Getting Started Guide

E-Prime Extensions for fMRI

PST 100-666
For Research Only

Psychology Software Tools, Inc.

2050 Ardmore Boulevard, Suite 200
Pittsburgh, PA 15221-4610
Phone: 412-271-5040
Fax: 412-271-7077
E-mail: [email protected]
Copyright
Copyright 2009 Psychology Software Tools, Inc. All rights reserved.

The information in this document is subject to change without notice. Except as permitted under
the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, or
distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior
written permission of Psychology Software Tools, Inc.

If you have any questions or comments regarding this manual, please contact Psychology
Software Tools, Inc. at:

Psychology Software Tools, Inc.

2050 Ardmore Blvd., Suite 200
Pittsburgh, PA 15221-4610
Phone: 412-271-5040
Fax: 412-271-7077
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.pstnet.com

Software Notice: The enclosed software is provided for use by a single user who has purchased
the manual. The software MAY NOT be reproduced or distributed to others. Unauthorized
reproduction and/or sales of the enclosed software may result in criminal and civil prosecution.
(17 USC 506).

Trademark
Psychology Software Tools, Inc., the Psychology Software Tools, Inc. logo, EEfMRI, the EEfMRI
logo, E-Prime and the E-Prime logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Psychology
Software Tools, Inc.

This manual describes the installation procedure for the E-Prime Extensions for fMRI. Please
review the manual completely and thoroughly before beginning the system installation.
 Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction

1.1 Compatibility 6
1.2 Software Overview 7
1.3 Software Installation 8
Chapter 2: Tutorials
2.1 Overview 11
2.2 Tutorial 1: Adding EEfMRI support to an E-Prime Experiment 12
2.3 Tutorial 2: Creating a Menu 24
2.4 Tutorial 3: Allowing Break Requests and List Resets 34
2.5 Tutorial 4: Timing 42
2.6 Tutorial 5: Logging Block Data in .PDAT File 48
2.7 Tutorial 6: Logging Event and Response Data in .PDAT File 53
2.8 Tutorial 7: Creating a Practice Run 59

Chapter 3: Reference
3.1 Package Calls 65
fMRISessionInit 66
fMRIMenuBegin 67
fMRIMenuEnd 68
fMRIRunBegin 69
fMRIRunEnd 70
fMRILogEvent 71
fMRILogResponseEvent 72
fMRILogUserEvent 73
fMRIResetListsByName 74
fMRICheckForBreak 75
Appendix A: MapperOne Experiment Description 76
Appendix B: .PDAT File Format 81
Appendix C: Configuring your MapperOne experiment to
Left-Right Unique 82

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1 Compatibility
Important compatibility information
EEfMRI is only compatible with E-Prime 2.0 and E-Prime 2.0 Professional.

E-Prime Extensions for fMRI (EEfMRI) is not compatible with E-Prime version 1.x. This software will
only work with E-Prime 2.0 Standard or E-Prime 2.0 Professional.

If you would like to purchase an upgrade or if you have any other questions, please contact
[email protected].


 EEfMRI Getting Started Guide PST- 100-666-Rev 1.0

1.2 Software Overview

The E-Prime Extensions for fMRI (EEfMRI) is a collection of customized software routines and other
productivity tools designed to assist E-Prime users in creating full featured, flexible, and robust fMRI
experiments. Use of EEfMRI provides the experimenter with a greater degree of timing and stimulus
control by synchronizing the start of the experiment with the scanner trigger pulse as well as a
simplified logging of user-specified experimental events for later analysis. EEfMRI also features an
easy to implement menu system that allows the experimenter to group multiple tasks into a single
experiment and interactively choose which tasks to present at run time. The menu system allows
the user to select the experimental task from a list and includes the ability to interrupt a running
task in a controlled manor to restart tasks without terminating the entire experiment.

This guide will show you how to install the EEfMRI software, explain how to EEfMRI-enable a properly
structured E-Prime experiment, provide descriptions for the tools EEfMRI is equipped with, and
provide useful tips for situations you are likely to encounter while upgrading or creating EEfMRI-
enabled experimental paradigms.

We caution you not to work with the tools provided until you have read the documentation and
worked through most, if not all, of the tutorials. We encourage you to learn the system by following
the tutorials in the order presented. This will minimize your learning time and allow you to take
advantage of the available tools to produce functional paradigms ready for use with the fMRI system.

Recommended readings:
It is recommended that you have read and worked through the tutorials included in the
E-Prime Getting Starting Guide before beginning this tutorial. Prior to collecting critical data,
it is recommended that you also read Chapter 3: Critical timing in E-Prime - Theory and
Recommendations in the E-Prime Users Guide pages 71-122.


Chapter 1: Introduction

1.3 Software Installation

Before continuing, be sure that you have administrative rights to install this software on the
computer. If you do not have administrative rights, you will be unable to install fMRI. If you are
unsure of your administrative privileges, contact your System Administrator.

Note: The version numbers on the following screen grabs may not correspond with the version
number on your software.

1) Insert the EEfMRI installation

CD into your CD-ROM drive.
If the CD does not automatically
start, navigate to your CD-ROM
drive in Windows Explorer
and open Setup.exe to launch
the installation.

2) Click Next when you see the

window. 2


 EEfMRI Getting Started Guide PST- 100-666-Rev 1.0

3) Please read the License

Agreement and make sure that
you agree completely with the
terms and conditions described
in the agreement before
proceeding. Once you have read
the agreement, click Next to
proceed with the installation.

4) Enter the Customer Information

in the window shown.
Specify a User Name and
Company Name or check with
your system administrator for
appropriated information. 3

5) It is suggested that you select

the Anyone who uses this
computer option.

6) Click Next to begin transferring

files to your computer.
4


Chapter 2: Tutorials

7) Wait for the installation to finish.

8) If fMRI was installed properly,

you will see the following window.
Click Finish to complete the
installation.
7

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 EEfMRI Getting Started Guide PST- 100-666-Rev 1.0

Chapter 2: Tutorials
2.1 Tutorial Overview
This chapter consists of tutorials that will guide you through the steps necessary to add the most
commonly used features of EEfMRI to an existing E-Prime experiment. In order to complete the
tutorials, you will need a computer with E-Prime and the fMRI software already installed. If you have
not installed E-Prime please stop now and complete the installation, and if you have not installed
EEfMRI, please refer to the installation section of this manual beginning on page 8. The tutorials
assume you are familiar with using E-Prime to build behavioral experiments. If you are new to using
E-Prime it is suggested that you work through all tutorials included in the E-Prime Getting Started
Guide prior to beginning this tutorial series.

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Chapter 2: Tutorials

2.2 Tutorial 1:
Adding EEfMRI support to an E-Prime Experiment
Summary:
Incorporating EEfMRI support into an existing E-Prime experiment primarily involves adding
both the EEfMRI Package File and the EEfMRI PackageCalls to the experimental
structure at the appropriate locations. PackageCalls are added to the experiment,
renamed and edited to set the required parameters, allowing the user to adapt EEfMRI to
meet their individual needs.

