Project 3.3.2: Biofeedback Therapy

Introduction

Individuals may benefit from biofeedback therapy, a type of therapy designed to help patients become attuned to the way in which the body reacts to stress and learn ways to use the mind to influence many of the body’s involuntary functions.

In a biofeedback therapy session, a patient is hooked to various sensors and is asked to view changes in heart rate, blood pressure, muscle response, or other physiological indicators on a computer screen as he or she experiences stress. Patients learn how their bodies respond to this stress and monitor the way in which relaxation techniques change physiological output as measured on the screen.The eventual goal of this therapy is that patientswill be able to positively affect their physical response to stress, even when not looking at their feedback data.Biofeedback therapy has helped people with panic attacks and anxiety, digestive disorders such as Crohn’s disease and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), chronic headaches, and asthma. Mara and her family are hoping that biofeedback therapy can help her endure cancer treatments and decrease her stress levels before, during, and after painful procedures.

In this activity you will use LabVIEW software and available probes and sensors to monitor your body’s response to stress. Data on the computer will feed information back to you about your heart rate, respiration rate, and skin surface temperature. You will then research a method to decrease this stress and see if you can voluntarily control your body’s involuntary response. Once you have seen how your body responds, work to restore homeostasis and actively bring your body back to a calm state. Use your findings to offer advice on techniques that could help young Mara through her stressful cancer treatments.

Equipment

  • Computer with Internet access and LabVIEW software
  • Laboratory journal
  • Alcohol swabs
  • SensorDAQ with USB cable
  • Vernier surface temperature sensor
  • VernierEKG sensor
  • Vernier gas pressure sensor
  • Vernier respiration monitor belt
  • Medical tape
  • Game or puzzle
  • PLTW Biomedical Sciences Experimental Design handout
  • Alcohol swab (optional)

Procedure

Part I: What is Biofeedback?

  1. In your lab journal, list processes of the body which are considered involuntary. Describe how you can exert voluntary control over one of these processes.
  2. Share your idea with the class.
  3. Read the following articles and take notes on biofeedback in your laboratory journal.
  • Biofeedback: Using Your Mind to Improve Your Health – Mayo Clinic
  • What is Biofeedback? – National Institute of Mental Health
  1. Pretend you are Mara’s oncologist. Explain to Mara how biofeedback therapy may be able to help her through her cancer treatments. Mention the goal of therapy and describe how a typical session might work. In your laboratory journal, write a script for what you would say to your patient.

Part II: Biofeedback with LabVIEW

In this part of the experiment, you will use LabVIEW software and Vernier probes to monitor your body’s response to stress. You will complete a timed game or puzzle to increase your stress level while you are connected to the monitors. You will observe your body’s reaction on the computer screen and use this feedback to help you take action andbring your body back to homeostasis.

  1. Start the LabVIEW program and select Biofeedback with EKG from the MI Experiments folder.
  2. Attach the SensorDAQ to the computer using the USB cable.
  3. Attach the surface temperature probe to Channel 1 on the SensorDAQ.
  4. Decide which member of your group will be the first test subject.
  5. Remove excess oil from the skin over the bicep using soap and water or an alcohol swab.
  6. Tape the surface temperature sensor to the upper arm over the area of the biceps. Be sure to tape the thermistor end (the tip) of the sensor directly to the arm.
  1. Attach the EKG Sensor to Channel 2 on the SensorDAQ.
  2. Attach three electrode tabs to your arms, as shown below. Place a single patch on the inside of the right wrist, on the inside of the right upper forearm (distal to the elbow), and on the inside of the left upper forearm (distal to elbow).

  1. Connect the EKG clips to the electrode tabs as shown in the diagram above. Make sure to clean the skin with soap and water or an alcohol swab before attaching the electrode tabs.
  2. Wrap the respiration monitor belt snugly around the test subject’s chest. Press the Velcro strips together at the back. Position the belt on the test subject so that the belt’s air bladder is resting over the base of the rib cage and is in alignment with the elbows as shown below. The tubes should hang down the front under the rib cage.

  1. Attach the gas pressure sensor to the respiration belt. Connect the tube with the luer-lock connector to the stem on the gas pressure sensor with a gentle turn. Inflate the respiration belt until it is not quite comfortable but test subject can still breathe normally.
  2. Attach the gas pressure sensor to Channel 3 on the SensorDAQ.
  3. When all sensors have been attached to the SensorDAQ and to the test subject, hit the run arrow at the top left-hand side of the screen. Use this test run to confirm that the sensors are properly attached and to make observations about the type of data being collected. NOTE: The test subject should not talk when the LabVIEW program is running.
  4. Note that the heart rate data will appear at the top of the screen as a waveform. You will not be able to use the heart rate data collected while completing a task, such as putting together a puzzle, as the movement will affect the reading. When collecting heart rate data, it is important to sit still in a relaxed position in a chair, with your forearms resting on your legs or on the arms of the chair.
  1. Note that Respiration data will also appear at the top of the screen as a waveform. Notice how the graph moves as you breathe in and out. Practice controlling your breathing rate and see how this changes the output on the screen.
  1. Take a few slow deep breaths and watch the changes on the screen.
  2. Take a series of rapid shallow breaths and watch the changes on the screen.
  3. Note that the three large display boxes on the left side will give you numerical data for each body process being monitored. This display is updated every five seconds and should be used to monitor your body’s response to stress and relaxation. Temperature is measured in degrees Celsius, heart rate in beats per minute, and respiration rate in breaths per minute.

