IITGN
The Cognitive Science Laboratory is home to multiple state-of-the-art research facilities including high-density electroencephalography, Motion Capture, Robotic System, Multisensory lab, Tactile perception lab which have made it possible to address research questions that combine brain mechanisms with the study of human cognition.
The eye-tracking facility includes a Tobii TX 300 eye-tracker and comes with the Tobii Studio™ eye-tracking software. This is a state-of-the-art eye-tracking facility that can collect data pertaining to saccades, correction saccades, fixation duration, pupil size and blinks. The facility also includes the Tobii toolbox, which supports data collection using MATLAB, thus minimizing the use of Tobii studio for experimental design. Support is also available for E-Prime through extensions from Tobii.
A high-density EEG system is available with 128 channel Geodesic sensor nets that are saline-based for quick application to participants. The system is integrated with E-Prime and MATLAB for stimulus presentation. NetStation software is used for recording and processing of the data. The data can also be exported to open-source and popular processing toolboxes such as EEGLab in MATLAB. The software capabilities include AmpServer Pro licence for real-time sampling of raw data up to 8KHz for Brain-Computer Interfacing Applications. The EEG system has now been setup for simultaneous Eye tracking and EEG recordings.
The facilities include a transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) system for non-invasive stimulation of the brain. The TMS system is coupled with a neuronavigation system which can use the MRI scan of a participant for precise targeting of single or repetitive magnetic pulses to localise brain regions of stimulation. The transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is used for non-invasive stimulation of the brain by using a small direct current across the scalp to modulate brain function. Even extremely low-level currents may simultaneously increase the brain’s activity near the anode and decrease the activity near the cathode.
ROBOTIC SYSTEM: The bilateral Kinarm end-point robot is a stiff, graspable robot that ensures simultaneous control of both robots for comparison of inter-arm performance and the study of bimanual coordination.
DIGITISING TABLET: GTCO CalComp digitising tablet records the end point arm movement. It has a functional area of 36X24 cm and records the movement of the stylus on the surface of the tablet. It can record the stylus movement at the rate of 60 Hz.
This custom system uses electromagnetic sensors (Ascension trakStar, Northern Digital) to record arm movements made in the horizontal plane. It is interfaced with the motion monitor (Innsport, Chicago, IL) as well as autonomously developed software to provide a virtual reality environment, which enables recording of arm motion data under a variety of different task conditions. This system can be integrated with a range of external devices including EMG, EEG and TMS equipment, which allows quantification as well as disruption of neural activity during arm motor tasks.
MULTISENSORY LAB: The Lab features research facilities for sound-attenuated testing of Active noise cancellation equipment with surround sound speakers. The lab features a driving simulator that was built completely in-house.
TACTILE PERCEPTION LAB: The Lab features custom-built arduino-based devices supplemented by 3D printing for conducting psychophysics experiments for texture discrimination, wetness perception, tactile stimulation with peizo electric vibrators.
PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY LAB: The wireless physiology-based data acquisition system (Biopac Systems Inc) facilitates real-time data acquisition of physiological signals such as ECG, EMG, EDA and provides excellent signal quality with digital transmission with high resolution of 16 bit and at high speed up to 400 kHz aggregate. The system is compatible with the virtual reality-based programming platform Vizard from WorldViz Inc.
Currently, there are three behavioural cubicles that house computers that support behavioural data collection. The cubicles are sound-attenuated dark rooms. The computers run MATLAB with the Psychophysics toolbox and are used for research on decision-making, attention, agency, etc. They also support E-Prime and other software such as Blitz3D. These labs are also used as private spaces for paper-and-pencil tests and questionnaires that require an environment free from external interference. The Lab features an additional Survey room with multiple participant seating. Two additional cubicles are dedicated for psychophysiological experiments with a high refresh rate monitor and adjustable lighting
The centre offers multiple facilities to explore and test the working of the brain and its associated cognition. Students Nashra Ahmed and Gaurav Panti give a brief introduction to the multiple facilities available in the lab for research investigation. The equipments introduced here are High-density electroencephalogram (EEG), TMS, tDCS, Kinarm robotic system and Digitising Tablet.