During this tutorial, you will add EEfMRI support to the Press.es sample experiment installed
by default with the EEfMRI package. The Press.es sample experiment consists of multiple
blocks where the participant is either at rest (watching a fixation cross) or is using specified
fingers on each hand to press buttons and make responses. Response feedback is provided
at the end of each trial. If you are not familiar with the Press.es experiment, it is
recommended that you load, review and run the sample experiment before beginning the
tutorial (e.g., in order to develop an understanding of the overall design of the experiment
and how it operates prior to further modifications).

Goal:
This tutorial illustrates how to add the EEfMRI PackageCalls into the Press.es sample
experiment included with EEfMRI. When you have completed this tutorial, you will have a
basic EEfMRI-enabled paradigm.

Overview of Tasks:
Load Press.es and resave it as fMRIPress.es.
Add the EEfMRI Package File to the Experiment Object.
Add the fMRISessionInit PackageCall to initialize the EEfMRI package at the Session level.
Add the fMRIRunBegin PackageCall to designate the beginning of the functional scan
and sync the onset of the stimulus presentation sequence with the scanner trigger pulse.
Add the fMRIRunEnd PackageCall to designate the end of the functional scan.
Verify the overall experiment structure and run the experiment.

Estimated Time: 20-30 minutes

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 EEfMRI Getting Started Guide PST- 100-666-Rev 1.0

Task 1: Open the Press.es experiment in E-Studio

Locate the E-Studio icon in the Start>Programs>E-Prime menu and launch the application by
selecting it. Load the Press.es sample experiment.

The E-Studio application is installed as part of the standard E-Prime installation. This application is
used to create, modify and test experiments within E-Prime. Open the E-Studio application, navigate
to the appropriate folder and load the Press.es sample experiment.
Under Windows XP the folder will be:
\My Documents\My Experiments\fMRI\Tutorials\Press.es

1) Click on the Windows Start menu,

select All Programs, and then
select E-Prime. From the menu,
click on E-Studio to launch the 1
application.

2) Select Open an Existing 2

Experiment and click the OK
button.

3) Navigate to the \My

Documents\My Experiments\
fMRI\Tutorials\ folder 3
to load the paradigm.

4) Select the Press.es file and

then click the Open button to
4
load the paradigm into
E-Studio. 5
If you cannot find the Press.es
file, you may need to refresh
your E-Prime Samples and
Tutorials folders. Select Tools/
Options from the E-Studio
menu bar then click Copy
Samples and Tutorials to My
Experiments folder

5) Compare the structure of the

experiment you have opened to
the one shown on the right.

13
Chapter 2: Tutorials

Task 2: Save the experiment under a new name

Save the Press.es experiment in the same directory under the new name fMRIPress.es.

Rename the experiment and save it in the same directory (\My Documents\My Experiments\
fMRI\Tutorials) so that any resources references within the experiment will remain valid and can be
reused.

1) Select File|Save As... from the

application menu bar.

2) Type fMRIPress.es as the new

1
name in the Filename field.

3) Click the Save button.

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 EEfMRI Getting Started Guide PST- 100-666-Rev 1.0

Task 3: Add the EEfMRI Package to the Experiment Properties

Open the Properties dialog for the Experiment object and use the Packages tab to add the EEfMRI
Package File to the experiment.

Package Files in E-Prime are cohesive sets of E-Basic routines that are grouped together into a single
file that can be maintained externally. In order to gain access to the routines within a Package File
you must first add the Package File to the experiment. Package Files can be added to an experiment
using the Packages tab of the Experiment Object Properties dialog. The routines that are used to
communicate with the EEfMRI software at runtime are contained within the EEfMRI Package File.

1) Double click the Experiment

object at the top of the tree in
1
the Structure view.

2) Click on the Packages tab of the

Experiment Object Properties 2
dialog.

3) Click the Add... button. 3 4

4) Select the fMRI Package File in

the Add Package dialog. 5
Note: The Package File
version number displayed by
E-Studio reflects the version
of the EEfMRI Package File
that is currently installed on
your machine and may not 6
match the picture.

5) Click the OK button to dismiss

the dialog.

6) Verify the fMRI Package File is

listed in under the Package
column and is checked. Then 6
click the OK button to dismiss
the dialog.

15
 Chapter 2: Tutorials

Task 4: Add an EEfMRI PackageCall to initialize the system

Add a PackageCall at the beginning of the SessionProc to initialize the system for use with EEfMRI.
Name the object fMRISessionInit.

The EEfMRI Package File must be initialized at the start of the experiment by making a call to the
fMRI_SessionInit routine. To call a routine in a Package File you can either make the call directly
using E-Basic script within an Inline object, or preferably, by dragging a PackageCall from the E-Studio
Toolbox, drop it at the desired location within the experiment, and editing its properties. When using the
PackageCall, it is strongly recommended that you rename the object to reflect the specific Package File
and routine that is being referenced within the object. When creating paradigms for use with EEfMRI
it is a common convention to create a name for each PackageCall by combining fMRI with the name of
the routine being called, e.g. the object that is used in this task to call the fMRI_SessionInit routine is
named fMRISessionInit.

1) Double click the SessionProc 1

object to open it in the 1
workspace.

2) Drag a new PackageCall

from the Toolbox and drop it first
object in the SessionProc
procedure. The object will be
given a default name of
PackageCall1.
2
3) Click on the PackageCall1
object to select it then press F2
to rename the object.
You may alternatively right
click on the object and
select Rename from the
context menu.
3

4) Type fMRISessionInit as the

new object name and then press
Enter to accept the change.

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 EEfMRI Getting Started Guide PST- 100-666-Rev 1.0

Task 4 (continued): Add an EEfMRI PackageCall to initialize the system

Configure the fMRISessionInit PackageCall to call the SessionInit routine of the fMRI Package File
and accept the default Parameters list.

The Properties dialog of the PackageCall is used to specify which Package File and Routine are to be
called in each instance. After a Package is selected within the interface, the Routine dropdown list
will be populated with all of the routines contained within the package. After you select a Routine,
the Parameters field will be set to the default parameters and the Description field will be filled
with the text that the Package File author included for the selected routine. You can refer to the
Description field for information about each parameter in the list (any parameter in double quotes
indicates string data). The fMRISessionInit PackageCall includes parameters that allow you to turn
EEfMRI support on/off and to create a .PDAT file as output that is named by default. This name can
be user defined, but the default should be sufficient for nearly all experiments (details of the .PDAT
file will be discussed in Appendix 1, Page 75)

5) Double click the

fMRISessionInit PackageCall
object on the SessionProc to 5
display its Properties dialog.

6) Select fMRI from the Package

dropdown list.

