Biopac Student Lab
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Biopac Student Lab is a proprietary teaching device and method introduced in 1995 as a
digital Digital usually refers to something using discrete digits, often binary digits. Technology and computing Hardware *Digital electronics, electronic circuits which operate using digital signals **Digital camera, which captures and stores digital i ...
replacement for aging
chart recorder A chart recorder is an electromechanical device that records an electrical or mechanical input trend onto a piece of paper (the chart). Chart recorders may record several inputs using different color pens and may record onto strip charts or circ ...
s and oscilloscopes that were widely used in undergraduate teaching laboratories prior to that time. It is manufactured by BIOPAC Systems, Inc., of Goleta, California. The advent of low cost personal computers meant that older
analog Analog or analogue may refer to: Computing and electronics * Analog signal, in which information is encoded in a continuous variable ** Analog device, an apparatus that operates on analog signals *** Analog electronics, circuits which use analo ...
technologies could be replaced with powerful and less expensive computerized alternatives. Students in undergraduate teaching labs use the BSL system to record data from their own bodies, animals or tissue preparations. The BSL system integrates hardware, software and curriculum materials including over sixty experiments that students use to study the
cardiovascular system The blood circulatory system is a system of organs that includes the heart, blood vessels, and blood which is circulated throughout the entire body of a human or other vertebrate. It includes the cardiovascular system, or vascular system, tha ...
,
muscles Skeletal muscles (commonly referred to as muscles) are organs of the vertebrate muscular system and typically are attached by tendons to bones of a skeleton. The muscle cells of skeletal muscles are much longer than in the other types of muscl ...
,
pulmonary function Pulmonary function testing (PFT) is a complete evaluation of the respiratory system including patient history, physical examinations, and tests of pulmonary function. The primary purpose of pulmonary function testing is to identify the severity ...
, autonomic nervous system, and the
brain The brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It consists of nervous tissue and is typically located in the head ( cephalization), usually near organs for special ...
.


History of physiology and electricity

One of the more complicated concepts for students to grasp is the fact that
electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as describ ...
is flowing throughout a living body at all times and that it is possible to use the signals to measure the performance and health of individual parts of the body. The Biopac Student Lab System helps to explain the concept and allows students to understand
physiology Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemic ...
. Physiology and electricity share a common history, with some of the pioneering work in each field being done in the late 18th century by Count Alessandro Giuseppe Antonio Anastasio Volta and
Luigi Galvani Luigi Galvani (, also ; ; la, Aloysius Galvanus; 9 September 1737 – 4 December 1798) was an Italian physician, physicist, biologist and philosopher, who studied animal electricity. In 1780, he discovered that the muscles of dead frogs' legs t ...
. Count Volta invented the
battery Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...
and had a unit of electrical measurement named in his honor (the Volt). These early researchers studied "animal electricity" and were among the first to realize that applying an electrical signal to an isolated animal muscle caused it to twitch. The Biopac Student Lab uses procedures similar to Count Volta’s to demonstrate how muscles can be electrically stimulated.


