EPRIME Phase II


Overview

These are the E-Prime programs used by the FBIRN sites in their multi-site Phase II study (Series A, Step 4), in 2004-2006. These require the purchase and availability of E-prime from Psychology Software Tools, Inc. (http://www.pstnet.com/products/e-prime/) before they will run. These are revised and re-designed from the Phase I tasks. The paradigms include:
1) a sensorimotor task, which includes epochs of an irregularly flashing checkerboard alternating with epochs of rest;
2) a breathhold task, including regular breath hold and normal breathing epochs;

3) a Serial Item Recognition Paradigm (Sternberg, or SIRP), which requires the subject remember 1, 3, or 5 items for later recall;
4) an “Auditory Oddball” or AO paradigm, in which subjects respond to the deviant tone;
5) a Reaction time task which requires subjects push buttons 1-4 as signaled;
6) an AudioSetup task which determines the inter-ear balance and overall volume setting needed for the Auditory Oddball task.

 

Name

FBIRN Phase II E-prime programs:

1) SensoryMotorTask_ver100404.zip

2) BreathHoldTask_ver100404.zip

3) sirp_FBIRN_ver121504.zip

4) AO_version110804.zip

5) ReactionTimeTask_ver100404.zip

6) Auditory_ver100404.zip

 

Version Number

FBIRN Phase II E-Prime programs ver 2.0

 

Short Description

These are E-prime programs for presenting stimuli to, collecting responses, and analyzing behavior from subjects. They measure a range of cognitive processes and were used by the FBIRN sites in collecting the multi-site Phase II data of 2004-2005.

 

Categories & Keywords

Functional imaging and behavior data collection.

 

Longer Overview

FBIRN Phase II E-prime programs:

1) SensoryMotorTask_ver100404.zip: The task consists of a block design with block durations of 16s on/off. During the on-block, a checkerboard stimulus appears at irregular intervals. When checkerboard appears, subjects press button "1" using their dominant hand only. This is a block design with intentionally short block durations of 16s on/off. The off-block is fixation/no tapping.

The zip file includes:

  • SensoryMotorTask_ver100404.es—the E-prime program.
  • SensoryMotorTask_ver100404_practice.es
  • SensoryMotorTask_description_ver031504.doc—details of the timing of the task.
  • Ring.bmp—the visual stimulus image.
  • Sensory_motor_instructionsver031504.doc—standardized instructions for the subject.
  • Sensorymotor_ver0904.anl—E-prime analysis file to determine how often the subject responded
  • Fbirn_triggersetup4.ppt—an explanation of the scanner triggering options

2) BreathHoldTask_ver100404.zip: The task consists of a block design with alternating on/off blocks of 16-second periods of breath holding and normal breathing. During the off-block, the subject sees a green screen during which they are to breathe normally. During the last 2s of the off-block, the screen becomes yellow, signifying to the subject to take a deep breath in and hold it. During the on-block (16s), the subject is shown a red screen, during which time they should hold their breath. The subject resumes breathing when they see a green colored screen. There are 15 total blocks of 16 s each.

There are no analysis files for these data, as the subject’s breathing responses are not recorded.

The zip file includes:

  • BreathHold_ver100404.es—the Eprime program
  • BreathHold_ver100404_PRACTICE.es
  • Breath-hold_description_ver031504.doc—details of the task timing
  • green.bmp
  • red.bmp
  • yellow.bmp—visual stimuli files
  • Breath_hold_instructionsver031504.doc—standardized instructions to the subject
  • Fbirn_triggersetup4.ppt—an explanation of the scan triggering options

3) sirp_FBIRN_ver121504.zip: This is a working memory task. Subjects are shown a series of 1, 3 or 5 target numbers in red (encode digits), followed by a series  of test numbers in green (probe digits). Subjects are instructed to  memorize the encode digits (shown in red) and then indicate whether the following probe digits (shown in green) are targets (one of the encode digits) or foils (not part of the encode digits).  A target response is a press of button "1" while a foil response is press of button "4".

This includes:

  • Sirp_FBIRN_ver121504.es—The Eprime program
  • Line 4 and Line 5 directories, which include timing and dataset files
  • Sirp.doc—details of the task timing
  • Mean_reac.anl—analysis file to report the subject’s overall percent correct
  • Num_correct.anl—analysis file to report the subject’s number of correct answers
  • Sirp_MIND_phantom2.ppt—Powerpoint indicating the timing of the paradigm
  • Fbirn_triggersetup4.ppt—an explanation of the scanner triggering options

4) AO_version110804.zip: The Auditory Oddball task consists of four runs lasting 4 minutes 40 seconds each (without including discarded acquisitions).   Each run begins and ends with a 15 second crossbar fixation.  1000hz standard tones and 1200hz deviant tones are presented for a duration of 200ms with a 500ms inter-stimulus interval for 140 timepoints.  The inter-deviant interval is 6 - 15 seconds. Each run has approximately 30 deviants with 8-9 deviants falling on the 2 second TR. 

This program requires the balance and volume levels obtained in the Audio Setup task to be entered at the startup.