7) Select SessionInit from the 6

Routine dropdown list. 8 7

8
8) Review the fMRISessionInit
parameters listed in the
Parameters and Description
fields.

9
9) Click the OK button to accept
the changes and dismiss the
dialog.

10) If the Package File defines an 10

icon for the routine it will replace
the default PackageCall icon,
otherwise the icon associated with
the entire Package File itself will
be used.

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Chapter 2: Tutorials

Task 5: Add the fMRIRunBegin PackageCall.

Add a PackageCall to identify the beginning of the functional scanning run and the start of the task
stimulus presentation sequence. Name the object fMRIRunBegin.

The fMRIRunBegin PackageCall marks the beginning of the functional scan and when properly
placed, will synchronize the onset of the stimulus presentation with the scanner trigger pulse
(assuming appropriate interface hardware is in use). This call will write critical timing information
to the .PDAT file and must be matched with a corresponding fMRIRunEnd PackageCall for proper
operations.

1) Drag a new PackageCall

from the Toolbox and drop it in
the SessionProc procedure after
the Instructions object and 1
before the BlockList object.

2) Click on the PackageCall1

object to select it then press F2
to rename the object.
You may alternatively right
click on the object and select
Rename from the context 2
menu.

3) Type fMRIRunBegin as the

new object name and then press
Enter to accept the change.

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 EEfMRI Getting Started Guide PST- 100-666-Rev 1.0

Task 5 (continued): Add the fMRIRunBegin PackageCall

Configure the fMRIRunBegin PackageCall to identify the beginning of the functional scanning run
and the start of the task stimulus presentation sequence. Name the object fMRIRunBegin.

Edit the Run Condition to correspond to the name of the Run. In this example we will use Press.

4) Double click the fMRIRunBegin

PackageCall to display its
Properties dialog.
4

5) Select fMRI from the Package

dropdown list.

6) Select RunBegin from the

Routine dropdown list.

7) Edit the Parameters to read: 5

c, -1, Press
The last parameter is used to
assign a name to the current
6
Run to assist in later post
processing. Refer to the text in 7
the fMRIRunBegin reference on
page 69 for more information
about the parameters and
options of this routine.
8
8) Click the OK button.

19
Chapter 2: Tutorials

Task 6: Add the fMRIRunEnd PackageCall

Add a PackageCall to identify the end of the functional scanning run. Name the object
fMRIRunEnd. Configure the PackageCall to accept the default parameters.

The fMRIRunEnd PackageCall is used to mark the end of the functional scanning run. By default, the
routine will also display an Run Report screen when the run has completed (or has been terminated
prematurely by the experimenter). The Run Report summary screen that contains useful information
about the status and observed duration of the run. This PackageCall is typically placed immediately
after the object that completes the stimulus presentation sequence.
1) Drag a new PackageCall
from the Toolbox and drop it on
the SessionProc procedure after 1
the BlockList object before the
Goodbye object.

2) Click on the PackageCall1

object to select it then press F2
to rename the object. Rename
the object to fMRIRunEnd as 2
the new object name and press
Enter to accept the change.

3) Double click the fMRIRunEnd

object to display its Properties
dialog. 3

4) Select fMRI from the Package

dropdown list.

6
5) Select RunEnd from the Routine
dropdown list.
4

6) Click the OK button to accept

the changes and dismiss the
dialog.

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 EEfMRI Getting Started Guide PST- 100-666-Rev 1.0

Task 7: Run the experiment

Run the experiment to verify that the appropriate prompts are presented and no runtime errors are
generated.

You have now completed the basic steps necessary to create an EEfMRI-enabled paradigm.
EEfMRI-enabled experiments can be run locally from E-Studio during development and testing. You
should always fully test your experiment locally prior to scheduling actual participants or before using
it to collect data in the scanner.

Before you test the experimental task, it is important that you understand how the task works. The
task itself is simple, once you start the experiment you will be prompted to use a finger to press a
number key. For example, the text Left Middle will appear on the screen. However the expected,
correct response is not intuitive. The correct response key press that correspond with the left
middle finger is 8. The experiment is programmed assuming the person responding to the task is
responding to the cues via the BrainLogics Fiber Optic Button Response System (FOBRS). This
MR compatible hardware system includes custom molded button units that can be worn by the
participant, as well as the interface components necessary to report the scanner trigger pulse to
E-Prime for stimulus synchronization. The default key mappings used by the FOBRS can make key
mappings unintuitive for the experimenter during testing with the computer keyboard, but will allow
you to run your experiment at the scanner without further changes to response mappings.

Below is an illustration of which fingers correspond with what keys.

IN
8 3
9 4
7 2

A 5

6 1

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Chapter 2: Tutorials

Task 7 (continued): Run the experiment

Run the experiment to verify that the appropriate prompts are presented and no runtime errors are
generated.

The next steps will walk you through generating the experimental script, starting the experimental
paradigm, and running the experiment.

1) Press Ctrl+S to save your work

before continuing. Click the 1
generate icon or press Ctrl+F7
to generate the script and check
it for errors.
2

2) Click the run icon or press F7 to

run the paradigm.

3) Click OK to accept the default 3 3

values for Subject Number,
Session Number and Summary
of Startup Info.
When you are actually
running the experiment 3
change the appropriate fields
to reflect the pertinent
information.

4) Read the experiment instructions

then press Enter to continue.
4

5) Press Enter to manually

simulate the scanner trigger
pulse and begin the task.
If you test the experiment at
the scanner, in conjunction
with the appropriate interface 5
hardware, the task will
automatically begin when the
technologist initiates the
scan from scanner console.

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 EEfMRI Getting Started Guide PST- 100-666-Rev 1.0

Task 7 (continued): Run the experiment

Review the End of Run Report to verify the task ran as expected.

After the experiment has terminated, you will see a screen like this:

This is the Run Report which summarizes information about the experimental run that was
completed. The report contains some basic timing information as well as several indicators of the
participants performance. It is often helpful to have this information available immediately at the
end of a run to quickly verify that the run executed as expected and that the participant performed
the task adequately (e.g., to assist the experimenter in determining if the run must be repeated.)

The Start Time, End Time, and Duration fields provide the computer time at which the scanner
trigger pulse was detected/simulated, the computer time the task ended, and the duration of the
task respectively.

The Accuracy field is an indication of the participants percent accuracy. The RT field is the
participants mean response time across all trials and responses. The Correct RT field is the
mean response time for the correct answers only. Note that all of the fields related to dependent
measures, excluding times and duration, are displayed as zero in this example. This is because
the tutorial did not yet add the fMRI PackageCalls required to collect this information. Even after
these additional PackageCalls have been added you may also see these fields as zeros (0) if you do
not make any responses during the task. Please refer to tutorials 5 and 6 (Pages 49 and 54) in this
guide. These tutorials will instruct you which package calls are use to log data and populate the end
of run report.

