Instructions: Using BioPac in the scanner

Supplies

• ECG
  • Prep gel (ELPREP) (for abrasion)
  • Electrode gel (GEL100)
  • Electrodes (EL508)
  • Single-sided MR-compatible tape (TAPE1)
• EDA
  • Electrode gel (GEL101)
  • Electrodes (EL509)
  • Single-sided MR-compatible tape (TAPE1)
• Respiration
  • None (belt already purchased and available for use)
• PPG
  • None (finger clamp already purchased and available for use)

Modality-specific instructions

ECG

1. Clean skin with alcohol or BIOPAC ELPREP skin prep gel where electrodes are to be placed.
2. Apply a drop of electrode gel (GEL100) to the sponge portion of electrodes (EL508) before attaching.
3. Place electrodes in a triangle around the heart.
4. Place electrodes at least 5 minutes in advance of recording.
5. Use MR-compatible tape to better attach electrodes. The tape should not touch the centers of the electrodes.
6. Once electrodes are placed on the skin, an impedance check should be made to determine the resistance between all the applied electrodes. Impedance checking, with BIOPAC’s ELCHECK, should be performed between Vin+ and GND, Vin- and GND and Vin+ to Vin-. For best electrode-based measurement performance, impedance levels should be 5 K ohms or less.

EDA

0. PARTICIPANT SHOULD NOT WASH HANDS BEFORE ELECTRODES ARE APPLIED.
1. Clean skin with water only— do not use alcohol, soap, or skin prep gel.
   • Never abrade skin prior to recording EDA.
2. Use isotonic gel (GEL101) on the back of the electrodes.
3. Place electrodes on either side of the palm on the participant’s non-dominant hand, at least 5 minutes in advance of recording.
4. Use MR-compatible tape to further attach electrodes. The tape should not touch the centers of the electrodes.

Respiration

NOTE: Respiration is done in the scan room. No advance preparation necessary.

1. Belt should sit around participant’s middle, either just below the chest (below bust line on female participants) or around the stomach, depending on which moves more when they breathe.
2. Belt should be tight, but with enough slack that participant can fit two or three fingers comfortably between band and stomach/chest.

PPG

NOTE: PPG is done in the scan room. No advance preparation necessary.

Recording with AcqKnowledge

1. Create a new data collection from an existing template
   • Create/Record a new experiment
   • Use recent graph template
   • Select the name of the protocol template you'll be using
2. Once leads are attached in the scan room, start recording and IMMEDIATELY press Escape to label the segment with a time stamp.
3. Continue recording through the scan session.
   • Tasks should send 5 or 0 through the trigger channel to annotate when they're running.
   • Time of each task can be inferred from the initial start time (hence the segment label) and the triggers.
4. If the participant gets out of the scanner for a bathroom break, stop recording. When the participant is hooked back up to BioPac after the break, start recording again and IMMEDIATELY press Escape to label this new segment with a time stamp.
5. When the session is finished, stop recording and save to a file.