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EEG Lab Report Examples and Analysis

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MaharshiGohel
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23 views5 pages

EEG Lab Report Examples and Analysis

Uploaded by

MaharshiGohel
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

In this document, I will show two examples of how you may write a section of your lab report.

Students are asked to do EEG measurements during resting state and explain their results.

In example 1, student acquired an excellent signal. Results are correct. This student will barely pass.

In example 2, student acquired a noisy but acceptable signal. Results are not totally correct, because
alpha waves should be larger than the Delta waves. Explanations are good. There are still some
mistakes. This student will get a distinction.
Example 1:

Here is my EEG measurements in the figure below. It shows alpha, beta, gamma, delta and theta
waves clearly. There is no noise in these measurements, because I filtered all the signals.

The frequency range is alpha (8–13 Hz), beta (13–30 Hz), delta (0.5–4 Hz), and theta (4–7 Hz).

Figure in the below is voltage signal around 100 microVolts. Here, alpha and theta waves are much
stronger than all the others, so it shows that the subject is resting in this case.
Example 2:

The EEG signals are recorded from electrodes placed on the scalp. There are two types of EEG
recordings: (i) monopolar (ii) bipolar. Monopolar recording picks up the voltage difference between
an active electrode on the scalp and a reference electrode on the ear lobe. Bipolar electrodes give
the voltage difference between two scalp electrodes. In this case, bipolar measurements were
performed on the scalp.

Figure 1. EEG measurement points for 10-20 system.

Figure 1 show the measurement structure for this set of experiments. In this case, electrodes Fp1
and Fp2 were combines and subtracted from Fz. The recorded signal for this setting is shown in
Figure 2.

Figure 2. Raw EEG measurements acquired from Fp1 + Fp2 electrodes with a sampling frequency of
500 Hz. The EEG signal shown here has 50 Hz mains interference.
Figure 2 shows the raw data acquired with a sampling frequency of 500 Hz. The raw EEG signal
shown in Figure 2 is filtered using a 5-point median filter using the matlab function smooths with the
following command:

>> EEG_filtered = smooth(EEG_signal, 5);

After filtering, the following EEG signal is acquired, as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3. Filtered signal from the raw EEG given in Figure 2.

Signal shown in Figure 3 is decomposed in to different EEG bands using the discrete wavelet
transform in Matlab as shown below.

>> [a, b ,d, g, t] = dwt(filtered, ‘EEG’);

Figure 4. Decomposition of the filtered EEG signal given in Figure 3.


Figure 4 shows each EEG. Here we can see that the lower frequency signals, such as delta and theta,
are much smoother, because the smoothing filter is a low pass filter and it managed to filter these
signals more effectively. The high frequency signals, such as the gamma, is still very noisy because
the frequency band of this signal is closer to the 50 Hz noise and the smoothing filter did not manage
to filter as effectively.

The observed frequencies are subdivided into various groups: alpha (8–13 Hz), beta (13–30 Hz), delta
(0.5–4 Hz), theta (4–7 Hz) and gamma (over 32 Hz). Alpha waves are observed when a person is in a
state of relaxed wakefulness or resting. During intense mental activity, beta waves are more
prominent in frontal areas as well as other regions. If a relaxed person is told to open their eyes, one
observes alpha activity decreasing and an increase in beta activity. Theta and delta waves are not
seen in wakefulness, and if they are, it is a sign of brain dysfunction, such as sleeping.

In Figure 4, the most dominant signal is the Delta waves, since it has the largest amplitude. In this
set of experiments the subject was resting and we expected to see a larger Alpha wave, but it is not
the case here. The reason for this may be explained by artefacts affecting the Delta waves.

In biomedical signal processing, artefacts are unwanted patterns not caused by the underlying
physiological event of interest. EEG recordings, and in particular resting or sleep EEG recordings,
typically suffer from various types of artefacts. For reliable analysis special attention should be given
to identifying artefacts which if ignored, may significantly influence the results and the consequent
conclusions. Here are the list of potential signals which may interfere with the measured EEGs:

• ocular artefacts that can occur due to eye movements (slow or fast)

• muscle artefacts (EMG interference), such as head, body and chest movements

• electrical field changes induced by the cardiac muscle depolarisation which interfere with EEG
signals (ECG interference)

• mains (power-line) interference at 50 or 60 Hz depending on local standards

In this case the subject was laying steady during measurements and the eyes were closed. For this
reason, in the recorded EEG signal shown in Figure 2, only mains artefact are visible. This was easy to
filter in this case, as shown in Figure 3 by applying a smoothing filter, the noise was reduced.
However, the subject was breathing, which can result in some low frequency signals interfering with
the measurements. Because of breathing artefacts, the Delta wave appears to be larger than the
Alpha and Theta waves, which is the expected range for the resting subjects.