Select EEfMRI PackageCalls will store additional detailed information about the scanning run in a
tab-delimited output file. By default this output file is located in the same folder as the experiment
(e.g., \My Documents\My Experiments\fMRI\Tutorials) and will have the same name as the
experiments E-Prime data file but with the extension .PDAT appended (e.g., assuming you entered
a 1 for Subject Number and 1 for Session Number the file created by running the experiment in
this tutorial would be named fMRIPress-1-1..PDAT). The file can be opened via Excel or any other
application that can load a tab-delimited text file. The information contained in the .PDAT file can be
used as a reference to assist the experimenter in post-processing and image analysis activities. For
further information about the .PDAT file, see Appendix 1 (Page 81).

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Chapter 2: Tutorials

2.3 Tutorial 2: Creating a Menu

If you have not completed Tutorial 1, start by opening the experimental paradigm \My Documents\
My Experiments\fMRI\Tutorials\fMRIPress1.es. Before you start, save the experiment under the
name fMRIPress.es in the same directory. Detailed instructions on how to save are found on page
13, Tutorial 1, Task 2.

Resave
Only follow the steps below if you are loading the fMRIPress1.es sample.
1) Select the File|Save As... from the application menu bar.
2) Type fMRIPress.es as the new name in the File name field.
3) Click the Save button.

Summary:
This tutorial will guide you through the steps necessary to add a menu to the paradigm that
we have EEfMRI-enabled in the previous tutorial.

Goal:
When you have completed this tutorial you will have created an experiment that allows the
user to choose a task to run from the menu list.

Overview of Tasks:
Add the fMRIMenuBegin PackageCall to implement the menu and set the parameters
to populate the menu with information from the RunList.
Add the fMRIMenuEnd PackageCall to designate the end of the menu function.
Add a RunList and edit it to contain the MenuItem attribute that will populate the menu
text.
Create a PressRunProc to allow for multiple runs.
Move PackageCalls to PressRunProc to change the structure for multiple runs.
Relocate the BlockList to PressRunProc to change the structure for multiple runs.

Estimated Time: 15-20 minutes

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 EEfMRI Getting Started Guide PST- 100-666-Rev 1.0

Task 1: Add the fMRIMenuBegin PackageCall

Add a PackageCall to the SessionProc to direct EEfMRI to create a menu. Name the object
fMRIMenuBegin.

The fMRIMenuBegin and fMRIMenuEnd PackageCalls are used to create an interactive menu within
the experiment. This menu system can be used by the experimenter to dynamically choose different
tasks to present to the participant at runtime. The menu is created by processing a designated List
object defined within the experiment to extract the text for the items that will appear on the menu.
The fMRIMenuBegin PackageCall is typically placed after the fMRISessionInit PackageCall, but prior
to the fMRIRunBegin because it is not part of the functional run.
1) Double click the SessionProc
object to open it in the 1
workspace.

2) Drag a new PackageCall

from the Toolbox and drop it
after fMRISessionInit.
The object will be given a default
name of PackageCall1.

3) Click on the PackageCall1

object to select it then press F2
to rename the object to 2
fMRIMenuBegin. Then press
Enter to accept the change.

4) Double click the

fMRIMenuBegin PackageCall
object located on the 3
SessionProc to display its
Properties dialog.

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Chapter 2: Tutorials

Task 1 (continued): Add the fMRIMenuBegin PackageCall

Configure the fMRIMenuBegin PackageCall to create a menu and set the parameters to search for
the RunList object.

When you set the routine to fMRIMenuBegin, you will notice that the routines default parameters
contain a reference to an object named RunList. This is the default name of the List object that
the fMRIMenuBegin PackageCall will search for to obtain the information used to populate the menu.
Although the RunList object is referenced here it will not be created until Task 3 of the tutorial.

5) Select fMRI from the Package

dropdown list.

5 6
6) Select MenuBegin from the
Routine dropdown list.

7) Review the Parameters:

c, on, RunList
The RunList object will be added 7
to the experiment in a later step.

8
8) Click the OK button to accept
the changes and dismiss the
dialog.

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 EEfMRI Getting Started Guide PST- 100-666-Rev 1.0

Task 2: Add the fMRIMenuEnd

Add a PackageCall to the SessionProc to complete the menu. Name the object fMRIMenuEnd.
Configure fMRIMenuEnd PackageCall to accept the default parameter.

The fMRIMenuEnd PackageCall completes the implementation of the fMRIMenuBegin PackageCall.

The call is typically placed at the end of the experiment prior to any final screen that you want the
participant to see before the experiment ends.

1) Drag a new PackageCall

from the Toolbox and drop it on
the SessionProc procedure 1
before the GoodBye object.

2) Click on the PackageCall1

object to select. Press F2
to rename the object to
fMRIMenuEnd. Then press 2
Enter to accept the change.

3) Double click the fMRIMenuEnd

to open it in the workspace.

4) Select fMRI from the Package

dropdown list.
3

5) Select MenuEnd from the

Routine dropdown list.

6) Click the OK button to accept the

default Parameters and dismiss
the dialog. 4 5

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Chapter 2: Tutorials

Task 3: Add the List object that will populate the menu
Add a List object to the SessionProc and rename the List object to RunList.

The RunList object is used to define the entries that will be seen by the experimenter when the menu
is displayed. The object also associates a particular Procedure with each menu entry e.g., when the
user chooses the menu item, fMRI will run the Procedure associated with the selected menu item.
Presently there is only one type of task defined, but it is possible to customize the menu to display
several different types of tasks along with practice runs for each task.

1) Drag a new List object icon from

the Toolbox onto the
SessionProc after the
fMRIMenuBegin object.
By default the object will be given 1
the List1 name.

2) Click on the List1 object

to select it then press F2 to
rename the object as RunList.
Then press Enter to accept the
change.

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Task 4: Enable the RunList object to populate the menu

Add the MenuItem attribute to the RunList.

Edit the RunList object to add the MenuItem attribute. When the fMRIMenuBegin PackageCall
creates the menu at runtime it will examine the MenuItem attribute to extract the text that will be
used for each item listed on the menu.

1) Double click the RunList object

to open it in the workspace.

2) Click the Add Attribute button 1

to open the Add Attribute dialog.

3) Name the Attribute MenuItem.

4) Click Add.
2

5) The RunList object should now

contain the following columns.
ID
Weight
Nested
Procedure
MenuItem

3 4

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Chapter 2: Tutorials

Task 4 (continued): Enable the RunList object to populate the menu

Create the PressRunProc.

Each MenuItem displayed on the menu must be associated with a Procedure object e.g., when the
experimenter selects an entry from the menu, EEfMRI will run the Procedure that is associated with
the selected MenuItem. Create a new Procedure object and name it PressRunProc.

6) Edit the text cell in the

Procedure column to read,
PressRunProc, and press
Enter to accept the change.

