Please remember - while recording brain waves has
a decidedly futuristic sound to it, there are great obstacles to using
brain recordings to do any of the myriad things we'd like to do. One
of the biggest problems is the skull. Everyone's is a different thickness,
and since bone is a great source of impedance this will result in
great variability between subjects. Another drawback is that electric
signals interfere with each other, meaning that the recording is merely
a measure of general electrical activity, not the activation of any
neuron or node. This makes it very difficult to locate the site of
production for a given wave or waveform. Despite these obstacles,
EEGs are useful for a broad range of experimental, diagnostic and
therapeutic purposes. |
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With
an IBVA it is very easy to record brainwaves, with a small amount
of preparation and equipment. Quickly you will be recording EEG
through the forehead from the brain's pre-frontal lobes.
For self-monitoring,
with a volunteer or client, firstly use a "steret' alcohol
swab to remove grease, sweat or make-up from the area of skin across
the middle of the forehead where the surface electrodes will make
contact.
Apply 3 new
medical electrodes from a sealed pack to the placements inside the
IBVA sensor band, and attach the headband to the forehead, closing
with the velcro fastening at the posterior of the head.
The three leads
from the headland must be placed behind the left ear, and the 'ground'
electrode connected to anywhere on the earlobe with the clip.
At the scalp,
the electrical signal from the brain is very weak. Any sort of muscular
tension will create an electrical signal much larger than the signal
you are trying to measure. Always using fresh batteries in IBVA
transmitters, new electrodes and sterets will help you to get clean,
usable data.
Launch IBVA
software on your Apple computer, checking for atmospheric Noise
in the device preferences panel indicated by the presence of regular
square waves in the Raw Wave panel. |