Contact Barbara Colombo, Program Director
Email: bcolombo@champlain.edu
Phone: (802) 865-8435
The Champlain College Behavioral Neuroscience Lab is a remarkable asset to Champlain and the state of Vermont. With unique research equipment and expert supervision, it enables students to perform graduate-level research while completing their undergraduate classes or internships.
Psychology students have the opportunity to help design their own experiments and to be listed as co-authors alongside their professors on published scientific papers. The excellent research conducted in the lab has drawn the attention of global researchers and students, who may have opportunities to be involved in international collaborations with Champlain students and faculty.
Lab Research
Research takes place in a small space, removed from outside distractions in order to preserve the focus of participants and avoid the influence of uncontrolled factors in experiments. Faculty and students perform experiments centered around brain stimulation and its effects. Lab research has three main focuses: Cognitive Reserve and Aging Populations, Emotional Regulation (Affective Neuroscience), and Health and Well-Being.
It is generally uncommon for undergraduate psychology students to have access to the type of equipment, research opportunities, and faculty guidance offered by the Behavioral Neuroscience Lab, making Champlain a premier destination for students looking for a hands-on Psychology education.
If you are interested in an internship at the Behavioral Neuroscience Lab, or you are interested in participating in a lab experiment and using the equipment, please reach out to Barabara Colombo, PhD. at bcolombo@champlain.edu. Internships are generally geared towards Psychology students, while experiment participation is open to all Champlain students.
Lab Equipment
Experience with professional-grade lab equipment makes Champlain students top candidates for research positions.
1x1 tCDS (1x1 low intensity transcranial DC stimulator)
- The 1x1 tCDS is a brain stimulation machine that is attached to a project participant's head with electrical nodes, and sends signals to different sections of the brain. These brain stimulations can replicate/produce feelings such as anxiety, stress, peacefulness, and more. Participants maneuver through project trials while different sections of the brain are stimulated, and researchers record results.
- There are few machines of this kind in all of New England, and access to it offers unique research opportunities. Consistent use has been found to modulate the brain, and can help treat symptoms of depression, anxiety, Alzheimers, and more. Feelings produced by the machine are quick and non-lasting.
1x1 Mini CT
- The 1x1 Mini CT is a compact version of the 1x1 tCDS. It also stimulates different sections of the brain to produce specific feelings in participants. Though it has fewer options than the tCDS, the benefit of these machines is that they can be used remotely. Participants take the machine home or to another controlled location, and lab researchers control the machine and record information remotely from their computer.
Bio-Neurofeedback Machine
- The Bio-Neurofeedback machine collects quantitative data based on patients' physiological responses to external or emotional stimuli created by 1x1 tCDS and mini CT. It is connected to a participant's finger and records internal body functions like heart rate, heart rate variability, and skin conductance levels.
EEG Machine (Electroencephalogram)
- The EEG machine collects quantitative data based on brain responses to stimulation created by 1x1 tCDS and mini CT. It is placed on the scalp, connected by electrical nodes, and records the electricity sent between neurons in different areas of the brain.
Muse Headband (Neurofeedback)
- The Muse Headband is an EEG-based system that senses brain activity and responds with ad-hoc sounds of weather and nature. This helps individuals recognize how they feel while experiencing different mental states. This awareness can help users change and optimize their feelings, increasing their overall well-being. For example, it may play sounds of crickets or waves when one is relaxed, or thunderstorms and racing drums when one is stressed.
- These machines are the most widely accessible machines in the lab, and are available for retail sale online for personal use. The machine promotes mindfulness and positive emotion-regulation within individuals. Some students found positive results in just 5 days when using the Muse Band to meditate 15 minutes a day.