7) Click Yes on the Add Procedure

dialog to create the new
PressRunProc Procedure object. 6

8) Click No when prompted to

make the procedure default.

9) Edit the text cell in the

7
MenuItem column to read,
Press.
This text is what will be
shown on screen when the
menu is displayed.

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 EEfMRI Getting Started Guide PST- 100-666-Rev 1.0

Task 5: Move the Instructions object, fMRIRunBegin, and the fMRIRunEnd

PackageCalls
Use the Shift key to move the Instructions, fMRIRunBegin, and fMRIRunEnd objects from the
SessionProc to the new PressRunProc.

In this step, you will move the Instructions, fMRIRunBegin, and fMRIRunEnd objects to the
PressRunProc procedure that you created in the last step. It is important that you understand
the following steps before you try to execute them. If you try to drag and drop the objects you will
create a symbolic link to their current location and the program will call them in at both points in
the experiment. This will create an error. Please read the next instructions carefully before trying to
perform the tasks as they instruct.

1) Double click the PressRunProc

to open it in the workspace and
position the dialog under the 1
SessionProc.

2) Hold down the Shift key and

click the Instructions object.
A small rectangle will appear
towards the bottom of your
1
mouse cursor. This will allow
you to move the object.

3) Holding the Shift key, drag and

drop the Instructions object onto
the PressRunProc.

4) Repeat Steps 2 and 3 for the

fMRIRunBegin and
fMRIRunEnd objects.
2
5) The PressRunProc should now
display the Instructions object, 3
fMRIRunBegin and the
fMRIRunEnd PackageCalls.

31
Chapter 2: Tutorials

Task 6: Move the BlockList to the PressRunProc

Use the Shift key to move the BlockList from the SessionProc to the PressRunProc.

In this step you will move the BlockList to the PressRunProc.

1) Hold down the Shift key and 1

click the BlockList object.
A small rectangle will appear
towards the bottom of your
mouse cursor. This will allow
you to move the object.
2

2) Holding the Shift key, drag and

drop the BlockList object onto
the PressRunProc between the
fMRIRunBegin and the
fMRIRunEnd PackageCalls.
3

3) The PressRunProc should now

contain the Instructions,
fMRIRunBegin, BlockList and
the fMRIRunEnd PackageCalls.
Verify that the SessionProc
and PressRunProc
procedures in your
experiment match those
shown before continuing.

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 EEfMRI Getting Started Guide PST- 100-666-Rev 1.0

Task 7: Run the experiment

Run the experiment to verify that the appropriate prompts are presented and no runtime errors are
generated.

You have now completed the basic steps necessary to create a functional menu.

1) Press Ctrl+S to save your work

before continuing. Click the 1
generate icon or press Ctrl+F7
to generate the script and check
it for errors.
2

2) Click the run icon or press F7 to

run the paradigm.

3 3
3) Click OK to accept the default
values for Subject Number,
Session Number and Summary
of Startup Info.
When you are actually 3
running the experiment
change the appropriate fields
to reflect the pertinent
information. 4

4) Press Enter to select the

highlighted menu option.

5) Read the experiment instructions

then press Enter to continue.

6) Press Enter to manually

simulate the scanner trigger
pulse and begin the task. 5
If you test the experiment at
the scanner, in conjunction
with the appropriate interface
hardware, the task will
automatically begin when the
technologist initiates the
scan from scanner console. 6

33
Chapter 2: Tutorials

2.4 Tutorial 3: Allowing Break Requests and List Resets

If you have not completed Tutorial 2, start by opening the experimental paradigm \My Documents\
My Experiments\fMRI\Tutorials\fMRIPress2.es. Before you start, save the experiment under the
name fMRIPress.es in the same directory. Detailed instructions on how to save can be found on
page 13, Tutorial 1, Task 2.

Resave
Only follow the steps below if you are loading the fMRIPress2.es sample.
1) Select the File|Save As... from the application menu bar.
2) Type fMRIPress.es as the new name in the File name field.
3) Click the Save button.

Summary:
In the last tutorial, we used EEfMRI PackageCalls to create a menu that allows the
experimenter to choose between multiple task runs, providing greater flexibility in stimulus
presentation control. EEfMRIs other features address more practical concerns that arise
during fMRI data collection. For instance, during an experiment it may be necessary to stop
and restart the scanner e.g., due to requests for assistance from the participant, participant
movement, problems with the scanner or scanning protocol, etc. When these events occur,
it is advantageous for the experimenter to be able to quickly interrupt the experiment, reset
the stimulus presentation sequence, and restart the task from a particular point in the
experiment, typically the menu. This tutorial guides you through modifications necessary to
customize an experiment that allows you to terminate the experiment while displaying trials/
stimuli and return to the menu. It likewise illustrates how to use fMRI PackageCalls to ensure
that any stimuli presented prior to the interruption of the scan are properly reset to ensure
they will be shown again after you return to the menu, and restart the experiment.

Note: The placement and range of parameters for the

fMRIResetListsByNamePackageCall depend on experimental
design constraints regarding repetition of trials/stimuli unique
to the individual experiment, for more details, please refer to
the reference section of this manual (page 74).

Goal:
This tutorial illustrates how to add fMRIResetListsByName and
fMRICheckForBreak PackageCalls to allow the experimenter to stop an experiment, reset the
stimulus presentation sequence and return to the menu to start data collection again.

Overview of Tasks:
Add the fMRIResetListsByName PackageCall to the SessionProc.
Add the fMRICheckForBreak PackageCall to the RestBlockProc.
Add the fMRICheckForBreak to the PressBlockProc.
Test the experiment.

Estimated Time: 15-20 minutes

34
 EEfMRI Getting Started Guide PST- 100-666-Rev 1.0

Task 1: Add the fMRIResetListsByName PackageCall.

Add a PackageCall to the SessionProc that will direct EEfMRI to reset and reuse all of the stimulus
items in a given list. Name the object fMRIResetListsByName.
In experiments where a menu system is in use, it is likely you will want to reset the stimuli in most
List objects before the next run begins. For the purposes of this manual, a run is defined by the
start and subsequent stop of the scanner. Unless you take care to assure that stimulus lists are
properly reset, you may observe unexpected results, e.g. if an experiment is interrupted, any stimuli
that were presented prior to the interruption may not be reused again until the stimulus list is reset.
The proper use and placement of the fMRIResetListsByName PackageCall insures that stimulus
lists will be reset consistently and behave as expected. Generally it is recommended that any List
object that controls the sequence of task blocks, trials, or stimuli should be reset if the experiment is
interrupted. However, the experimenter should decide how best to handle this situation on a task by
task basis.

1) Double click the SessionProc

object to open it in the 1
workspace.

2) Drag a new PackageCall

from the Toolbox and drop
it on the SessionProc after
fMRIMenuBegin.