  1. Note that cumulative data will be displayed on the Biofeedback chart. This chart allows you to see your progress over time and monitor the overall trends in your body’s response. Note that different color lines are used for each reading. These colors match the color used for each monitor in the display boxes.

  1. When you feel you are comfortable with the features of the program, click the large stop button.
  2. Answer Conclusion questions 1 and 2.
  3. Obtain a game or puzzle from your teacher.
  4. Prepare for a baseline run. The test subject will complete a task while attached to the probes.
  5. Make sure the Sample Rate is set to 25 and the Length of Experiment is set to 300. Check the Save to File box if instructed to do so by your teacher.
  1. Check to see if the respiration belt, EKG leads, and the temperature probe are properly connected.
  2. Click the run arrow at the top of the screen. Wait until data begins to appear on the screen. Take 30 seconds of data and note your body’s baseline response.
  3. When instructed to do so, begin putting together the puzzle or completing the game. You will have 1 minute to complete the puzzle or game. Work quickly and remain silent.
  4. When time elapses or the game is over, watch the screen. Note how your physiological responses have changed since you started the stress task.
  5. Use whatever technique you can to slow your heart rate and your breathing rate. Monitor your progress on the screen.
  6. Monitor how you feel as you watch the reading on the screen.
  • When your heart rate increases, what do you feel? Do you feel your heart beating in your chest? Do you feel a pounding in your temples?
  • When your respiration rate increases, do you see the increased movement of your chest cavity? Do you hear your breathing?
  • Do you feel your muscles tense?
  • What happens to temperature as you begin to relax?
  1. When the trial is complete, record observations about your physical response in your laboratory journal. Provide responses to the questions in Step 34.Note which indicator you found most helpful in monitoring your body’s response to stress.
  2. Note that at the conclusion of the experiment, compiled data will appear on the Biofeedback graph. Locate the analysis tool box at the bottom of the screen.
  1. Use the analysis tools at the bottom of the screen to review your entire trial. The available cursor will help you pinpoint specific data for all three probes at any given point of the trial. Making sure the cursor button is selected, click on the cursor line on the graph, and use the mouse to move the line to the desired time point. The magnifying glass will zoom in on one area of the graph. The hand icon allows you to grab the graph and scroll to areas that may currently be off of the screen.
  2. Click on the entire graph and use Control C to copy the graph.
  3. Open a blank Microsoft Word file. Use Control V to paste the graph into the Word file.
  4. Print your graph and include this document in your laboratory journal. Write a brief conclusion about how your body reacted to the stress of the task and how well you were able to bring your body back down to baseline.
  5. Take turns being the test subject so that all members of the group can gather baseline data and interact with the sensors and computer.
  6. Note that you will now research techniques that have been shown to help patients in biofeedback therapy.
  7. Investigate therelaxation techniques listed below. Write a brief summary of each technique in your laboratory journal.
  • Belly breathing
  • Progressive muscle relaxation
  • Guided imagery
  1. Choose one technique that you would like to research further and use to try to reduce your stress. Use this technique to mediate your body’s response on the computer screen and think about how this technique can translate to situations where you are not attached to sensors and probes.
  2. Practice the technique with your partner or team without being hooked to the computer.
  3. Take out your PLTW Biomedical ScienceExperimental Design handout.
  4. Work with your partners to design an experiment to test the effectiveness of this approach in biofeedback therapy. How can this technique be utilized during and after the stress event? What should the patient focus on and what is the desired response? How could this method help a person when he or she feels their body begin to become stressed?
  5. Write a detailed description of your experimental design in your laboratory journal. Discuss how you will gather and analyze data. You do not need to use data from all three probes, but you must justify your choice of indicators.
  6. Share your experimental design with your teacher. When you are given approval, run your experiment. Complete the stressful task and then see how the technique you practiced affects your body’s response. View how fast you can get your body to return to a baseline state.
  7. Use the analysis tools at the bottom of the screen to evaluate your response.
  8. Cut and paste graphs from your experimental trials into a Word document and include these graphs in your laboratory journal.
  9. Analyze your results and write a formal conclusion for your experiment in your laboratory journal.
  10. In the weeks to come, try therelaxation strategy you practiced in a real-life situation, making sure to monitor your body’s response. Use your biofeedback experience to help mediate your stress. Chronicle this experience in your laboratory journal. Remember that the goal of biofeedback therapy is for the patient to take the techniques he or she has learned and apply them to everyday events that increase stress and tension. This awareness of how the body responds can be the key to a healthier lifestyle.
  11. Answer the remaining Conclusion questions.

Conclusion

  1. Do you expect your heart rate, respiration rate, and temperature to go up or down in times of stress? Explain your reasoning for each.
  1. Why do you think seeing thebody’s reaction on a screen may help some people control their stress levels?
  1. Explain why having continuous heart rate data would provide even more useful data to your biofeedback experiments.
  1. Why do you think many biofeedback protocols monitor patient EMGs? How do the muscles respond to stress?
  1. Explain which physiological indicator, heart rate, respiration rate, or skin surface temperature, allowed you to see the greatest response by your body. Why do you think this was the case?
  1. Referencing the way in which the nervous system works, explain why your skin surface temperature rose when you started to calm down.
  1. Describe how two medical conditions might be helped by biofeedback therapy.
  1. Describe at least two medical interventions that have been developed to help people cope with stress.
  1. Some scientists do not subscribe to mind-body therapy as a legitimate medical intervention. Why do you think this is? What evidence could you provide to validate the power of biofeedback?
  1. Provide advice to Maya on a strategy that may help her get through her painful and stressful cancer treatments.

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Medical InterventionsProject 3.3.2 Biofeedback Therapy with LabVIEW– Page 1