This includes:

  • AuditoryOddball_ver110804.es—the E-prime program
  • A stimuli directory with the .wav and fixation cross files
  • A data directory with timing files
  • AuditoryOddballResponse.anl—the analysis for overall responses
  • Oddballresponse.anl—analysis file for subject’s response to deviant tones
  • Standard responses.anl—analysis file for subject’s response to standard tones
  • fBIRNedatcolumnsAudOdd.pdf—documentation of the columns in the response *.edat files
  • Fbirn_triggersetup4.ppt—an explanation of the scan triggering options

5) ReactionTimeTask_ver100404.zip: The Reaction Time (RT) task measures the effects of keypad ergonomics on subjects’ RTs.  This is not meant to be performed during scanning, but separate from image collection. Stimuli presentation, developed with E-Prime programming software consists of random numbers ranging from 1 to 4. Subjects press one of the 4 keypad buttons when they see the corresponding visual cue. RTs are measured from the button box. 32 total stimuli appear at 1s intervals. The stimulus remains on the screen until a response is given or 2s if no button is
pressed. RT is measured in milliseconds, i.e., 1000 milliseconds is 1 second.

This includes:

  • ReactionTimeTask_ver100404.es—the program
  • MeanRT_line4_ver3.anl—analysis files depending on what input line is being used to trigger the scanner
  • MeanRT_line5_ver3.anl
  • ReactionTimeTask_ver100404.doc—Short description of the task.

6) Auditory_ver100404.zip: This task is used to adjust headphone placement and/or headphone volume that result from improper headphone placement and/or headphone malfunction. Auditory stimuli are presented with E-Prime programming software and Avotec headphones. No earplugs are used. The task consists of 3 phases: Phases 1 and 2 are done before any scans are performed, but with the subject positioned on the scan table supine, with headphones on and bite bar in place inside the headcoil. They measure the function of both sides of the headphones and the relative volume needed to balance the left and right head phones to the subject’s satisfaction. Phase 3 is done during a functional scan to obtain the volume thresholds needed with this background noise, although no imaging data are recorded.

This includes:

  • AudioSetup_ver15.es—the program
  • CalTone.wav—the various sound stimuli needed
  • Mono_adjustedCalTone.wav
  • CalTone.pk
  • Mono_adjustedCalTone.pk
  • monoadjustedCalTone.pk
  • adjustedCalTone.pk
  • Balance_ver2.anl—analysis file to determine subject’s L/R balance
  • VolumeLevel_ver5.anl—analysis file to determine the volume setting needed
  • AudioSetup_ver4.pdf—instructions for the task

 

User Manual

PhaseIIProgramsDescriptions.doc (should be loaded on BIRN Portal).

 

Register for Download

Standard BIRN download

 

Installation Information

All zip files for these should unzip into their own directories which are then ready to compile within the E-prime environment.

 

Citations

  1. J.A. Turner; S.G. Potkin; G.G. Brown; G.H. Glover; G. McCarthy; D.B. Keator; H.Stern; J. Lauriello; L. Friedman; A. Belger; K.O. Lim;S. Pieper; D.N. Greve; FUNCTION BIRN (2005). Multi-Center fMRI Methods and Design: Function BIRN. Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, Washington, DC.
  2. Keator, D.B, Grethe, J., Ozyurt, B., Gadde, S., Wei, D., Turner, J.A., Potkin, S.G., Brown, G.G., McCarthy, G., Glover, G.H., Stern, H., Lauriello, J., Friedman, L., Belger, A., Lim, K.O., Pieper, S., Greve, D., FBIRN. (2006). Function Biomedical Informatics Research Network (FBIRN) Open Source FMRI Informatics, Calibration, and Data Tools Repository. Annual Meeting of the Organization for Human Brain Mapping, Florence, Italy, June 11-15, 2006.
  3. Yendiki, A., Wallace, S, Vangel, M., Clark, V., Lim, K.O., Andreasen, N., Greve, D., Manoach, D.S., Gollub, R.L. (2006). Multi-site characterization of an fMRI working memory paradigm: Reliability of activation indices. Annual Meeting of the Organization for Human Brain Mapping, Florence, Italy, June 11-15, 2006.
  4. Turner, J.; Potkin, S. G.; Brown, G. G.; Stern, H. S; Glover, G. H.; McCarthy, G.; Greve, D. N.; Friedman, L.; Keator, D. B.; Grethe, J. S. Fallon, J. H.; Lim, K. O.; Gollub, R. L.; Rosen, B. R.; Toga, A. W.; Kikinis, R.; Pieper, S.; Lauriello, J.; O'Leary, D. S.; Belger, A.; Function BIRN. (2006). Multi-center fMRI methods and design: Function BIRN. Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA.

 

Contributors/Authors

Gregory McCarthy, Judy Ford (Yale)
Michele Diaz, James Voyvodic, Jeff Hoerle and Benjamin Anderson (Duke)
Dara Manoach, Randy Gollub, Stuart Wallace (MGH)
Jessica Turner (UCI)
Gary Glover (Stanford)
Aysenil Belger (UNC)
Cindy Wible (BWH)

 

Technical Contacts

Contact the FBIRN project manager: Jessica.turner@uci.edu

 

Acknowledgements of Funding Sources

5 MOI RR 000827
1 U24 RR 021992.

 

License

Standard BIRN license.

 

Source Distribution

This is the source distribution.

 

Source Distribution Instructions

This should be a point and click link from the portal to a series of .zip files and their documentation.

 

Dependencies

This requires an installed copy of E-prime from Psychology Software Tools, Inc. (http://www.pstnet.com/products/e-prime/)

 

Screenshots

Sensorymotor:

sensorymotor

 

Breath hold:

breath hold

 

SIRP:

sirp

 

 

Site URL

BIRN Portal


To download the EPRIME Phase II, please go to the download form.