T4 Conference Poster Presentations

Research posters presented at BIOPAC’s T4 physiology conference (Tools, Trends,  Techniques, and Technology) exhibited leading physiological research utilizing BIOPAC’s technology. Research posters presented unique advances in neuromarketing and health research. The T4 conference, held at UCSB Monday, July 24, 2017 through Wednesday, July 26, 2017, showcased the latest trends in the Tech industry’s physiological research.

Hyperventilation among anxiety disorders: Akanksha Das and colleagues at The Institute of Living investigated the presence of hypocapnia (hyperventilation) in a heterogeneous outpatient sample. Previous research on hyperventilation has primarily focused on panic disorder, but these researchers were specifically interested in looking at its presence in a wider range of anxiety and other disorders. Pre-treatment End Tidal Co₂ levels during a resting state were recorded utilizing BIOPAC’s MP Research System with the Carbon Dioxide Measurement Amplifier. Patients diagnosed with an anxiety disorder exhibited lower EtCo₂ than patients with other diagnoses even when excluding participants with panic disorder. These findings lend support to the association between anxiety disorder status and hypocapnia, and additionally suggest that this association is not accounted for solely by a diagnosis of panic disorder. The preliminary results of this pilot study underscore the need for future research to clarify the role of hyperventilation in anxiety disorders beyond panic disorder.

Physiological research on progressive modeling campaigns: Glenna Read at the Indiana University Media School utilized BIOPAC’s MP150 System with FaceReader software to investigate progressive modeling advertisements. The study divided over two hundred participants into two groups, reading either a cisgender model story or transgender model story. Researchers then showed the participants pictures of trans and cisgender models, recording their corrugator activity (muscle contractions), heart rate, and skin conductance (measuring natural electric flow). Reading about gender identity proved to level out possible adverse reactions to non-heteronormativity because the focus group, who read about transgender models, exhibited average attention and arousal rates to pictures of transgender models. These responses are in opposition to the increased attention and physiological arousal to transgender images from the focus group who read about cisgender models. These results affirm that exposure to, or education of, non-heteronormative experiences assert a more open or accepting atmosphere for difference.

BMI and Cognitive Functioning: An association between BMI and vascular activity identifies cognitive functioning abilities, according to Professor John Capps at the University of Texas at El Paso. BIOPAC’s fNIR Optical Brain Imaging system revealed hemodynamic responses to neuronal activity used to measure the brain’s responses to exercise. These responses shed light into the cognitive abilities of humans, as higher BMI proved to affect memory, impulse control, and blood flow negatively. Rapid hemodynamic flow did not balance out the negative cognitive performance of those individuals when exercising.