This Summer Project is carried out under the Brain and Cognitive Society, IIT Kanpur during April 2020 - July 2020
To understand the working, function and to some extent, the structure of the brain specifically so, by using empathy for pain to target Bilateral Anterior Insula and Anterior Cingulate Cortex using external stimuli.
To study Brain activity and function using EEG data, learn how to analyse this data and explore the reason behind certain behaviour as we know it.
The project aims to fulfill its objective through a research study:
To find the effect of acetaminophen in empathy and social decision-making.
The goals hence, can be outlined as:
- Understand the concept of empathy for pain and in this pursuit monitor and understand brain functionality to a certain aspect.
- Learn EEG data processing and analysis using EEGLAB toolbox of MATLAB.
- Generalise and work towards automating the process of filtering EEG data.
- Study, record, process, observe, analyse, discuss and present results obtained from the research study by implementing everything learnt to organic data.
- Compile results and derive a comprehensible conclusion.
The basic visual representation of the experimental setup can be see here
The project has been inspired by the three results. First, placebo-analgesia reduces self-pain as well as empathy for pain. Second, acetaminophen reduces empathy for pain. Lastly, acetaminophen blunts evaluation of both positive and negative stimuli.
The experimental set-up had two participants sitting across each other. The first participant, whose EEG data was collected, made choices for himself and the other participant. This setup will help to compare the effects of acetaminophen on self and another person.
We started off with learning to handle EEGLAB and MATLAB. Literature reviews of EEG based studies were done. From the different artifact removal techniques mentioned, a MATLAB code is fashioned to detect and remove the artifacts which will be cross-checked by a toolbox.
The filtered data will be used in data analysis which will be done using the methods collected from the literature reviews.
EEGLAB Tutorials: This MATLAB toolbox will be used to analyse the data.
Artifact Removal: Removal of saccade and blink artifacts, manually by code and cross-checking with toolbox.
Literature Reviews: To understand artifact removal techniques and data analysis.
Data Analysis: Analysing ERP signals from Bilateral Anterior Insula to study the effects of acetaminophen on empathy.
Project Specific Impacts:
Through this experiment we find a way to study brain’s pain matrix without inflicting actual pain using the fact that empathetic responses to others’ pain activates the same regions as when actual pain is inflicted. This in turn can help predict their social interactions and mannerisms to some extent
Social Impacts:
Human brain mapping is used as a diagnostic test for psychiatric conditions such as Autism, Internet addiction etc and helps in treatment. EEG data of daily events provides feedback that can be used to design scientifically informed strategies to reduce stress, improve focus or enhance meditation.
Industrial Impacts:
EEG is being used to measure the gap between what consumers really pay attention to versus what they self-report liking or noticing.The use of neurotechnologies like EEG to study consumer reactions is called Neuromarketing.
- Dr. K. M. Sharika (Faculty Advisor)
- Avisha Gaur (Mentor)
- Yatin Azad (Mentor)
- Debaditya Bhattacharya
- Muskan Goyal
- Rakesh Potnuru
- Rishika Saraswat
- Sagarima Datta
- Saksham Pruthi
- Sanket Garg
- Swapnil Singh