2
3) Click on the PackageCall1
object to select it then press F2
to rename the object to
fMRIResetListsByName. Then
press Enter to accept the
change.

4) Double click the

3
fMRIResetListsByName
PackageCall to display its
Properties dialog.

35
Chapter 2: Tutorials

Task 1 (continued): Add the fMRIResetListsByName PackageCall.

Add a PackageCall to the SessionProc that will direct fMRI to reset and reuse all of the stimulus
items in a given list. Name the PackageCall fMRIResetListsByName.
The ResetListsByName PackageCall parameters require the names of List objects that need to be
reset after the experiment has been interrupted. In this example the List objects that control the
trial/stimulus presentation are the BlockList and PressTrialList.

5) Select fMRI from the Package

dropdown list.

5 6
6) Select ResetListsByName from
the Routine dropdown list.

7) Edit the Parameters to read: 7

c, BlockList, PressTrialsList
In this experiment these two List
objects control the sequence of
blocks and trial stimuli
respectively. Their names are
8
passed as a parameter so that
their stimuli will be reset each
time the package call is
executed, e.g., every time a
selection is made from the user
menu.

8) Click the OK button to accept

the changes and dismiss the
dialog.

36
 EEfMRI Getting Started Guide PST- 100-666-Rev 1.0

Task 2: Add the fMRICheckForBreak PackageCall

Add the fMRICheckForBreak PackageCall and configure it to allow the user to escape to the menu.
There are times in fMRI experiments when it is necessary to break out of a task early, but not terminate the
entire experiment. The fMRICheckForBreak PackageCall can be used in conjunction with the fMRIMenuBegin
and fMRIMenuEnd calls to provide this functionality. The fMRICheckForBreak PackageCall can be placed
anywhere the user wishes to have EEfMRI check for and process a pending break request. Typically, the
fMRICheckForBreak call needs to be placed at the end of each Procedure in the experiment where the user
wants the option of terminating the task early. While a EEfMRI-enabled experiment is running the user can
register a break request with the system by simultaneously pressing the Shift and Ctrl keys together. In this
experiment, we will only allow the user to break out of the task at the end of the RestBlockProc.

1) Double click the RestBlockProc 1

object to open it in the workspace.

2) Drag a new PackageCall

from the Toolbox and drop it
after Rest object.

3) Click on the PackageCall1 object

to select it then press F2 to
rename the object to 2
fMRICheckForBreak.
Then press Enter to accept the
change.

4) Double click the

fMRICheckForBreak
PackageCall to display its
Properties dialog. 3

37
Chapter 2: Tutorials

Task 2: (continued) Add the fMRICheckForBreak PackageCall

Configure the fMRICheckForBreak PackageCall and allow the user to escape to the menu.
Designate fMRI as the package and CheckForBreak as the routine. Accept and review the default
Parameters and Description.

5) Select fMRI from the Package

dropdown list.
5 6
6) Select CheckForBreak from the
Routine dropdown list.

7) Click the OK button to accept the

default Parameters and dismiss
the dialog.

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 EEfMRI Getting Started Guide PST- 100-666-Rev 1.0

Task 3: Add another reference to the fMRICheckForBreak PackageCall

Add another reference to the fMRICheckForBreak PackageCall in the PressBlockProc

The fMRICheckForBreak PackageCall needs to be placed at each level the user may want to
interrupt or terminate the task. In order to assure the ability to return to the menu during the
stimulus presentation, a PackageCall must be placed at the PressBlockProc level.
Note: The experimenter can register a break request with the system at any time during the
experiment by pressing Shift + Ctrl simultaneously. However the placement of the
fMRICheckForBreak PackageCall at the Block level forces the experiment to wait until the
end of the block to execute the command. The placement of this PackageCall can be altered
to adjust where the experiment executes the break. This gives the experimenter direct
control over when an interruption of the stimulus sequence is permitted.

1) Double click the 1

PressBlockProc and position it
under the RestBlockProc.

2) Click and hold the

fMRICheckForBreak
PackageCall.
This will allow you to create a
new reference or short-cut
to the fMRICheckForBreak
object.

2
3) Holding the mouse button, drag
and drop the 3
fMRICheckForBreak
PackageCall onto the
PressBlockProc after the
PressTrialList object.

4) The fMRICheckForBreak
PackageCall should now be
shown in both the
RestBlockProc and the
PressBlockProc.

39
Chapter 2: Tutorials

Task 4: Run the experiment

Run the experiment to verify that the appropriate prompts are presented and no runtime errors are
generated.

You will now test the break feature you have just implemented by running the experiment and
simultaneously pressing the Shift+Ctrl keys to register the break.

1) Press Ctrl+S to save your work
before continuing. Click the
generate icon or press Ctrl+F7
1
to generate the script and check
it for errors.
2
2) Click the run icon or press F7 to
run the paradigm.

3) Click OK to accept the default 3 3

values for Subject Number,
Session Number and Summary
of Startup Info.
When you are actually
running the experiment 3
change the appropriate fields
to reflect the pertinent
information.
4

4) Press Enter to select the

highlighted menu option.

5) Read the experiment instructions

then press Enter to continue.

6) Press Enter to manually 5

simulate the scanner trigger
pulse and begin the task.
If you test the experiment at
the scanner, in conjunction
with the appropriate interface
hardware, the task will
automatically begin when the
6
technologist initiates the
scan from scanner console.

40
 EEfMRI Getting Started Guide PST- 100-666-Rev 1.0

Task 4: (continued) Run the experiment

Register a break with the system.
Begin the experiment, wait about 30 seconds until the RestBlockProc completes and the
PressBlockProc begins to display the trials/stimulus. Simultaneously press the Shift+Ctrl keys to
break out of the experiment and return to the menu. Step 8 is an example of what the trial/stimulus
looks like.
Note: The break will not be processed until the end of the PressBlockProc (30 seconds.)

7) Wait the duration of the fixation

until the task begins.
Note: The fixation for this
experiment is a plus sign.
7

8) Press Shift +Ctrl key (hold the

Ctrl key and hit the Shift key).
This will register a break in
the experiment. Because the
stimulus is randomized the
specific finger mentioned will
vary. 8
Note: The break will not
be processed until the end of
the PressBlockProc.

9) Press Enter to go to the menu.

Note: Status=BREAK
9
10) Press ESC to exit the experiment
menu.

10
41
Chapter 2: Tutorials

2.5 Tutorial 4: Timing

This tutorial will highlight timing issues surrounding an fMRI experimental paradigm and introduce
some methods that E-Prime employs to deal with them. For a detailed discussion of these issues
please refer to Chapter 3: Critical timing in E-Prime - Theory and Recommendations in the
E-Prime Users Guide pages 71-122.

If you have not completed Tutorial 3, start by opening the experimental paradigm \My Documents\
My Experiments\fMRI\Tutorials\fMRIPress3.es. Before you start, save the experiment under the
name fMRIPress.es in the same directory. Detailed instructions on how to save can be found on
page 13, Tutorial 1 Task 2.

