Baker, Joshua and Efthimiou, T and Scherer, Reinhold and Gartus, A and Elsenaar, A and Mehu, M and Korb, Sebastian (2023) Measurement of the N170 during facial neuromuscular electrical stimulation (fNMES). Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 393. p. 109877. DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneumeth.2023.109877
Baker, Joshua and Efthimiou, T and Scherer, Reinhold and Gartus, A and Elsenaar, A and Mehu, M and Korb, Sebastian (2023) Measurement of the N170 during facial neuromuscular electrical stimulation (fNMES). Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 393. p. 109877. DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneumeth.2023.109877
Baker, Joshua and Efthimiou, T and Scherer, Reinhold and Gartus, A and Elsenaar, A and Mehu, M and Korb, Sebastian (2023) Measurement of the N170 during facial neuromuscular electrical stimulation (fNMES). Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 393. p. 109877. DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneumeth.2023.109877
Abstract
Background Studies on facial feedback effects typically employ props or posed facial expressions, which often lack temporal precision and muscle specificity. New method Facial Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (fNMES) allows for a controlled influence of contractions of facial muscles, and may be used to advance our understanding of facial feedback effects, especially when combined with Electroencephalography (EEG). However, electrical stimulation introduces significant interference that can mask underlying brain dynamics. Whether established signal processing methods can allow for a reduction of said interference whilst retaining effects of interest, remains unexplored. Results We addressed these questions focusing on the classic N170 visual evoked potential, a face-sensitive brain component: 20 participants viewed images of houses, and of sad, happy, and neutral faces. On half of the trials, fNMES was delivered to bilateral lower-face muscles during the presentation of visual stimuli. A larger N170 amplitude was found for faces relative to houses. Interestingly, this was the case both without and during fNMES, regardless of whether the fNMES artefact was removed or not. Moreover, sad facial expressions elicited a larger N170 amplitude relative to neutral facial expressions, both with and without fNMES. Comparison with existing methods fNMES offers a more precise way of manipulating proprioceptive feedback from facial muscles, which affords greater diversity in experimental design for studies on facial feedback effects. Conclusions We show that the combining of fNMES and EEG can be achieved and may serve as a powerful means of exploring the impact of controlled proprioceptive inputs on various types of cognitive processing.
Item Type: | Article |
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Uncontrolled Keywords: | Brain; Electroencephalography; Emotions; Evoked Potentials; Evoked Potentials, Visual; Facial Expression; Humans; Photic Stimulation; FNMES; Electrical stimulation; EEG; N170; Artefacts |
Divisions: | Faculty of Science and Health Faculty of Science and Health > Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, School of Faculty of Science and Health > Psychology, Department of |
SWORD Depositor: | Unnamed user with email elements@essex.ac.uk |
Depositing User: | Unnamed user with email elements@essex.ac.uk |
Date Deposited: | 19 May 2023 08:21 |
Last Modified: | 07 Aug 2024 20:23 |
URI: | http://repository.essex.ac.uk/id/eprint/35657 |
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