Common questions

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A 50 Hz mains interference introduces a consistent noise pattern in EEG recordings that can obscure the true neurological signals, particularly affecting the clarity of higher frequency bands such as gamma. To mitigate this, EEG signal processing often employs techniques such as notch filtering, which is designed to specifically remove the 50 Hz frequency component. Additionally, smoothing and median filters may also be used to reduce overall noise levels by averaging out the high-frequency disturbances. Proper grounding and shielding during data acquisition can also prevent mains interference from affecting the recordings .

A smoothing filter is used in EEG signal processing to reduce noise by averaging out rapid fluctuations in the data. It is particularly effective at mitigating low-frequency noise, such as mains interference, and smoothing out fluctuations in lower frequency EEG bands, like delta and theta waves. However, it is less effective for high-frequency signals, such as gamma waves, which remain noisy if their frequency band is close to the noise frequency (e.g., 50 Hz). Thus, while smoothing filters can improve signal clarity for some EEG components, they are limited in addressing high-frequency noise .

Monopolar EEG recording measures the voltage difference between an active electrode on the scalp and a reference electrode, typically placed on a non-active location like the ear lobe. In contrast, bipolar recording measures the voltage difference between two active scalp electrodes. The choice between these methods affects data interpretation; monopolar recordings might be more sensitive to slow wave baseline shifts and straightforward artefacts, while bipolar recordings are often more localized and less susceptible to certain types of artefacts because both electrodes share similar interference conditions. However, bipolar systems might require more complex analysis and interpretation .

In a resting subject's EEG, Delta waves might appear larger than expected if artefacts interfere with the recording. This is likely due to low-frequency artefacts, such as those caused by breathing, which inadvertently add to the Delta wave amplitude. Larger than expected Delta wave amplitudes can indicate issues with artefact management, such as inadequate filtering of low-frequency noise, which suggest that the recording conditions may have been less than ideal for accurate measurement of resting state EEG .

Discrete wavelet transform (DWT) is a powerful tool in EEG signal processing as it allows for time-frequency analysis of the signal. Unlike traditional Fourier transform that only provides frequency information, DWT provides both time and frequency localization, making it ideal for non-stationary signals like EEG. DWT decomposes the EEG signal into various wavelet components, allowing for easier interpretation and analysis of the different brain wave bands. This method effectively isolates noise and artefacts by focusing on specific frequency bands, leading to clearer signal extraction and enhanced understanding of underlying neurological activities. Compared to solely frequency-based methods, DWT offers superior temporal resolution which is crucial for neurological signal analysis .

The 10-20 system is a standardized method for placing electrodes on the scalp for EEG recordings. It is named for the fact that the placements are at 10% or 20% intervals of the total front-back or left-right distance of the skull. This system ensures consistent and comparable electrode placements across different subjects and experiments. Its significance lies in its ability to capture electrical activity from all major areas of the brain, which aids in comprehensive data analysis and comparison across different subjects or conditions. The system's standardized nature is essential for replicable and reliable EEG research .

EEG recordings can be adversely affected by several types of artefacts which can significantly alter the results. These artefacts include ocular artefacts due to eye movements, muscle artefacts due to movements such as head, body, and chest exertion, electrical field changes from the cardiac muscle depolarisation (ECG interference), and mains interference (power-line interference) at 50 or 60 Hz. For instance, ocular artefacts can introduce unwanted waveforms, muscle artefacts can add high-frequency noise due to EMG interference, ECG interference can introduce cardiac signals that mimic low-frequency brain waves, and mains interference contributes a persistent noise that can obscure the signal. Identifying and mitigating these artefacts is crucial for accurate signal interpretation .

Ethical considerations in EEG research primarily revolve around the accurate interpretation and representation of data to avoid misleading conclusions. Artefacts in EEG data can lead to incorrect interpretations about neurological states or responses, potentially affecting clinical decisions or misleading scientific findings. Researchers must apply rigorous artefact identification and correction techniques to ensure data integrity. Moreover, transparency in reporting how data were processed, including the methods for artefact management, is essential to uphold scientific accuracy and ethical standards. Failure to address artefact-related inaccuracies appropriately can have serious implications for both research credibility and patient outcomes .

Awarding a distinction to a student despite some incorrect results, as seen in the EEG analysis example, highlights an educational assessment approach that values process, effort, and understanding over perfect outcomes. It suggests an emphasis on the student's ability to analyze and interpret data creatively, acknowledge errors, and demonstrate effective problem-solving and critical thinking skills. This approach encourages a deeper learning experience, fostering skills that are essential beyond the lab environment, such as adaptability, attention to detail, and intellectual curiosity. In educational contexts, this philosophy promotes innovation and comprehensive learning by valuing mindset and mastery over mere correctness .

Alpha wave activity, typically observed in the frequency range of 8–13 Hz, is indicative of a subject's relaxed wakefulness, often seen when the subject is resting with eyes closed. This contrasts with beta waves (13–30 Hz), which increase during active mental engagement and decrease when a subject is relaxed with eyes open. Delta and theta waves, associated with deeper states such as sleep or brain dysfunction, are generally not present during full wakefulness. Therefore, a strong alpha wave presence with minimal beta activity can confirm a resting state, particularly important when interpreting EEG data for cognitive and neurological assessments .

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