Electroencephalography and evoked potentials: a PC-based analysis program for laboratory courses in physiology.
A computer program (EEG Analysis) was developed for the preclinical laboratory course in physiology held for medical and dental students. It offers an off-line analysis of a set of typical and frequently occurring physiological and pathological electroencephalogram (EEG) and evoked potential (EP) recordings, which are stored in an IBM-compatible personal computer (PC) system. The users are requested to measure and analyze the data sets and to work through a base of questions relevant in the frame of the particular topic. The program is structured in several exercises: calibration, pickup of non-EEG signals (eye movements, chewing), waveforms in EEG recordings from awake subjects (alpha-waves, beta-waves), desynchronization of cerebral activity (visual activation, acoustic activation, mental activation), habituation of cerebral activity upon acoustic stimuli, EEG recordings from asleep subjects (different sleep stages, sleep-specific EEG signals), epileptic seizures, and EPs (principle of averaging, visually evoked potentials in different cortical areas). The program runs under MS-DOS and is network capable. The software structure ensures maximal flexibility for rapid changes and adaptations of the program to specific needs of a particular EEG course. The program has been used for three years, and the response from > 800 students has been consistently positive.
Illert
M
M
Department of Physiology, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Germany.
Wiese
H
H
Wolfram
U
U
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology; D002138:Calibration; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction; D003201:Computers; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000503:physiopathology; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual; D006185:Habituation, Psychophysiologic; D006801:Humans; D007753:Laboratories; D008838:Microcomputers; D005082:Physical Exertion; D010827:Physiology / Q000193:education*; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology; D012984:Software; D014851:Wakefulness / Q000502:physiology