Human Psychophysiology Laboratory

Linking Brain Activity with Development, Learning, and Behavior

Electroencephalography (EEG) is a recording of electrical brain activity from the scalp.

Brain cells generate extremely small electrical signals that cannot be felt. When the signals from many cells add together, they can be recorded from the scalp by special sensors.
EEG sensors can detect changes in brain electrical activity. These signals must be magnified thousands of times to become large enough for a computer to display.
Measuring differences in brain responses allows researchers to study how the brain works.

At the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, researchers strive to unlock the mysteries of development and learning. We are using EEG technology

to identify patterns of brain activity that match with different thought processes or behaviors (for example, understanding speech or recognizing familiar pictures)
to examine differences in brain activity due to disabilities (for example, are there differences in brain activity when children with language problems hear words or when people with autism see faces?)
to better understand why treatment methods are effective (for example, how a language training program or a new medicine change brain activity)
to predict who is most likely to benefit from particular treatments

We use high resolution EEG technology to record brain activity from many locations on the scalp.

A soft net with many small sponges is placed on the head.
The sensors inside the sponges detect electrical activity produced by the brain and send the information to a computer.
Researchers analyze the EEG recordings to identify the specific brain responses.