Resave
Only follow the steps below if you havent completed tutorial 3.

1) Select the File|Save As... from the application menu bar.

2) Type fMRIPress.es as the new name in the File name field.
3) Click the Save button.

Summary:
In an fMRI experiment, timing is critical. In order to collect usable data, the time
between stimuli, the inter-stimulus interval (ISI), and the time between trials, inter-trial
interval (ITI), needs to vary as little as possible for all trials. This tutorial will take you through
the steps necessary to modify a behavioral experiments timing to collect meaningful data
during a functional MRI.

Goal:
This tutorial illustrates how to modify experiment object properties to alter the timing to
collect fMRI data.

Overview of Tasks:
Modify RestObject timing.
Modify Stimulus Object timing.
Modify Fixation Object timing.

Estimated Time: 10-15 minutes

42
 EEfMRI Getting Started Guide PST- 100-666-Rev 1.0

Task 1: Modify Rest Object Timing

Open the Rest Object properties and modify the Pre-Release and Timing Mode.

The PreRelease option allows the computer to free resources to prepare for the next trial. Cumulative
Timing Mode corrects for delays introduced into the paradigm by delays in stimulus onset by altering
the presentation time of the stimulus. This minimizes the delay of subsequent events due to error. If
used correctly, in conjunction both techniques serve as powerful tools to correct for timing error.

1) Double click the Rest object to

open it in the workspace.

2) Click the Properties button to

open the Rest object Properties
dialog.

3) Select the Duration/Input tab.

1

4) Select Cumulative from the

Timing Mode dropdown.
Note: If there is an error in
the stimulus onset time of
one stimulus, this will
minimize delays in stimulus
presentation by absorbing
the error. 2

5) Edit the PreRelease to 100ms.

3
6) Click OK to accept the changes.
4 5

43
Chapter 2: Tutorials

Task 2: Modify Stimulus Object Timing

Open the Stimulus Object properties and modify the Pre-Release, Timing Mode and Time Limit.

The PreRelease option allows the computer to free resources to prepare for the next trial. Cumulative
Timing Mode corrects for delays introduced into the paradigm by delays in stimulus onset by altering
the presentation time of the stimulus. This minimizes the delay of subsequent events due to error. If
used correctly, in conjunction both techniques serve as powerful tools to correct for timing error.

1) Double click the Stimulus

object to open it in the
workspace.

2) Click the Properties button to

open the Stimulus object
Properties dialog.

3) Select the Duration/Input tab.

4) Select Cumulative from the

Timing Mode dropdown.
1
Note: If there is an error in
the stimulus onset time of
one stimulus, this will
minimize delays in stimulus
presentation by absorbing 2
the error.

5) Verify that PreRelease is set to

100ms. 3

4 5
6) Select 2000ms from the Time
Limit dropdown list.

7) Click OK to accept the changes.

6

44
 EEfMRI Getting Started Guide PST- 100-666-Rev 1.0

Task 3: Modify Fixation Object Timing

Open the FixationObject properties and modify the Pre-Release, and Timing Mode.

The PreRelease option allows the computer to free resources to prepare for the next trial. Cumulative
Timing Mode corrects for delays introduced into the paradigm by delays in stimulus onset by altering
the presentation time of the stimulus. This minimizes the delay of subsequent events due to error. If
used correctly, in conjunction both techniques serve as powerful tools to correct for timing error.

1) Double click the Fixation

object to open it in the
workspace.

2) Click the Properties button

open the Fixation object
properties dialog.

3) Select the Duration/Input tab.

4) Select Cumulative from the

Timing Mode dropdown.
Note: If there is an error in
the stimulus onset time of 1
one stimulus, this will
minimize delays in stimulus
presentation by absorbing
the error.
2

5) Edit the PreRelease to 100ms.

3
6) Click OK to accept the changes.

4 5

45
Chapter 2: Tutorials

Task 4: Run the experiment

Run the experiment to verify that the appropriate prompts are presented and no runtime errors are
generated.

You have now completed the basic steps necessary to modify the timing of this experiment.
Note: There will be no observable difference in the timing. If you desire to see the result of
the changes you made, compare the .PDAT timestamps.

1) Press Ctrl+S to save your work

before continuing. Click the 1
generate icon or press Ctrl+F7
to generate the script and check
it for errors.
2

2) Click the run icon or press F7 to

run the paradigm.

3) Click OK to accept the default 3 3

values for Subject Number,
Session Number and Summary
of Startup Information.
When you are actually running
the experiment change the 3
appropriate fields to reflect the
pertinent information.

4) Press Enter to select the 4

highlighted menu option.

5) Read the experiment instructions

then press Enter to continue.

6) Press Enter to manually simulate

the scanner trigger pulse and
begin the task.
If you test the experiment at
the scanner, in conjunction
with the appropriate interface 5
hardware, the task will
automatically begin when the
technologist initiates the
scan from scanner console.

46
 EEfMRI Getting Started Guide PST- 100-666-Rev 1.0

2.6 Analysis Issues: Tutorials 5-7

The following group of tutorials includes a brief discussion of experimental designs, how to use fMRI
package calls to pass timestamps to the .PDAT file to create a list of events that occurred during the
experiment, and how to create a practice run.

47
Chapter 2: Tutorials

2.6.1 Tutorials 5: Logging Block Data in .PDAT File

If you have not completed Tutorial 4, start by opening the experimental paradigm \My Documents\
My Experiments\fMRI\Tutorials\ fMRIPress.es. Before you start, save the experiment under the
name fMRIPress.es in the same directory. Detailed instructions on how to save can be found on
page 13, Tutorial 1 Task 2.

Resave
Only follow the steps below if you havent completed tutorial 4.
1) Select the File|Save As... from the application menu bar.
2) Type fMRIPress.es as the new name in the File name field.
3) Click the Save button.

Summary:
An fMRI experiment can contain several runs (time between each scanner start and end)
consisting of different experiments made up of varied trial types. It is important to log the
type of block (set of trials) and onset time of each block for later analysis.

Goal:
This tutorial will illustrate a method used to log the block condition and block onset time in an
experiment. The structure of this experiment is optimal for EEfMRI package to log data.

Overview of Tasks:
Add the fMRILogUserEventBlock PackageCall to the experiment.
Edit the fMRILogUserEventBlock PackageCall.
Insert fMRILogUserEventBlock PackageCall in the appropriate places in the experiment.

Estimated Time: 10-15 minutes

48
 EEfMRI Getting Started Guide PST- 100-666-Rev 1.0

Task 1: Add the fMRILogUserEventBlock PackageCall

Add a PackageCall to the RestBlockProc and name the PackageCall fMRILogUserEventBlock.

The fMRILogUserEventBlock PackageCall directs EEfMRI to log timing information and a user defined
condition ID into the .PDAT file for later use during analysis.

