Impressively, Nyhus and Curtis (2016) demonstrated the successful implementation of a one-semester laboratory course in cognitive neuroscience in which students experienced project design, computer programming, EEG data collection, ERP processing, statistical analysis and manuscript development. The use of EEG methods in neuroscience courses may vary from the analysis of archival data ( Miller et al., 2008), to data collection and analysis ( Marshall et al., 2011 Shields et al., 2016). Consequently, EEG/ERP provide a feasible human cognitive neuroscience technique that students at PUIs may use in the classroom or research space.
Relative to other neuroimaging methods (e.g., fMRI, MEG), EEG labs are relatively inexpensive to start-up and maintain. This has increased the implementation of EEG across neuroscience labs and advanced our understanding of the relationships between the human brain and behavior. Since this time, EEG recording methods have become increasingly more safe, feasible, and reliable. At this time, however, calibrations of EEG recordings between subjects were not possible and interpretation was limited to single subject data only. Using an oscillograph and galvanometer, the EEG was plotted on streams of paper. During his initial successful recordings, needles were inserted deep into the periosteum ( Collura, 1993). Hans Berger published the first recordings of the human EEG in 1929 ( Berger, 1929). Consequently, for neuroscience programs at PUIs, EEG provides one of the most feasible human brain-imaging tools to incorporate into new or existing laboratories in which space, funds, and advanced research personnel may be limited. The primary advantage of EEG is its high-level of temporal precision (typically 250–1000 Hz) at a relatively low-cost. Cognitive neuroscientists use EEG and ERPs to investigate the neural processes underlying, for example, attention, memory, inhibition, and language. Recorded from the ongoing electroencephalogram (EEG), event-related potentials (ERPs) reflect the electrical activity of neurons that underlie cognitive and sensory processing. We contend that such a laboratory at a PUI will advance undergraduate students’ access to interdisciplinary neuroscience research and curricular opportunities. Our goal is to offer diverse options for starting a new, or revitalizing an existing, EEG lab. A case study is also provided, describing the successful implementation and development of an EEG/ERP lab at a Midwest PUI, Baldwin Wallace University. We offer considerations regarding infrastructure, equipment, personnel, and potential sources of funding. This article provides recommended guidelines for faculty researchers looking to set up an EEG lab at their host PUIs with an emphasis on feasibility. However, neuroscience programs at PUIs may be deterred from incorporating EEG methods into their research programs and/or classrooms due to limited funds and resources.
Given its relatively low cost and minimal required space, an EEG laboratory provides the most feasible human cognitive neuroscience technique to implement at primarily undergraduate institutions (PUI).