Lecture 3 of 10

PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL
RECORDING

BCIA III
Psychophysiological Recording
Based on the didactic requirements for BCIA
certification in biofeedback

Types of feedback

External cues from a measuring devise

Auditory

Visual

Kinesthetic

Psychophysiological cues

Hand temperature

Muscle tension

Jaw clenching

Sweaty palms
[thermal biofeedback]
[sEMG biofeedback]
[sEMG biofeedback]
[SCL biofeedback]

sEMG
Surface Electromyography

Evaluating and recording

the electrical activity
produced by skeletal
muscles using sensors
that are placed over the
muscle

Display of information
• Raw
• Rectified
• Representational

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Signal vs Noise + Artifact

Impedance Checks

Training Steps

Discrimination “yum from yuck”

What does muscle tension of 10µV (radical
shoulder tension) feel like?

What do relaxed shoulders feel like (2.2µV)

Training to Criteria

Thermal able to reach 95ºF within 20m

sEMG training to reach norms

SCL/GSR relaxed = 5µmhos or lower

HRV low frequency peak

Generalization of Training

Able to translate session learning into life
situations

The Goal
Resting State

an appropriate resting state (based on normative data)

[law of initial values: ANS response to a stimulus is influenced by the resting

state]

Reactivity

to reduce hyper reactivity to stimulus

[ceiling effect: higher initial levels will produce smaller response reactivity]

Recovery

to be able to return to normal within a specified time period

The goal of biofeedback is NOT to create a steady physiological state.

Rather, it is to improve physiological flexibility

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The Goal: Criteria training

Thermal 93-95º very relaxed
90-93º relaxed

Training thermal to 95ºF 86-90º tense
within 20 minute session <85º stressed

sEMG
Upper Trapezius Muscle

Training to norms for specific Mean = 2.2µV Mild tension = 4.8µV
muscle sites Moderate tension = 7.4µV
Radical tension = 10.0µV

GSR/SC
<5 = relaxed; 5-10=slightly agitated; 10-

Training to <5µmhos 20=agitated;
>20 anxiety/high arousal

HRV
Maximize peak-to-valley amplitude on line

Increase interbeat-interval graph of beat-per-minute of heart rate
variation (the heart beats
faster on inhale; slower on
exhale)

Biofeedback therapy

Within the typical 45 minute session

20 minutes of each session devoted to
actual feedback

20 minutes didactic training

Review homework/home training

Teachings about various ways to decrease
symptoms (nutrition, breath-training, etc.)

Technical Considerations

External factors affecting the recording

environmental factors

very cold room

draft in the room

electrical factors

power surges

electrostatic interference

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Technical Considerations

Internal factors affecting the recording

medication

Increases in GSR with tricyclic antidepressants

Decreases in EMG with tranquilizers

Vasoconstriction caused by nicotine

time since last meal

poor sleep the night before

may display excess delta activity

Measuring Electrical Potentials

Electrical potential (in volts) can exist only

relative to another point, a reference point
or ground

All potential measurements, including

bioelectrical potentials, represent the
difference of activity at 2 measured points

Measuring Electrical Potentials

Electrons flow from negative to positive

(or from a more negative
to a less negative)

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Artifact

Artifact is anything picked up in the

recording that you are not interested
in recording

Common artifact problems

EKG (ECG) artifact when measuring
sEMG

Electrode noise

silver-silver chloride = least electrode noise

Basic Electronics
Ohm’s Law V=IxR
Voltage (measured in microvolts in biofeedback)

||
Current (the basic unit of electricity)

x
Resistance (measured in micro ohms in bfb)

Resistance is called Impedance for alternating current

Impedance
Input impedance

the effective resistance (kept out) noise at
the input juncture (usually at the
amplifier)

should be very high – 10,000 kΩ or

10,000,000 ohms (Ω)

differential input impedance

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Impedance

Skin impedance

reduced by cleaning surface skin where
sensors will be applied

skin electrode impedance should be kept

below 10 kohms (5 kohms is a research
standard)

Alternating Current

EMG, EEG, EKG are all alternating current

The direction of electron flow is
periodically reversed

Wave Measurements
X to X = one cycle

Cycles per second = Hertz = frequency

0 X X

The area under the wave

is the wave’s amplitude

Measuring the area under

the curve is called
integration

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Frequency

The frequency range is called the

bandwidth

Wide bandwidth 20-1000 Hz

Narrow bandwidth 20-200 Hz

Frequency

A bandwidth filter lets in only that
activity that is cycling within the
specified width

A narrow bandwidth filter will remove
EKG

less noise (noise = artifact = anything other than
what you want to record)

higher signal-to-noise ratio

Filters
band width filter

allows a signal to pass within a specified
frequency range
band stop filter

attenuates signals at a certain frequency
range

most common is the notch filter which
stops 60Hz signals (the signal frequency for
US electricity)

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filters

high-pass filter

attenuates low frequencies and passes
higher frequencies through the filter

low-pass filter

attenuates high-frequencies and only
passes low frequencies

Measuring small signals

EMG and EEG signals are small (smaller
than EKG) and require amplification via a
preamplifier before transfer to the main
amplifier

Most modern electrodes are preamplified

at the source

Preamplified signals suffer less

interference en route to the amplifier

Single-ended amplifier
Vin Vout
GAIN

Signal Ground

Differential amplifier
Vin-a
Vout
Vin-b GAIN

Signal Ground

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All electrophysiological events are

measured using a differential
amplifier

also called: double-ended, balanced,

push-pull or discriminating amplifier

The ratio of the differential gain to

the common gain is important

The goal is to make the common

gain negligible

This is referred to as the Common Mode

Rejection Ratio (CMRR) which leads to the
Common Mode Rejection (CMR)
specifications

CMR = 20 log (CMRR)=20 log (Gd/Gc)

A higher CMR indicates a differential

amplifier that is less susceptible to voltages
common to both inputs (noise)

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Gain

Gain = the ratio of the output to the input

measured in db (decibels)

Common mode gain

if two sensors (in biofeedback: the active
sensor and the ground) have a signal in
common, it’s probably noise (artifact). Good
equipment should have a very low or zero
common mode gain.

Interference is in “common mode”. The
desired signal superimposes itself on the
“common mode” signal

Gain

Differential gain

gain of the different signals

CMRR: Common Mode Rejection Ratio

a measure of the capability of the equipment
to reject a signal that is common to both input
leads

CMRR = 20 log (Differential gain/Common
Mode Gain)

CMRR of 70-80 db is adequate for general bfb;
100 db for EEG bfb

Amplitude

3 methods of measuring wave amplitude

Root mean square (rms)

the best measure of a complex signal

Peak-to-peak

gives the largest value = 2.8 x rms

Average

0.9 x rms

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Quantifying the signal

Full-wave rectification

Converts all negative voltages to
positive (absolute value of all voltages)

Integration (units = microvolts (µV)

Calculation of the area under the wave

Quantifying the signal

Mean amplitude over a period of time

Integrated EMG/time

You can plot this information over time

A long time constant will smooth the data

A short time constant will follow the signal
more closely

Electrical Safety Precautions

Ground fault interrupt circuit (GFCI)

Ground fault is a term used to describe electrical
current that unintentionally flows to ground
(dangerous if this path is through a person)

Optical isolation

A device that uses a short optical transmission
path to accomplish electrical isolation between
elements of a circuit

Fiber optic connections

Sends signals down hair thin strands of glass
fiber. Photons of light rather than electricity is
transmitted.

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