Revealing the Power of Brain Activity in Microgravity with g.HIamp: Airbus A380 Zero-G Flight

The study of brain activity in microgravity under extreme conditions is a crucial area of research in neuroscience. Understanding how the human brain reacts to microgravity can offer valuable insights into neural adaptability, cognitive function, and human physiology in space environments. To investigate this, a team of researchers utilized g.tec’s cutting-edge g.HIamp biosignal amplifier technology aboard an Airbus A380 Zero-G flight, aiming to record evoked potentials (EPs) in weightlessness.

The Technology Behind the Experiment

Conducting high-precision neurophysiological research in a microgravity environment demands sophisticated and reliable technology. For this experiment, the researchers deployed:

• g.HIamp Biosignal Amplifier: A high-performance EEG system designed for capturing brain activity in microgravity with exceptional accuracy.
• 32 EEG Electrodes per Subject: Used to measure electrical activity in the brain, providing real-time insights into neural responses.
• 2 Electrocardiogram (EKG) Sensors: Monitored heart activity to assess physiological changes alongside neural responses.
• g.TRIGGbox: A triggering device allowing precise synchronization of external stimuli with recorded brain activity. It was connected to:
  • 2 Push-Buttons: Used to generate event-related potentials (ERP) by capturing stimulus-response timing.
  • 2 Optical Sensors: Enabled precise event marking by detecting visual stimuli, ensuring accurate ERP recordings.

OSCAR PRO and OSCAR LIVE – Advanced Artifact Removal

A key feature of this experiment was the use of OSCAR PRO and OSCAR LIVE for real-time artifact removal. The new release of g.HIsys Professional includes OSCAR LIVE, which enables researchers to remove unwanted artifacts from biosignal recordings in real time, ensuring cleaner data collection.

g.HIsys Professional is embedded in the g.tec Suite 2024 and is compatible with all g.tec amplifiers to read biosignals, perform signal processing, and run real-time experiments. Data is stored in MATLAB format and can be processed offline with g.BSanalyze. The key advantage of this rapid prototyping environment is that new experiments can be set up within hours instead of months, significantly accelerating neuroscience research. The package includes hundreds of dedicated functions for BCI and neuroscience experiments, incorporating 25 years of g.tec’s BCI expertise into the toolbox.

These tools ensured that even in the challenging conditions of a Zero-G flight, the researchers could reliably collect clean and high-quality brain activity data.

Recording Evoked Potentials (EPs) in Microgravity

During the Airbus A380 parabolic flight, two participants were connected to the g.HIamp system while a third individual was present as a backup. The experiment aimed to analyze how brain activity in microgravity affects evoked potentials—brain responses triggered by sensory stimuli.

Despite initial concerns about motion sickness impacting the experiment, the unique properties of microgravity—where objects and people simply float—ensured that the system remained stable and functional. The video footage from the flight clearly shows the moment of zero gravity when all crew members start floating, coinciding precisely with the evoked potential recordings. This demonstrates the exceptional precision and reliability of the g.tec system in extreme conditions.

Why This Matters for Neuroscience and Space Exploration

Studying brain activity in microgravity has significant implications for various fields and is essential for understanding how prolonged space travel might impact brain function:

• Better preparation for astronauts: Understanding cognitive shifts in space can help develop countermeasures for long-duration missions.
• Advancements in brain-computer interface (BCI) research: Zero-G environments offer unique conditions to refine BCI applications for rehabilitation and communication.
• Medical Innovations on Earth: The technology used in space-related neuroscience studies can be adapted for medical and assistive technologies, improving patient care.

Conducting Your Own Experiments with g.tec

For researchers interested in conducting similar studies, g.tec offers all the necessary tools for high-quality brain research in any environment:

• g.HIamp: A powerful biosignal amplifier capable of recording EEG, EKG, EMG, and other physiological signals with high resolution.
• g.TRIGbox: Ensures precise synchronization between external events and biosignal recordings.
• g.HIsys: Advanced EEG acquisition and rapid prototyping environment to speed up the development of real-time experiments.

Whether you are exploring neuroscience in space, in clinical settings, or in cognitive research labs, g.tec provides reliable and high-performance technology to meet your experimental needs.

Conclusion

The Airbus A380 Zero-G flight experiment to analyze brain activity in microgravity with g.HIamp highlights the potential of neurotechnology in extreme conditions. The ability to capture clean evoked potentials in microgravity underscores the reliability of g.tec’s solutions, paving the way for future neuroscience discoveries in space and beyond.

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