors systems, walking assists, etc.) that among other resulted in professional collaboration with private industry and patents.

The primary goal of the Lab is to provide logistic support for the development and design of new analog and digital interfaces for biomedical applications. The Laboratory is based on advanced computerized equipment that comprises National Instruments interfaces to body signals. The data acquisition software is based on LabVIEW (National Instruments, Austin, Texas, USA) and MatLab (The Mathworks, Natick, MA, USA).

Heads of the BMIT:

Prof. Dejan B. Popovi Prof. Mirjana B. Popovi

PhD students:
Milica Jankovi Milica uri-Jovii Lana Popovi-Maneski Neboja Maleevi Ivana Milovanovi Nadica Miljkovi Andrej Savi Milo Kosti

BMIT activities
In last year, under TREMOR project, we started studying of the EEG signals and its use in BCI applications in BMIT laboratory. We incorporated our results in the course materials at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Belgrade, within Signals and systems in organisms, Acquisition Systems for Electrophysiology, Neural Engineering, and Methods for Processing Electrophysiological Signals (http://automatika.etf.bg.ac.rs). In course of Signals and systems in organisms students have practical demonstration of EEG acquisition and BCI algorithms. Through interactive classes and laboratory exercises in course of Acquisition Systems for Electrophysiology students learn how to design and use EEG acquisition systems. Students learn how to process EEG signals using advanced ICA (Independent Component Analysis) methods and time-frequency methods in the course of Acquisition Systems for Electrophysiology. In the master course of Neural Engineering we started working on series of student projects including acquisition, processing, and appliance of EEG signals in BCI applications. Results from these projects will be presented in the BAW on 16th March 2011. year at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Belgrade. We developed Matlab (The Mathworks, Natick, USA) software for offline processing and LabVIEW (National Instruments Inc, Austin, USA) online acquisition software that is constantly upgraded.

NI LabVIEW (ver. 8.6) program for EEG and EMG signal acquisition and on-line voluntary movement detection designed in BMIT laboratory under TREMOR project

During last year, our study covered large part of different techniques for BCI controls that are used in worlds largest research centers. Those techniques are MRP (Movement Related Potentials), ERD/ERS (Event Related Desynchronization/Synchronization), P300, and SSVEP (Steady State Visual Evoked Potentials). We have conference papers derived from BCI research in national and international conferences and certain number of diploma and master projects.

Accuracy of ERD detection for finger-to-nose movement designed in BMIT laboratory under TREMOR project. Eight plots of the left (red) and eight plots of right (black) arm movement of the 5th subject are shown for the frequency band: 8-11 Hz. X-axis is time where 0 is the onset of the movement. Y-axis is the ERD detection accuracy [0 - 100 %].

Our current activities are focused on exploring the latest applications of BCI in combination with assistive technology for the neurorehabilitation and for use in entertainment industry (for example: BCI control of computer games).

Part of the research done in BMIT laboratory will be presented in BCI demonstration and Brain competition during BAW. Our PhD students will show others how to place EEG electrodes, use acquisition systems, record signals, process them, and what are the problems in all those steps during demonstration. We decided to use Lego robot (National Instruments, Austin, USA) which velocity control is programmed in LabVIEW (National instruments, Austin, USA) and controlled by alpha waves of the subject for competition task during BAW. The BMIT laboratory and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Belgrade are certified to be an official LabVIEW school. BMIT laboratory is involved in TEMPUS project and BAW is also directed in the sense of biomedical science popularization among students.

Results obtained using pseudo-online movement detection algorithm on the data from Pat05, task: finger to nose, trial 1 and channel 7 recorded in BMIT laboratory as a part of TREMOR project

We have chosen one of EEG experiments performed in our laboratory, involving binaural beats impact on brain waves, to be present in this material.

Does binaural beats influence brain activity?

Background: When two tones at slightly different frequencies are presented separately, one to each of a subject's ears, using stereo headphones, his brain rhythms change. This phenomenon is called Binaural Beats (BB) and lowfrequency pulsations in brain rhythm correspond to the difference between the two frequencies, [1]. The sensation of binaural beats is believed to originate in a part of the brain stem. BBs appear to be related to the brain's ability to locate the sources of sounds in three dimensions and to track moving sounds. There are some evidences that a certain state of the mind is induced as a result of BBs. Abstract: To test this phenomenon we set the experiment where subject, while relaxed, was listening music containing BBs. Recorded EEG signals confirmed that frequency content in brain rhythm changed, corresponding to the difference of the two BBs. Method: We recorded EEG signals from one healthy subject. Electrodes were positioned at Fz, Cz, and Pz locations (according to 10-20 international system) referenced to left earlobe, with ground at the forehead. Impedance of the skinelectrode junctions was maintained below 5 k . EEG signals were amplified 20 K times and band-pass filtered over the range 0.1-40 Hz, using PSYLAB EEG8 biological amplifier in combination with PSYLAB SAM unit (Contact Precision Instruments). Signals were digitized with 500 Hz sampling frequency. Signals were analyzed in Matlab R2009b (The Mathworks, Natick, USA) using short-time Fourier transform. In order to observe the spectral changes over time, window with two seconds width at intervals of 20 ms, was applied. Subject was instructed, while relaxed and focused on his breathing, to listen, with eyes closed, seven minutes long-lasting music composition containing binaural beats [2] over the headphones,. Binaural beats were selected to induce theta brain activity. The spectrogram shown in Fig. 1 confirmed that subject experienced transition from one mental state to the other. In the first 3 minutes brain activity was dominant in the alpha frequency band. Alpha is associated with relaxed awareness without any attention or concentration, [3]. Boundary frequencies of alpha rhythm are 8-13 Hz. During first 3 minutes amplitude of the alpha rhythm increased over time. This might be related to subjects gradual relaxation process. At approximately 3.5 minutes after the onset of music, when amplitude of alpha activity reached its highest level, sudden transition to theta activity appeared within the range of 4-8 Hz. Brain activity switched from dominant alpha to dominant theta band. Theta waves are associated with access to unconscious material, creative inspiration and deep meditation, [3].

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Figure 1, Spectrogram of EEG recordings from relaxed healthy subject during listening of music with binaural beats. The change from alpha to theta rhythm occurred at approximately 3.5 minutes after the onset of music with BBs.

Since theta activity is related to meditative states, we believe that this change in brain activity might be caused or partly induced by listening to binaural beats, [4]. Nevertheless, we suggest that this result needs to be confirmed in broader experiment. Results may have practical application in neurorehabilitation. References:
1. Schwarz DWF, Taylor P (2004) Human auditory steady state responses to binaural and monaural beats. Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology, 116(2005): 658-668. 2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wSUnuq7HPM 3. Sanei S, Chambers JA (2007) EEG signal processing. John Willey & Sons, Ltd, Cardiff University, UK. 4. Holmes Atwater F (2009) Binaural beats and the regulation of arousal levels. TMI Journal, 1(2009): 1-17.

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BCI from SSI: Brain-Computer Interface from Student-Student Interface

Program Comittee: Dejan B. Popovi, professor Mirjana B. Popovi, professor

Organization Comittee: Andrej Savi, PhD student Nadica Miljkovi, PhD student

Organization: Matija trbac, master student Marko Markovi, master student Jovana Maleevi, graduate student Tijana Jevti, graduate student

Poster presenters: Andrej Savi, PhD student Una Kisi, PhD student Marko Filipovi, master student Nikola obaji, master student Jovana Beli, master student Marko Jevremovi, master project

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