Training Opportunities

Mindware offers periodic training workshops covering the science of psychophysiological measures and the technical/practical details of using contemporary psychophysiological equipment and systems. These are educational experiences that attract scientists, students and technical personnel, and are broadly targeted to a range of expertise of the audience. Included is a hands-on tutorial with Mindware equipment. This is the information regarding those training and demonstration times. For more information, please contact us at by phone at (614) 626-4888 or email at info@mindwaretech.com.

Contents

Heart Rate Variability Seminar

MindWare EDA/EMG Seminar

Dates: June 9 - 10, 2012

Location: Columbus Hilton at Easton Town Center, Columbus, OH

Download the Registration Contract form

Registration contact: susanberntson@columbus.rr.com

Heart Rate Variability
Seminar Description

I. Introduction- Historical Overview on HRV & RSA

II. Origins and Mechanisms of HRV

1. Physiological origins
2. Behavioral and Psychological mechanisms

III. Quantification of HRV

1. ECG- Origins/Einthoven’s triangle
2. Time domain vs. frequency domain approaches to measurement
3. Signal Processing considerations
4. Time domain measures, Peak Valley, Moving Polynomial
5. Frequency Domain approaches
6. Validity

IV. Significance and Interpretation of HRV

1. HF & LF HR variability
2. Respiratory confounds/Amplitude and frequency variations—pacing?
3. HF/LF ratio and sympathetic/parasympathetic balance
4. Reliability, validity & the Gold Standard
5. Respiratory Sinus arrhythmia vs. vagal tone
6. Theoretical Conceptions
7. Psychosomatic considerations

V. Practicum & Applications Session

1. Signal Acquisition – ECG
   
   • Leads and electrode considerations
   • Recording considerations, amplification, filters, etc
2. Signal Processing
   
   • Sample rate, aliasing and sationarity revisited (epoch lengths)
   • Artifacts and artifact processing/ abnormal rhythms
3. Analysis
   
   • Time series/Detrending/Tapering
   • FFT transform - Spectral plot, frequency bands & integration
   • Epoch length & aggregation across epochs

Dates: September 8 - 9, 2012

Location: Columbus Hilton at Easton Town Center, Columbus, OH

Download the Registration Contract Form

Registration Contact: susanberntson@columbus.rr.com

The seminar will introduce basic concepts of recording of biological signals, with special emphasis on electrodermal activity (EDA) and the electromyogram (EMG). These signals are classic psychophysiological markers of autonomic and somatic response. EDA includes skin potential, skin conductance, and sudomotor activity, which afford a relatively pure index of sympathetic activation. EDA is widely used as a marker of arousal and a critical marker of autonomic response. EMG represents the surface electrical signature of underlying muscle activity - both liminal and subliminal. It has been used as a measure of tension and microEMG measures have been applied to monitor subtle facial expressions such as happiness (zygomaticus muscle) and anger (corrugator muscle). The seminar will consider both basic and applied aspects of these measures and will include a hands-on tutorial.