Welcome Address

As we are welcoming new members to our EEG brainwave group this summer 2018, we made a compilation of information which is accessible to all incoming and will provide a great wealth of knowledge.

Our goals for the summer internship are as follows:

1. Secure all materials and methods necessary to continue collection of quantitative electroencephalographs and administration of Infraslow Fluctuation Training.
2. Find at least five more individuals that can commit to an extended course of ISF.
3. Devise a new experimental paradigm with less temporal restrictions than our current protocol that can run simultaneously.

Summer 2018 Hours!!!

Dr. DiLauro meeting hours are from 10am-2pm 

 Our current research poster which we present during our Bergen's STEM C^2 Research Summit. 

Vision, Mission, and Values of EEG Brainwaves

Current Poster for New Participants located all over the campus. We will using social media and other resources to gain more potential data and hopefully soon edit our paper into a manuscript for publication. 

STEM Summer Internship of 2018 (5/29-5/31)

Week Two of Summer Internship Blog Post 

SARA

• The Standardized Artifact Rejection Algorithm (SARA)  de-artifacted EEG is processed and compared with the relevant age bin of the qEEG-Pro database. Three pdf reports are created for the Linked Ears montage, the Laplacian (CSD) montage and the source-reconstructed signal using sLORETA. The qEEG-Pro reports consist of the following analyses:
  

  • FFT Absolute Power
  • FFT Relative Power
  • Phase Coherence
  • Alpha peak detection
  • Amplitude Asymmetry
  • Phase Lag
  • Comodulation (Cross-frequency power correlations)
  • Burst Metrics (Max burst power, FWHM, Interburst Interval, Bursts per second)
  • Extreme Z-score development (Age simulation analyses) *
  • Power Fluctuation Analyses *
  • Percentage Deviant Activity * 

  * Developed exclusively for guiding Neurofeedback protocol design.

Recruitment 

• Flyers, we prepared the flyer for recruiting participants. Participants are needed but it is quite difficult for participants to commit especially in the summer.  
• Announcement were done also by talking with students, staff and community members 
• For the recruiting purpose, we updated the blog by posting some pictures of the equipment and the work of the spring. 
  
  

STEM Summer Internship of 2018 (5/21-5/24)

Week One of Summer Internship Blog Post 

IRB 

• The first order of business for the Summer Internship was securing the renewal of our IRB approval. The approval, obtained last Summer, expires on June 1st, and we managed to submit all the necessary forms this week.  
• We are still waiting on the powers that be to sign off on our project for the Summer, and the main power-that-is will be back in the office on Tuesday. (It was much easier this time because we just needed to update things here and there). 

Recruitment 

• Flyers, we prepared the flyer for recruiting participants. Participants are needed but it is quite difficult for participants to commit especially in the summer.  
• Announcement were done also by talking with students, staff and community members 
• For the recruiting purpose, we updated the blog by posting some pictures of the equipment and the work of the spring. 

Continue ISF 

• With all of the mechanisms in place to conduct research on a neurofeedback paradigm named “Infraslow Fluctuation Training,” we figured that continuing to collect data in this realm would be of importance.  
• We still need several more participants to have an iron clad case for statistical significance. We appreciate all referrals and devotion of time to help actualize this research.   

New intern 

• Introduced to the project and directed in the completion of the NIH certification, which is about protecting the Human Research Participants 

Money Situation 

• A mainstay of this project have been barriers presented by financing our equipment. Unfortunately, we cannot take any more QEEG’s until we cut a check to our friends across the pond.  

Private server Forms make sure working 

• In the Spring, the electronic forms were ready, but not all that feasible to implement. If the Raspberry pi we were using was powered off, we needed some level 1 tech support to get it up and running again.  
• A goal for the coming weeks is to organize a station with some integrity.  

Future directions 

• Portable Caps?

Overview of Spring 2018: STEM C^2 Research Summit (April 13th)

This past STEM C^2 Research Summit on April 13th was the 5th annual held at Bergen Community College.We explored our scientific discovery and study many phenomenas that intrigued the mind and captured the our spirits. These researchers hard-work culminated in this conference, that calls for excellent poster presentations, demonstrations, and judgement.

This is our 3rd EEG study "Efficacy of Infraslow Fluctuation Training (ISF) in the attenuation of Anxiety, utilizing Brainmaster Discovery Quantitative Electroencephalogram (QEEG) and Self-Report." Along with our private sever that complies with HIPPA laws and double for digital forms that can be done on the computer and their cell phones.

Our partnership with Brainmaster and the Neurofeedback Center of NJ allows us to incorporate their technology and our research background.

Former Chief Research Associate Alexander Thomas, Current Chief Research Associate/3SP Candidate Adelajda Turku and 3SP Scholar Alexander Czechowicz.

Adele and I working the camera for the EEG Blog. Red and Burgundy are in for conference season. 

Discussing our plan of attack for the judges!!!!

Overview of Spring 2018

 Currently, with it being May and being quite lax with posting we are now updating the past progress of our EEG members this past spring semester. Additional skills were being taught and refined with every opportunity to learn from participants.

Our Research Director Dr. Dilauro is giving a demonstration on doing Quantitative Electroencephalogram (QEEG) on STEM student Tyler.

 Now, we have EEG members Anthony and Kristen replicating Dr.Lauro's technique on the electrogel application.

We also have Oliver and Sydney also getting their chance on the electrogel application.

 

 In this photo here we have a sample of the QEEG recording through Brainmater's Brainavatar software, we see the corresponding brainwaves and 19-channel electrodes placements/ brainmap. The green numbers refers to the connectivity between the electrodes and scalp of the participant. The red numbers would suggest needing apply more electrogel to get a better signal connection. While, the red streaks would suggest the artifacts are interrupting the recording of the QEEG might include blinking, coughing, moving, and talking.

Equipment for the QEEGs performed on participants

Equipment for the QEEGs performed on participants. The Discovery shows the 

     
                                                                  The Checktrode

                                                 
                                                    Electrodes connected on the Discovery

                         Electrogel to facilitate the connection between the electrodes and the skull