Research Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): As the use of combined research modalities (EEC, fMRI and various behavioral assays) has become increasingly common in cognitive neuroscience studies, researchers have had to struggle with the lack of a single solution for interfacing these systems with their experimental control software. This presents a barrier to the efficient progress of much NIH-funded behavioral research, and presents a commercial opportunity for a well-designed, low-cost software package specifically designed to interface with multiple data acquisition systems. Perception Research Systems, Inc., has developed a novel experimental control system called Paradigm with this goal in mind from the earliest phases of development. We propose to improve and extend this product by developing a device control framework, called Elements, that will allow it to interface seamlessly with a wide array of data acquisition devices. This new experimental control system and device control framework will minimize experiment development time and increase researcher productivity, making it an indispensable tool for researchers in a wide range of fields.