BM6504 Bio potential Electrodes

Biopotentials

Ms.B.Divya
AP/BME
 Session Objectives
• To understand the origin and Propagation of bio potential
• To familiarize the different types of bio potentials like
ECG, EEG, EMG, ERG etc.

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 Session Outcomes
• At the end of this session, participants will be able to
– Explain about origin of bio potential and its propagation
– Gain the Knowledge about the different types of bio potentials

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 Agenda

• Origin of bio potential

• Propagation of bio potential

• Different types of bio potentials like ECG, EEG, EMG,

ERG, ENG etc.

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 Electrical Activity at Cellular Level
• Source of bioelectric potentials
• electrochemical activity of a certain class of excitable cells
• components of nervous, muscular, & glandular tissue

• Electrical states of excitable cells

– Resting state
– Action state

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 Equilibrium Potential

Nernst Equation
• The Nernst equation is used for single ionic species.
• Assumes K+ to be the main ionic species involved in the resting state that
is, Pk >> Pna
.

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 Equilibrium Potential

Goldman–Hodgkin–Katz (GHK) Equation

The Goldman equation accounts for influence of other ionic species in internal and external fluid media.

• R is the universal gas constant

• T is absolute temperature in K
• F is the Faraday constant
• PM is the permeability coefficient of the membrane for a particular ionic species M (K, Na, Cl)

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 Cell Membrane Potentials
• Cell Membrane
• Very thin (7-15 nm) lipid-protein complex.
• Trans membrane ion channels (pores) allow flow of ions
across the membrane.
• A thin dielectric material acts as a charge separator.
• Impermeable to intracellular protein and other organic
anions.
• Selectively permeable to sodium (Na+) potassium (K+) and
chlorine (Cl-) ions.
• Ion concentration difference across membrane creates a
diffusion gradient.
• Ions flow, creating an electric field that opposes flow, until an
equilibrium is established.

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 Bio potential
• Bio potentials
• Ionic voltages produced as a result of the electrochemical
activity of excitable cells,components of nervous
• Measurement
• Using Sensors/ Transducers to convert ionic potential to
electric potential .
• Examples
• ECG Electrocardiogram), EMG (Electromyogram), EEG
(Electroencephalogram), ENG (Electroneurogram), EOG
(Electro-oculogram), ERG Electroretinogram), etc.

I
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 Sodium potassium pump
• movement of Na+
out of the neuron
and K+ in to the
neuron when ATP is
hydrolysed

• Three Na+ are

pumped out of the
neuron at a time
and two K+ are
pumped

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 Depolarisation

• When a stimulus is
applied Na+ channel
completely open up ,
there will be net
movement of Na+ in to
the neuron.
• K+ channel can no
longer leak out of the
neuron in that area.
Inside of the neuron
becomes more positive.
• Depolarization causes
potential to+20mV.

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 Repolarisation

• Increase in voltage
causes the K+ pumps
to open completely
and K+ will move out
of the neuron.

• Inside of the neuron

will become more
negative. This is
repolarization

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 Process
• The cell membrane is at a steady
Polarization resting potential.
• More negative inside the cell.

• lessening the magnitude of cell

Depolarization polarization
• By making inside the cell less negative.

• Brief transient disturbance of

Action Potential membrane potential

• Return to membrane equilibrium after

Repolarization action potential

• Increasing the magnitude of cell

polarization by making inside the cell
13 Hyperpolarization
more
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negative
 ACTION POTENTIAL CURVE

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 Action potential
• Absolute Refractory period
• Membrane cannot respond to any stimulus.

• Relative Refractory Period

• Action potential can be initiated by a super threshold
stimulus.

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 Recording of action potential

Recording of action potential of an invertebrate nerve axon (From John G

Webster “Medical Instrumentation Application and Design, Vol 3, Wiley
India, Edition 3)
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 Agenda

• Origin of bio potential

• Propagation of bio potential

• Different types of bio potentials like ECG, EEG, EMG,

ERG, ENG etc.

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 Propagation of an Action potential
• Repolarization and
depolarization causes
a electric current in
this area
• The current which is
produced will affect
the near by channel of
Na+ and causes it to
open.
• And due to that Na+
will move in to that
area and an action
potential will be
generated.
• And the impulse move
from dendrite towards
the axon by
generating action
18 v 1.2 potential.
 Propagation of an
Action Potential

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 Agenda

• Origin of bio potential

• Propagation of bio potential

• Different types of bio potentials like ECG, EEG, EMG,

ERG, ENG etc.

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 Different Bio potentials

Bio potential Origin Frequ Signal

ency Amplitude
Range
(hz)
ECG Heart 0.01-250 0.5-4 mv
EMG muscle Dc to 0.1-5 mv
10KHz
EEG brain Dc to 150 5-300 µv
EOG eye Dc to 50 50-3500 µv

EGG stomach Dc to 1 Hz 10-1000 µv

ERG Eye Dc to 50 0-900 µv

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 Electrocardiography (ECG)

• Measures galvanically the electric activity of the

heart
• Well known and traditional, first measurements
by
Augustus Waller using capillary electrometer
(year 1887)
2. Ventricular
depolarization
3. Ventricular repolarization

• Very widely used method in clinical environment

• Very high diagnostic value

1. Atrial
depolarization

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 ECG basics

• Amplitude: 1-5 mV
• Bandwidth: 0.05-100 Hz

• Largest measurement error sources:

– Motion artifacts
– 50/60 Hz powerline interference

• Typical applications:
– Diagnosis of ischemia
– Arrhythmia
– Conduction defects

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 Electroencephalography (EEG)
• Measures the brain’s electric
activity from the scalp
• Measured signal results from
the activity of billions of neurons

• Amplitude: 0.001-0.01 mV
• Bandwidth: 0.5-40 Hz

• Errors:
– Thermal RF noise
– 50/60 Hz power lines
– Blink artifacts and similar

• Typical applications:
– Sleep studies
– Seizure detection
– Cortical mapping

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 Electromyography (EMG)
• Measures the electric activity of active muscle fibers
• Electrodes are always connected very close to the muscle
group being measured
• Rectified and integrated EMG signal gives rough indication
of the muscle activity
• Needle electrodes can be used to measure individual muscle fibers

• Amplitude: 1-10 mV
• Bandwidth: 20-2000 Hz

• Main sources of errors are 50/60 Hz and RF interference

• Applications: muscle function, neuromuscular disease, prosthesis

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 Electrooculography (EOG)

• Electric potentials are created as a result of the

movement of the eyeballs
• Potential varies in proportion to the amplitude of
the movement
• In many ways a challenging measurement with
some clinical value

• Amplitude: 0.01-0.1 mV
• Bandwidth: DC-10 Hz

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 References
• John G. Webster, “Medical Instrumentation Application
and Design”, John Wiley and sons, New York, 2004.

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