Manual in physiology for Medical faculty students

Student Federico Pacheco Sudar Group 19

I confirm [X], that in this protocol I have not used other persons (including other
X students) work without the reference to them. (Without the confirmation your protocol
will not be evaluated)
 It is allowed to use primary values and curves obtained in the class.
 It is NOT allowed to use conclusions, calculations, description of results, graphs
and labels in curves and graphs.
 If you need to show reference to the particular source, mention it here:
Click here to enter text.

ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHY

Assignments:
1) record, analyse and evaluate electroencephalogram from different regions of the skull with
eyes opened and closed.
2) determine dominant wave frequencies and amplitudes in the electroencephalogram with
eyes closed and opened.

Materials and equipment: Power Lab/4ST system, Bio Amp cable, 2 special EEG electrodes and 3
disposable adhesive electrodes, electrode paste, alcohol, elastic band.

Performance: The subject sits on the chair with back to table where take place cable for electrodes.
Connect disposable electrodes to the BioAmp cable, take away the defence layer and place on the
skin at the definite places.
One electrode (connected to the earth cable) should be placed on the neck or lower arm. Two
disposable electrodes of the channel 1(CH1) should be placed on the forehead - symmetrically on
both sides, just below the hairline, on midline of the pupils. They have to be fixed horizontally;
cables should run over the head to prevent the electrode from being pulled accidentally.

OBSERVATION OF ARTEFACTS

 The subject sits on the chair relaxed with eyes opened.

 Open My Documents  Fiziologia SF english III  EEG-1. Chart window with one channel
– EEG appears.
 Click Start button to start recording. Record EEG between the forehead electrodes during the
following situations (insert comments at the beginning of each activity):
o closing and opening eyes,
o blinking,
o quickly turning eyes into one direction,
o during contraction of facial muscles

EEG RECORDING

Put the electrode paste on special EEG electrodes. Measure the distance between the points of radix
of the nose and the hill on the back of the head. 10 % of this distance from the hill on the back
upwards will be the place where occipital electrodes should be put symmetrically on both sides.
Wash the places where electrodes will be placed with an alcohol and fix the electrodes in the place
with an elastic band.
The volunteer should sit on the chair relaxed with both eyes opened. Ensure that electrodes are
stable.
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 Open Computer  FIZIOLOGIA  FIZIOLOGIA-INFO  SF english III  EEG-1. Chart
window with four channels opens:
 EEG Front - electroencephalogram between frontal leads,
 EEG Occip - electroencephalogram between occipital leads.
 Click Start button to start recording.
 If the record is stable, click Stop and increase the sensitivity of channels till 100 V
 Record EEG with eyes opened and closed (insert comments when eyes are opened and closed).
 Filter frequencies of alpha and beta waves in the Channel 5 and 6.
1) In the Channel 5 (Alpha_beta Front) and Channel 6 (Alpha_beta Occip)
2) Select the Digital filter for these channels in the pop-up menu under the channel name:
 Set the source channel (Ch3 or Ch4),
 Choose the filter type: Band pas
 Set theoretically known high and low cut-off frequencies for alpha and beta wave
ranges (for both rhythms together), to filter in these channels only alpha and beta
waves.

 Find the best record and measure dominant wave frequencies in the electroencephalogram with
eyes closed and measure wave frequency and amplitude. Do the same in the sample with eyes
open.

Results:
With eyes open With eyes closed
Frontal lead Occipital lead Frontal lead Occipital lead
Frequency of waves (Hz) 20 11 23 9
Amplitude of waves (V) 37 4 12 65

Acquired curves:
1. Electroencephalograms with artefacts

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 2. Electroencephalogram with eyes open (indicate the interval where wave frequencies and
amplitudes were measured)

3. Electroencephalogram with eyes closed (indicate the interval where wave frequencies and
amplitudes were measured)

Conclusions:
1) Explain changes in the electroencephalogram at the moment of opening and closing eyes,
while blinking, moving eyeballs, contracting facial muscles!

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 In a relaxed state not thinking about anything specific during which the eyes are closed
alpha waves (8-13 Hz) can be observed with an amplitude of 50mV.Opening the eyes
thereby moving the eyeball and also contracting the facial muscles and starting to process
the visual information alpha waves turn into beta waves (14-30Hz) with an amplitude of
20mV.

2) What frequency and amplitude waves are dominant in the electroencephalogram while eyes
are closed? What rhythm could it be?
While the person had there eyes closed, the brain activity was smaller compared to the state with eyes opened.
Here waves could be observed with relatively high freuency and low amplitude. The rhythm shows beta waves
(14-30 Hz & 20 mV)

3) What changes in electroencephalogram wave frequency and amplitude did you observe
when eyes were opened? How could you explain these changes?
As the person opened his eyes the beta waves turned into alpha waves. So the rythm of the waves changed. In
alpha waves you can see a lower frequency (8-15 Hz) and a higher amplitude ( 50mV) than in beta waves.

4) Are different electroencephalogram rhytms equally well expressed in frontal and occipital
leads? How could it be explained?
Rhytms are unequally expressed on the EEG at the different leads. While the person had their eyes closed, the
activity in the occipital lead was higher compared to the frontal lead. This can be explained, by the
corresponing center which are activated in the cerebral cortex when the person has the eyes closed or opened.
In the occipital lobe there is the location of the visual sensory area in the cortex, which will be more active as
information/impulses are send to it from visual receptors in the retina. If the eyes are closed, these impulses
will decrease so the activity oberved from the occipital lobe decreases, and as the person is still thinking as it
has his eyes closed, activity form the frontal lobe can still be observed as it is the loecation of the centre
associated with comprehension& higher thinking.