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EEG Tab

Configuration Subtab

Main Settings

Note

You must be connected to the bossdevice to edit the "Main Settings" in this tab.

Number of EEG Channels

Enter the number of channels being sent to the bossdevice from the EEG amplifier. Make sure this does not include the AUX channels.

Number of AUX Channels

Enter the number of auxiliary channels being sent to the bossdevice. Include all AUX channels, including the marker channel, if you use one.

AUX channels must be the last channels in the index in the EEG recording software. If you have 32 EEG channels and 3 AUX channels, The AUX channels must be indices 33, 34, and 35.

The bossdevice can process one binary coded marker channel (a channel dedicated to events that can be used as trigger criteria). If used, the marker channel must be included as the last channel in your configuration. Include this channel in the Number of AUX channels field.

Note

The bossapp does not currently use AUX channels in its spatial filtered timeseries. You may include them, and they will be recorded with the data. However, only the marker channel, if included and used in the protocol, will impact triggering criteria.

Sample and Hold [s]

Define the hold period after each TMS pulse (how long after each TMS pulse to stop recording EEG to prevent TMS artifacts in the data).

Putting it all together

If you have an EEG recording software protocol with 32 EEG channels, 3 Aux channels, and one marker channel, you should enter the following.

  • Number of EEG Channels: 32
  • Number of Aux Channels: 4
  • In your EEG recording software, your EEG channels should be indices 1:32, your Aux channels should be indices 33:35, and your marker channel should be index 36.

The actiCHamp sends EEG channels in multiples of 32 based on the total number of channels configured in the BrainVision Recorder's workspace independently of the number of EEG channels supported by the hardware. Therefore, the only options for "Number of EEG Channels" are 32, 64, 96, or 128. If you are using 40 channels, you would enter 64 (rounding up) in "Number of EEG Channels" and then not include/define channels 41:64 in the Spatial Filter Weights table. The bossapp will zero out the unused channels.

The number of AUX channels is always 8.

For Bittium NeurOne Users

In the Bittium NeurOne system, you define a unique montage of channels to be sent to the bossdevice through the "real-time out" port. You can list any number of channels here. Enter the number of EEG channels you have defined in your real-time out montage into "Number of EEG Channels".

Marker Visibility Mask

The bossapp RESEARCH allows you to create a trigger-based condition using the binary-encoded markers received in the marker channel of incoming data.

The “Marker Visibility Mask” defines which binary-encoded markers can be used in the protocol. This allows the user to define that some markers are saved into the EEG data, but ignored by the bossapp RESEARCH for triggering.

Spatial Filter Weights

In this table, you define the EEG configuration for your experiment. You may enter only the relevant channels in the table. If there is any other channel present in the montage or in the EEG UDP data not defined within the table, it will assume that the weight factor is 0. To reduce the visual cluttering of the bossapp, it is recommended to only enter as rows the channels with spatial weights other than 0.

Channel Label

Enter labels for each channel in your montage. These can be standard 10-20/10-10/etc. naming conventions such as Fp1 and Cz, or custom names such as "center," "EOG," or "AG Cup 1." These naming conventions are only used in plotting and for user information and do not impact processing.

Ch. Index

For Brain Products actiCHamp and TurboLink Users: The channel index defined here should match the channel index of your EEG Recording Software montage.

For Bittium NeurOne users: The channel index defined here should match the channel index of your “real-time out” tab. This is not the "Input Number". The index you need is not listed. Instead, it is the index of the row as listed starting from the top. If you have 5 channels included in your real-time out, the indexes would be 1:5, with the top row being 1 and the bottom row being 5.

Spatial Filter 1

The bossdevice continuously calculates noise and monitors for defined criteria. It does this on a single timeseries. This single timeseries is a weighted combination of channels defined by the user. "Spatial Filter 1" is where the user defines this weighted combination. For each channel included in your EEG Channel Configuration, you also assign a weight. Every channel will be multiplied by its assigned weight and then summed. This sum of the weighted channels is what the bossdevice is using to send triggers.

