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<p> The purpose of this thesis was to design, build and test a prototype artifact suppressing electroencephalogram data acquisition system (AS-EEG-DAQ-S) to collect electroencephalogram (EEG) evoked potential (EP) data during repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) without the EEG signal being masked by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) artifact. A functional AS-EEG-DAQ-S capable of blocking TMS artifact would provide for the first time a quantitative measurement system to assist in optimal TMS coil positioning during the rTMS treatment of depression, an alternative to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). This thesis provides the details for an AS-EEGDAQ-S. Preliminary TMS EP results on a human subject were collected. Results showed transcallosal conduction times of 12ms to 31ms, which are consistent with those predicted and collected by other researchers in the TMS field. </p> <p> The first portion of this work provides electrode heating data for modem rTMS Paradigms for the recording ofEEG during rTMS. The concern is that during rTMS EEG electrodes can heat to an unsafe temperature. Seven electrode types were tested: silver/silver chloride, silver cup, gold cup, notched gold cup, notched silver cup, notched gold-plated silver cup, and carbon. All electrodes tested are commercially available, including the carbon electrodes designed for MRI use. The three notched electrodes tested were standard electrodes notched using metal clippers to reduce induced currents. Induced currents are responsible for electrode heating during rTMS and can cause burns to the skin. The results ,of this study show that electrode heating is a concern when collecting BEG during rTMS. However, a number of standard electrodes or slightly modified standard electrodes are suitable for recording BEG during rTMS if certain stimulating parameters are adhered to. </p> <p> The second portion of this work provides the detailed development and design of the AS-EEG-DAQ-S. Four different approaches were tested and their ability to withstand a TMS pulse compared. </p> <p> Short circuiting the input pins of a commercially available EEG amplifier was the first approach tried and yielded only marginal results due to the switches used being designed for digital logic, transistor built, and creating an undesirable offset between input pins. </p> <p> The second approach tested involved continuing to work with a commercially available EEG amplifier and implementing a sample-and-hold circuit between the patient and the EEG machine inputs. This approach had the drawback of requiring that the BEG signal be attenuated back to EEG signal levels, which are near noise amplitude levels. </p> <p> The third approach involved using a high bandwidth amplification circuit to recover quicker from the baseline voltage offset created by the TMS artifact. However, increasing the bandwidth also allows the artifact to saturate the input amplifiers, which then require on the order of 500ms to recover fully. </p> <p> The fourth approach involved combining the second and third approaches to create a high bandwidth amplifier that incorporates a sample-and-hold circuit to prevent amplifier saturation when gain is increased. The fourth approach provide the high bandwidth and artifact blocking behavior desired. </p> / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

published_or_final_version / Speech and Hearing Sciences / Master / Master of Science in Audiology

Individual differences in learning with a focus on neuropsychologic anomalies underlying learning strategies has been receiving attention in recent years. As a result, interest has increased in quantifying and analyzing cognitive behavior more directly. One of the tools that measures brain activity directly is the evoked potential (EP). This study investigated the EP recorded from the brainstem region, often referred to as brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER). The importance of BAERs in detecting pathology in the brainstem has been well documented. BAERs have also been advocated as an important tool in the electrophysiological assessment of children's brainstem function relative to learning disorders. BAER latencies were recorded, therefore, from a small group of average children and studied in relation to the BAER stability overtime. Intra-individual differences were compared to between-subject differences. So little BAER research has been performed with children that more studies are needed just to clarify normal variability of BAER parameters. The present investigation studied intra-individual differences in the stability of BAER latencies over time in young subjects with normal hearing, for comparing with and contrasting to previous results from a study using an adult sample. BAER latencies were recorded for left, right, and binaural ear presentations. A coefficient of stability (CS) was calculated for each peak, for each ear over time. ANOVA results showed significance for peak and peak by ear interaction. Several BAER parameters were examined within-subjects that may not be revealed in studies between-subjects. Profiles for intra-aural differences over time showed individual differences in the stability of the BAER. Although there appeared to be a trend toward inter-ear differences the differences did not reach significance. The profiles indicated considerable intra-aural pattern replicability, and a trend toward increase in stability over time. The results supported a need for future research on laterality studies, more age specific normative data and correlational studies in relation to individual cognitive differences.

Thesis (M. Communication Pathology)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

Ten experiments examined the interactions between vision and audition in stimulusdriven spatial attention orienting and inhibition of return (IOR). IOR is the demonstration that subjects are slower to respond to stimuli that are presented at a previously stimulated location. In each experiment, subjects made go/no-go responses to peripheral targets but not to central targets. On every trial, a target was preceded by a sensory event, called a "cue," either in the same modality (intramodal conditions) or in a different modality (crossmodal conditions). The cue did not predict the location of the target stimulus in any experiment. In some experiments, the cue and target modalities were fixed and different. Under these conditions, response times to a visual target were shorter when it appeared at the same location as an auditory cue than when it appeared on the opposite side of fixation, particularly at short (100 ms) cue-target stimulus onset asynchronies (Experiments 1A and IB). Similarly, response times to an auditory target were shorter when it appeared at the same location as a visual cue than when it appeared at a location on the opposite side of fixation (Experiments 2A and 2B). These crossmodal effects indicate that stimulus-driven spatial attention orienting might arise from a single supramodal brain mechanism. IOR was not observed in either crossmodal experiment indicating that it might arise from modality specific mechanisms. However, for many subjects, IOR did occur between auditory cues and visual targets (Experiments 3A and 3B) and between visual cues and auditory targets (Experiment 4A and 4B) when the target could appear in the same modality as the cue on half of the trials. Finally, the crossmodal effects of stimulus-driven spatial attention orienting on auditory and visual event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were examined in the final two experiments. Auditory cues modulated the ERPs to visual targets and visual cues modulated the ERPs to auditory targets, demonstrating that the mechanisms for spatial attention orienting cannot be completely modality specific. However, these crossmodal ERP effects were very different from each other indicating that the mechanisms for spatial attention orienting cannot be completely shared.

Cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential (cVEMP) testing is widely used in the assessment of vestibular disorders in clinical practice (Welgampola & Colebatch, 2003). Ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (oVEMPs) are similar to the cervical VEMPs in that the vestibular system is also stimulated by a loud sound. The difference is that the response is measured on the inferior oblique muscle of the eye as opposed to the sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM) of the neck (Chihara, Iwasaki, Ushio, & Murofushi, 2007). The current study compares the standard cervical VEMP to the ocular VEMP in both control subjects and participants with “clinically certain” Ménière’s disease. By investigating cervical VEMPs in comparison to ocular VEMPs we aimed to improve the ability to stage and diagnose Ménière’s disease using the ocular VEMP. 22 control participants and 19 participants with confirmed unilateral Ménière’s disease took part in the study. The peak latency and amplitudes of the ocular and cervical VEMP tests were recorded and analysed. In addition, the background electromyographic (EMG) activity of both the inferior oblique and sternocleidomastoid muscles was recorded throughout testing. A questionnaire was also distributed to all participants to compare the relative difficulty of the VEMP tests. Statistical analysis using the paired t-test, standard t-test and the one-way ANOVA on ranks test was applied to determine a difference between the control and patient groups for both the ocular and cervical VEMP tests. Overall, the threshold and IAD ratio measures did not produce any significant results when sound was presented to the affected ear for the cervical and ocular VEMP tests. A significant reduction in amplitude of the VEMPs from the Ménière’s groups was found compared to the control groups for the ocular the cervical VEMPs. Overall, an increase in P2 and N3 latency of the ocular VEMP response in Ménière’s patients was determined. Results from the questionnaire suggest that the ocular VEMP test was more tolerable to the cervical VEMP test in this current study. Furthermore, statistical analyses revealed no significant differences in EMG level between the control and Ménière’s group for both the ocular and cervical VEMP data. Overall, results suggest that both the cervical and ocular VEMP tests provide information regarding the integrity of the saccule, owing to the abnormal VEMP findings in the participants with Ménière’s disease. In addition, this study provides evidence that the ocular VEMP is as useful a tool in diagnosing Ménière’s disease as the cervical VEMP.

Cervical vestibular evoked myogenic potential (cVEMP) testing is widely used in the assessment of vestibular disorders in clinical practice (Welgampola & Colebatch, 2003). Ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (oVEMPs) are similar to the cervical VEMPs in that the vestibular system is also stimulated by a loud sound. The difference is that the response is measured on the inferior oblique muscle of the eye as opposed to the sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM) of the neck (Chihara, Iwasaki, Ushio, & Murofushi, 2007). The current study compares the standard cervical VEMP to the ocular VEMP in both control subjects and participants with “clinically certain” Ménière’s disease. By investigating cervical VEMPs in comparison to ocular VEMPs we aimed to improve the ability to stage and diagnose Ménière’s disease using the ocular VEMP. 22 control participants and 19 participants with confirmed unilateral Ménière’s disease took part in the study. The peak latency and amplitudes of the ocular and cervical VEMP tests were recorded and analysed. In addition, the background electromyographic (EMG) activity of both the inferior oblique and sternocleidomastoid muscles was recorded throughout testing. A questionnaire was also distributed to all participants to compare the relative difficulty of the VEMP tests. Statistical analysis using the paired t-test, standard t-test and the one-way ANOVA on ranks test was applied to determine a difference between the control and patient groups for both the ocular and cervical VEMP tests. Overall, the threshold and IAD ratio measures did not produce any significant results when sound was presented to the affected ear for the cervical and ocular VEMP tests. A significant reduction in amplitude of the VEMPs from the Ménière’s groups was found compared to the control groups for the ocular the cervical VEMPs. Overall, an increase in P2 and N3 latency of the ocular VEMP response in Ménière’s patients was determined. Results from the questionnaire suggest that the ocular VEMP test was more tolerable to the cervical VEMP test in this current study. Furthermore, statistical analyses revealed no significant differences in EMG level between the control and Ménière’s group for both the ocular and cervical VEMP data. Overall, results suggest that both the cervical and ocular VEMP tests provide information regarding the integrity of the saccule, owing to the abnormal VEMP findings in the participants with Ménière’s disease. In addition, this study provides evidence that the ocular VEMP is as useful a tool in diagnosing Ménière’s disease as the cervical VEMP.

Thesis (PhD) - Swinburne University of Technology, 2006. / Submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Swinburne University of Technology - 2006. Typescript. Bibliography: p. 191-223.