Concept

The BSL system includes data acquisition hardware with built-in universal
amplifiers An amplifier, electronic amplifier or (informally) amp is an electronic device that can increase the magnitude of a signal (a time-varying voltage or current). It may increase the power significantly, or its main effect may be to boost the ...
to record and condition electrical signals from the heart, muscle, nerve, brain, eye,
respiratory system The respiratory system (also respiratory apparatus, ventilatory system) is a biological system consisting of specific organs and structures used for gas exchange in animals and plants. The anatomy and physiology that make this happen varies grea ...
, and tissue preparations. The data acquisition system receives the signals from electrodes and transducers. The electrical signals are extremely small—with amplitudes sometimes in the microVolt (1/1,000,000 of a volt) range—so the hardware amplifies these signals,
filters Filter, filtering or filters may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Filter (higher-order function), in functional programming * Filter (software), a computer program to process a data stream * Filter (video), a software component th ...
out unwanted electrical noise or interfering signals, and converts them to a set of numbers that the computer can read. Biopac Student Lab software then displays the numbers as waveforms on the monitor. The data acquisition system connects to a PC running
Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for ...
or
Macintosh The Mac (known as Macintosh until 1999) is a family of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc. Macs are known for their ease of use and minimalist designs, and are popular among students, creative professionals, and software en ...
operating systems, via USB. The electrodes and transducers employ sensors that allow the software to communicate with the students to ensure that they are using the correct devices and collecting good data.
Software Software is a set of computer programs and associated software documentation, documentation and data (computing), data. This is in contrast to Computer hardware, hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work. ...
guides students by using onscreen instructions and a detailed lab manual follows the
scientific method The scientific method is an Empirical evidence, empirical method for acquiring knowledge that has characterized the development of science since at least the 17th century (with notable practitioners in previous centuries; see the article hist ...
. Once students have collected data, they use analysis tools to measure the amplitude and frequency, plus a wide range of other values from the electrical signals.HOW WE LEARN: Comparing biology majors from large lecture classes with TA-facilitated laboratories to those from small lecture classes with faculty-facilitated laboratories
Barbara E. Goodman, Karen L. Koster and Patrick L. Redinius, Advan Physiol Educ 29:112-117, 2005. The analysis process allows students to make general comparisons with the data. They can compare their results to published normal values, or the values before and after a subject performed a specified task. They can also compare results with other students in the lab. The software is available in English, French, Spanish, Italian, Japanese and Chinese. The Biopac Student Lab System is widely used by undergraduate labs to teach
physiology Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemic ...
,
pharmacology Pharmacology is a branch of medicine, biology and pharmaceutical sciences concerned with drug or medication action, where a drug may be defined as any artificial, natural, or endogenous (from within the body) molecule which exerts a biochemi ...
,
biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditar ...
,
neuroscience Neuroscience is the science, scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions and disorders. It is a Multidisciplinary approach, multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, an ...
,
psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...
,
psychophysiology Psychophysiology (from Greek , ''psȳkhē'', "breath, life, soul"; , ''physis'', "nature, origin"; and , ''-logia'') is the branch of psychology that is concerned with the physiological bases of psychological processes. While psychophysiology was ...
,
exercise physiology Exercise physiology is the physiology of physical exercise. It is one of the allied health professions, and involves the study of the acute responses and chronic adaptations to exercise. Exercise physiologists are the highest qualified exercise ...
, and
biomedical engineering Biomedical engineering (BME) or medical engineering is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology for healthcare purposes (e.g., diagnostic or therapeutic). BME is also traditionally logical sciences ...
.
Publishers Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...
have adopted the curriculum materials and included them in commercially available lab manuals.


Lab manuals that include the Biopac Student Lab

* Human Anatomy & Physiology Laboratory Manual, Main Version, Update, 8/E ** Elaine N. Marieb, Holyoke Community College ** Susan J. Mitchell, Onondaga Community College ** Publisher: Pearson Benjamin Cummings * Laboratory Manual for Anatomy & Physiology, Third Edition ** Author: Michael G. Wood, M.S., Del Mar College, Corpus Christi, Texas ** Publisher: PEARSON Benjamin Cummings * Laboratory Guide to Human Physiology Version: 12 ** Author: Stuart I. Fox, Los Angeles Pierce College ** Publisher: WCB/McGraw-Hill * Laboratory Investigations in Anatomy and Physiology Version: Main ** Stephen N. Sarikas, Lasell College (Newton, MA) ** Publisher: PEARSON Higher Education * Manuel de travaux pratiques physiologie humaine Version: 6 ** Michel Dauzat, Collectif Broché ** Publisher: SAURAMPS * Psychophysiology/Cognitive Neuroscience ** Editors: Chad Stephens, Ben Allen, Naeem Thompson ** Publisher: Kendall Hunt Publishing


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Biopac Student Lab Laboratory equipment Data analysis software Data collection Cross-platform software Physiological instruments