News in brief
New Isotonic Electrolyte Gel for GSR/EDA
Since Summer 2021 the well-known special electrolyte for galvanic skin response (GSR) or electrodermal activity (EDA) recordings, TD-246, is no longer available, leaving a severe gap as no other commercial isotonic electrolyte seems to be available. Easycap GmbH therefore put its effort into developing and evaluating an alternative of equal quality. This gel, called EDALYT, is now available.
EDALYT is a non-drip, non-staining, water-soluble electrolyte gel with 0.5% salinity. It underwent quantitative and qualitative evaluation by recording GSR simultaneously from adjacent TD-246-filled and EDALYT-filled pairs of electrodes fixed to the muscle bellies of the left and right index and middle finger phalanges (see figure below). The numerical values recorded with EDALYT were very similar to those recorded with TD-246 (see figure below), and qualitatively the signals of both gels clearly showed the same standard GSRs to typical provocations (Valsalva maneuver, listening to jokes), but also suppressed or absent GSRs over scar tissue, and similar artifact profiles over dry skin.
Left: Electrode placement (Fig.1). Right: Signal of TD-246, EDALYT, and difference (Fig. 2).
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Due to the limited data base, our results up to now should be seen more as proof-of-principle tests than comprehensive evaluations. Therefore, before using EDALYT instead of TD-246 in an ongoing experiment each lab should make their own independent signal quality checks and comparisons. Nonetheless, we are confident that for new experiments, EDALYT will yield results equally reliable and valid as if done with TD-246.
Project ESIT successfully finished:
European School for Interdisciplinary Tinnitus Research
According to epidemiological data, chronic tinnitus affects around 42 million people in Europe alone.
Tinnitus is a phenomenon can be a severe medical problem for patients, yet is still not well researched. The primary goal of ESIT was to educate and build up a new generation of tinnitus experts who are sensitive to the current challenges in tinnitus research, have a broad knowledge base and have first-hand experience. A total number of 15 Early-Stage Researchers (ESRs) received formal education as well as hands-on training on tinnitus research and patient care.
Brain Products was an associated industry partner collaborating closely with an ESR at the hospital of the University of Regensburg for developing a mobile EEG app. In addition, Brain Products provided a mobile EEG system und took part in project meetings.
The 4 year project was funded by the European Commission under H2020-EU.1.3.1. The coordinating institution was the hospital of the University of Regensburg in Germany, with a network of eleven universities and research organisations across Europe. Several associated academic and industrial partners supported ESIT as well.
Further information:
- Project website ESIT: click here
- EU project overview: click here
A special thank you to our followers on Social Media!
Brain Products is thrilled to have more than 4000 followers on LinkedIn. This is a great milestone on our journey to build an online community for neurophysiological research. We would like to give a heartfelt thanks to everyone who follows our page and likes, shares, or comments on our content. Thank you for sharing your excitement for neurophysiological research with us. You are the heart of our online community and we appreciate your support.
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If you’re not following us yet, join our online community on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook or YouTube now!
Downloads & Updates
Software/Firmware Releases and Updates
→ BrainVision Analyzer 2.2.2 (full release, update available for free) and Analyzer User Manual
→ Dongle Driver 8.21 for BrainVision Analyzer 2.2.2
→ Analyzer Automation Reference Manual
→ BrainVision Analyzer 2 Solutions package update
Misc. new and updated Downloads
→ bossdevice RESEARCH Manual
→ EIB64-DUO Manual
→ R-Net MR Operating Instructions
→ Electrode Cap Montages | Workspaces | BVEF Files: Update for Electrode Caps with “passive electrodes” and “active electrodes”
→ SetUp Poster TurboLink
New Webinar Recordings
→ An overview of spectral analysis methods
→ EEG artifact types and handling strategies in BrainVision Analyzer 2
→ Real-time brain-state dependent research – a collaboration between Brain Products and sync2brain
→ Combining EEG and fNIRS in a mobile setup
→ Getting ready for simultaneous EEG-fMRI: safety and setup basics