Introduction The Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) is a complex network of nerves and ganglia which work to regulate a variety of sensory and motor systems without conscious effort (Berntson 2006). It is separated into two branches, the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. These two branches have very clear points of […]
All About Cardiac Impedance Part 1: Introduction to Cardiac Impedance
All About Cardiac Impedance Cardiac impedance is a measurement of the mechanical activation of the heart. By recording cardiac impedance in conjunction with the electrical activation of the heart, the electrocardiogram (ECG), we can gain insight into sympathetic nervous system influence through measures such as Pre-Ejection Period, Stroke Volume, and Cardiac […]
All About ECG Part 4: Basic Artifact Correction
Select analysis version to view the applicable content: Last time we discussed what an artifact is, why it is important to correct artifact, and how artifact is identified in the MindWare analysis applications. The next step is actually dealing with that artifact. We are going to start with some examples […]
All About ECG Part 3: Identifying Artifact
Welcome to the third installation of the All About ECG series that is, as you might have guessed, an in-depth discussion on interpretation of the electrocardiogram, or ECG. We have gone through the basics in the first two blog posts, and now we can move on to a bit more interesting […]
All About ECG Part 2: ECG Component Identification
Select analysis version to view the applicable content: Welcome back to our blog series on analyzing the electrocardiogram, or ECG. Recall from last time the typical morphology of the ECG cycle: Today we are going to talk about how the MindWare applications identify two key components of the ECG waveform – […]
All About ECG Part 1: Introduction to the Electrocardiogram
All About ECG The ECG, or electrocardiogram (also EKG), is a measure of the electrical activity of the heart. The recording and interpretation of the ECG signal yields several statistics that prove meaningful in the realm of psychophysiology. To examine activity in the parasympathetic nervous system, we can examine heart rate and […]
HRV vs. IMP : Why R We Editing Twice?
HRV vs. IMP : Why R We Editing Twice? Collecting and editing the ECG signal is crucial to performing heart rate variability (HRV) and impedance cardiography (IMP) analysis. In both of these cases it is necessary to identify a landmark on the ECG waveform to identify a beat. Using a […]