How to decide which EEG amplifier best fits your research
When setting up a new lab or starting a new line of investigations, you may find yourself wondering which is the right EEG system for your work. Will you be recording data in a protected and shielded environment? Will you take your experiment out of the lab into the real world? Or will you use EEG simultaneously with other stimulation or measurement techniques?
2. Brain Products amplifiers: an overview
2.1. Laboratory-based solutions
2.2. Mobile and wearable solutions
3. How to choose the right amplifier for your application?
3.1. Technical features
3.2. Usability features
EEG Wireless for Research BrainAmp
EEG Amplifier for MRI
EEG Amplifier for Research EEG for Hyperscanner
Sensor for MRI BrainAmp EXG
EEG Data Analysis for Research
EEG Amplifier for Research actiCHamp PLUS
EEG Amplifier for Research ABR Auditory Brainstem Responses
EEG Sync for Research actiCHamp PLUS Synbox
LiveAmp actiCHamp PLUS EEG Amplifier for Research
Wireless EEG Amplifier for Research LiveAmp
Descrição
LATBrain A brain with science and Latin American consciousness
BrainSupport Solution for Neuroscience Researchers – Neuroscience to improve Latin American Identity. Scientific questions and experimental designs for the development of culture, behavior, perception and Latin American consciousness.
If you plan to run regular cognitive neuroscience studies, then our recommendation for you is the actiCHamp Plus for its advanced technical features, scalability of channel count, and versatility in terms of compatible electrode technologies.
However, there may be applications for which other solutions could be a better fit or are even required, for example:
Simultaneous EEG-fMRI
Emblem EEG-fMRI
For this advanced application, the BrainAmp MR or BrainAmp MR plus are the necessary solutions for you. Both are MR Conditional (i.e., usable inside the scanner under specific recording conditions) but they will also work perfectly outside of the scanner for more regular investigations. In particular, the BrainAmp MR plus could be the perfect choice if EEG-fMRI recordings and lab-based measurements are planned, because it allows you to change resolution, measurement range and cut off frequencies based on your recording environment.
Simultaneous EEG-MEG
Emblem EEG-MEG
Compatibility with Magnetoencephalography (MEG) depends on the amplifiers’ electromagnetic emissions, which are linked to the number of ADC card(s) of the system. The BrainAmp family amplifiers are equipped with only one ADC card and therefore almost silent in terms of electromagnetic emissions. In particular, the BrainAmp MR and BrainAmp MR plus are the recommended solutions for optimal compatibility with the MEG environment.
Simultaneous EEG-fNIRS
Emblem EEG-fNIRSFor such simultaneous recordings, we recommend the actiCHamp Plus for lab-based measurements, or the LiveAmp for mobile investigations.
Simultaneous EEG and Eye Tracking
Here our recommendation is the actiCHamp Plus for lab-based measurements or the LiveAmp for mobile investigations.
Simultaneous EEG-TMS
Emblem EEG-Brain Stimulation (TMS)
The BrainAmp DC and BrainAmp MR plus have been widely used for recording EEG whilst simultaneously applying Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) thanks to their switchable internal features. Similarly, the BrainCap TMS is also highly appreciated for this application. Nevertheless, the actiCHamp Plus could now be a valid alternative for you thanks to its high sampling rates, the flexibility to combine it with active or passive gel-based electrode technologies, and the possibility of expanding your setup for real-time brain-state dependent stimulation.
Closed-loop and real-time applications
If you are interested in real-time brain-state dependent investigations (e.g., stimulation, neurofeedback, etc.) then the actiCHamp Plus together with our TurboLink is the right choice for you. All our amplifiers can in fact stream data from BrainVision Recorder to any third-party application either via RDA or LSL, but without the latency and accuracy required for advanced closed-loop investigations. The TurboLink accesses the data recorded by actiCHamp family amplifiers and transmits it reliably via Ethernet in less than 1.5 ms to any compatible online signal processor (e.g., the bossdevice RESEARCH by sync2brain).
Mobile experiments (MoBI and Sport Science)
Emblem mobile EEG
If you would like to investigate neural processes both inside and outside of the lab, maybe even during motion, then the LiveAmp is what you are looking for. Thanks to its wireless communication protocol, it gives freedom of movement whilst being able to stream the data to the recording computer. The internal memory card is an additional advantage: saving the data locally ensures no data point is lost due to unexpected communication issues. The combination of the LiveAmp with our actiCAP slim electrodes ensures high quality data even under strenuous conditions such as running or cycling.
If instead you are looking for high-coverage solutions, then the CGX Mobile systems are the right choice for you, available with 72 or 128 channels. Alternatively, if your measurements include minor movements (Marini et al., 2019), you can also consider the CGX Quick systems.
BCI and Neurofeedback
Emblem BCI
If you work in these fields and your application is less time-critical, you most likely look for a solution that is easy to handle and minimalistic, with the option to stream data to other online processing software. Even though all our amplifiers will work very nicely for you, the LiveAmp could be a very good candidate especially if coupled with electrode technologies that offer short preparation times (for example, our sponge-based R-Net caps or our active-dry actiCAP Xpress Twist). Accordingly, the CGX Quick systems could also be a good option for you thanks to their innovative design based on active dry electrodes. Both solutions will allow you to record data from many participants within a short period of time even in more realistic environment and situations.
Sleep
Emblem Sleep EEGWhen measuring brain activity during sleep, you most likely aim to keep your setup as comfortable for your participants as possible. The LiveAmp is therefore a great option: being very small and wearable, it will ensure a more natural sleep, and by connecting it to an external power bank you will be able to reach even longer recording times.
Alternatively, if more than 64 channels or higher sampling rates are required, the actiCHamp Plus will give you more flexibility and technical power whilst keeping the setup as minimal as possible.
Hyperscanning
Emblem Hyperscanning
If you would like to record the neural activity of more than one participant simultaneously, you may choose from various options. The BrainAmp family will offer you the cleanest stationary setup: each participant is connected to dedicated amplifier unit(s) that transmit(s) to the BUA, which synchronizes the data and sends them to the recording computer with no need to further work on data re-alignment offline.
The CGX systems however are ideal for wireless hyperscanning: each amplifier will stream data to the dedicated recording computer, and synchronization can be obtained by sending the same triggers to each unit via the Wireless StimTrigger.
Alternatively, you may take advantage of the Mirror Mode of the trigger output ports of both actiCHamp Plus (stationary) and LiveAmp (mobile) to forward triggers across separate amplifier units, one for each participant. Furthermore, all our amplifiers allow for remote data access and can stream data to third-party applications like LSL, which allows the recording and synchronization of data streams from different amplifiers (read our article on this topic to learn how).
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