Electrophysiological approaches in the study of cognitive development outside the lab

KAMIENKOWSKI, JUAN; LIPINA, SEBASTIAN J.; PIETTO, MARCOS L.

Buenos Aires

Congreso; LABMAN; 2017

Latin American Brain Mapping Network

The electroencephalographical (EEG) level of analysis of cognitive development provides high-temporal resolution information of the neural activity underlying the dynamics of cognitive processes. Thus, such methodologies have important implications in building knowledge on cognitive development during childhood. However, EEG research is not generally applied beyond laboratory settings, adding some confounding factors, related to the new environment, and limitations, regarding the number of experimental sessions and the final sample size. Recently, low-cost portable EEG equipments are being released. These EEG systems usually comprise a smaller array of electrodes, transfer the data via wireless -at also smaller sample rates-, and require little adjustment and time-montage. Thus, they are ideal for the use outside the laboratory, for instance at school. However, it has been shown that this technology has typically poorer quality signal than standard research devices, thus robust paradigms and new analytic methods are needed to deal with these issues. In this regard, efforts aimed to transfer laboratory methodologies to different developmental contexts would pave the way for extending their inclusion in studies with greater ecological value. In this study we explored through different tasks if event-related potentials (ERPs) and power spectrum measured using a portable EEG system were equivalent o those measured by a high-quality EEG system. Particularly we recorded EEGs with the research high-quality (Biosemi) and low-cost EEG (Emotiv) systems while participants performed an active (Go/NoGo) and passive (cartoon video; closed-eyes resting) tasks. Amplitude and latency analysis were performed on early ERPs (N1, P2, N2) in the active tasks, whilst frequency spectrum and alpha peak of the baseline EEG activity were examined in the passive tasks.