Note

Spatial Filter 1 values can be any number. This includes positive numbers, negative numbers, and fractions expressed as percents (i.e. 1/4 is 0.25)

Manage Configuration

Note

Whenever you start the bossapp, it will boot with only a placeholder EEG configuration with a single channel. Each time you open or restart the bossapp, you must load or create the EEG configuration you wish to use.

Creating a Configuration:

While it is possible to use the template configuration to make a new protocol by using the "Add" and "Delete" buttons in the "Manage Channels Table". We do not recommend doing this. This option allows you to name the file if you save it on your computer, but you cannot name it within the bossapp, and it will always display with the template name "My EEG Configuration." This can lead to confusion since there will always be an additional template with the same name present.

We recommend always clicking "New" on the "Manage Configuration" box to start a new configuration. This will open a pop-up with the following inputs

New EEG Configuration Name

This name will show up for your configuration within the bossapp. It is not the file name that it will be saved under on your computer. Enter a name here, and it will appear in the EEG Channels Configuration box at the top of the bosssapp. This field is not editable once entered.

EEG Channel Indexes

You can enter your channel indexes here when making a new configuration to save time. Each listed index will become one row with the designated index.

For example, the default entry is [1,4,6:9], which creates 6 channels. After creation, the indexes can be manually changed in the spatial filter weights table, additional channels can be added with the "Add Channel(s)" button and removed with the "Delete Channel(s)" button.

If you would like to use MATLAB functions to generate spatial filter values, you may do so by clicking on the column you want to change and selecting "Edit selected column values". A pop-up window will allow you to enter the function or formula and clicking "OK" applies it to the cells in the column.

Note

For important information about determining channel indexes based on the EEG amplifier used, see the EEG tab/main settings.

Saving a Configuration

Notes

  • Creating a new configuration does not save the configuration. Until saved, this configuration will only exist within the open session of the boss app. Once the bossapp is closed, this configuration will be deleted.
  • Any changes made to a configuration once opened do not automatically save to the configuration file on your computer. If you change the configuration, save it as a new file on your computer.

To save a configuration, click the "Save" button in the "Manage Configuration" box. In the pop-up window, name the file and save it in whichever folder you choose.

Naming Convention Notes:

  • Configurations have a "configuration name," shown in the bossapp, and a "file name", shown in your computer files.
  • The "configuration name" is given in the pop-up window when you click "New". Once named, the name cannot be changed.
  • The "file name" is given in the pop-up window when you click "Save". This can be changed anytime from the File Explorer on your computer.
  • The "configuration name" and the "file name" can be the same. They can also be different. You may decide which works best for you.
  • We recommend including "bossapp" and "EEG_Configuration", in your file name. For example: bossapp_EEG_Configuration_Ch.1-5_centered_in_1

Deleting a Configuration

Clicking the “Delete” button in the "Manage Configuration" box removes the current configuration from the current session of the bossapp. “Delete” does not delete the file from your computer if the configuration was previously saved.

To delete the configuration file from your computer, open your File Explorer, find the configuration file, and delete it.

Loading a Configuration

To load a previously saved configuration file, click the “Load” button in the "Manage Configuration" box to navigate to your saved file.

Warning

Any changes made to a configuration do not automatically save to the configuration file on your computer. If you change the configuration, save it as a new file on your computer.

Edit column

This button allows you to edit all values in a column using MATLAB functions. This cannot be used for channel labels.

Raw Data Subtab

This tab displays the amplifier's raw data from any channels defined in the EEG-Configurations tab. If you have added or removed channels or changed your configuration since the last time you used the "Raw Data" tab, the software will refresh the layout when you toggle the plot "on". You can also click the "Refresh Layout" button on the left side to do this before starting the plot.

Note

The y-axes auto-scale independently for each channel once data streaming commences.

Spatial Filtered Data Subtab

This tab displays the timeseries representing the spatially filtered signal of interest defined in the EEG Tab - Configuration Subtab.

Note

The y-axis auto-scales once data streaming commences.