1) Double click the RestBlockProc

object to open it in the
workspace.

2) Drag a new PackageCall

from the Toolbox and drop it
before the Rest object. The
object will be given a default 1
name of PackageCall1.

3) Click on the PackageCall1

object to select it then press F2
to rename the object to
fMRILogUserEventBlock. Then
press Enter to accept the
change.

49
Chapter 2: Tutorials

Task 1 (continued): Add the fMRILogUserEventBlock PackageCall

Edit the PackageCall to direct EEfMRI to log the block condition and block timestamps in the .PDAT
file. Configure the fMRILogUserEvent PackageCall to record the Block Condition.

This PackageCall requires the user to designate how timing information about a particular event
is recorded and associated with that name. In this example we will use the -2 option to record
onset times and the BlockCondition attribute to rename the condition based on the procedure the
experiment calls.

4) Double click the

fMRILogUserEventBlock to
open the properties dialog.

4
5) Select fMRI from the Package
dropdown list.

6) Select LogUserEvent from the

Routine dropdown list.
5 6
7) Edit the Parameters to read: 7
c, -2, -2, Event, -2,
BlockCondition=
[BlockCondition]

Note: The squared brackets

denote an Attribute in E-Basic.
Please refer to the E-Prime
Users Guide for more
information. 8

8) Click OK to accept change.

50
 EEfMRI Getting Started Guide PST- 100-666-Rev 1.0

Task 2: Add the fMRILogUserEventBlock PackageCall to PressBlockProc

Add the fMRILogUserEventBlock PackageCall to the beginning of the PressBlockProc.

During analysis it is necessary to know what condition is active at any given point throughout the
duration of the experiment. In order to achieve this, the fMRILogUserEvent PackageCall needs to be
placed at the beginning of each BlockProcedure.

1) Double click the

PressBlockProc to open the
Properties dialog.

2) Select the
fMRILogUserEventBlock located
on the RestBlockProc.

3) Drag and drop the 1

fMRILogUserEventBlock
PackageCall at the beginning of
the PressBlockProc.

4) Compare the RestBlockProc

and the PressBlockProc shown
with what your experiment.
2
The fMRILogUserEventBlock
PackageCall should be the
first object listed in both 3
procedures.

51
Chapter 2: Tutorials

Task 3: Test
Run the experiment to verify that the appropriate prompts are presented and no runtime errors are
generated.

You have now completed the basic steps necessary to log the block condition.
Note: There will be no observable difference in the timing. If you desire to see the result of
the changes you made, examine in the .PDAT file.

1) Press Ctrl+S to save your work

before continuing. Click the 1
generate icon or press Ctrl+F7
to generate the script and check
it for errors.
2

2) Click the run icon or press F7 to

run the paradigm.

3) Click OK to accept the default 3 3

values for Subject Number,
Session Number and Summary
of Startup Info.
During the experiment
change the appropriate fields 3
to reflect the pertinent
information.

4) Press Enter select the 4

highlighted menu option.

5) Read the experiment instructions

then press Enter to continue.

6) Press Enter to manually

simulate the scanner trigger
pulse and begin the task.
If you test the experiment at
the scanner, in conjunction
with the appropriate interface 5
hardware, the task will
automatically begin when the
technologist initiates the
scan from scanner console.

52
 EEfMRI Getting Started Guide PST- 100-666-Rev 1.0

2.6.2 Tutorials 6: Logging Event and Response Data in .PDAT File

If you have not completed Tutorial 5, start by opening the experimental paradigm ...\My Documents\
My Experiments\fMRI\Tutorials\fMRIPress5.es. Before you start, save the experiment under the
name fMRIPress.es in the same directory (...Samples\Tutorials\fMRIPress.es) so that none of the
resources in the folder get overwritten. Detailed instructions on how to save can be found on page
13, Tutorial 1 Task 2.

Resave
Only follow the steps below if you havent completed tutorial 5.
1) Select the File|Save As... from the application menu bar.
2) Type fMRIPress.es as the new name in the File name field.
3) Click the Save button.

Summary:
In order to analyze fMRI data it is essential to know the stimulus order, what time the
stimulus occurred and the participants response to the stimulus. This data is often referred
to as the stimulus record or the behavioral data. E-Prime collects the data and EEfMRI is able
to write it to a file that is optimal for data analysis, the .PDAT file.

Goal:
This tutorial will illustrate the how to log the stimulus, participants responses and
stimulus onset times for each as well as the response for the stimulus and behavioral
response data collected during an fMRI experiment in the .PDAT file.

Overview of Tasks:
Add the fMRILogEvent PackageCall to the experiment after the event.
Edit the fMRILogEvent PackageCall to record the stimulus condition and time.
Add fMRILogResponseEvent PackageCall to the experiment.
Edit the fMRILogResponseEvent Package to collect the participants responses and time.

Estimated Time: 10-15 minutes

53
Chapter 2: Tutorials

Task 1: Add the fMRILogEventStimulus

Add a PackageCall to the TrialProc that will direct EEfMRI to log the specified object in the .PDAT file,
and name the PackageCall fMRILogEventStimulus.

It is crucial to log the onset time and condition of the stimulus throughout the duration of an
experiment. The fMRILogEvent directs EEfMRI to record this information in the .PDAT for use in later
analysis.

1) Double click the TrialProc

object to open it in the
workspace.

2) Drag a new PackageCall

from the Toolbox and drop it
after the Stimulus object. The
object will be given a default
name of PackageCall1.

1
3) Click on the PackageCall1
object to select it then press F2
to rename the object to
fMRILogEventStimulus.
Then press Enter to accept the
change.

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 EEfMRI Getting Started Guide PST- 100-666-Rev 1.0

Task 1 (continued): Add the fMRILogEventStimulus

Edit PackageCall to direct EEfMRI to log event object calls in the .PDAT file.

The fMRILogEventStimulus PackageCall requires the user identify the object to be recorded in the
.PDAT file. In this instance we want to document the Stimulus object. In order to accurately record
what stimulus was shown we will use the hand and finger attributes from the PressTrial List and we
will use the -1 option to collect the timing information.

4) Double click the

fMRILogEventStimulus to
open the properties dialog.
4

5) Select fMRI from the Package

dropdown list.

6) Select LogEvent from the

Routine dropdown list.
5 6
7) Edit the Parameters to read: 7
c, Stimulus, -1,
Hand=[Hand];Finger
=[Finger]

8) Click OK.

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Chapter 2: Tutorials

Task 2: Add fMRILogResponseEvent PackageCall and edit properties

Add PackageCall to TrialProc and name it fMRILogResponseEvent.

This PackageCall enables EEfMRI to output the participants response and the time it occurred into
the .PDAT file. It is important to place the call after the response has transpired.

1) Drag a new PackageCall

from the Toolbox and drop it
after the Feedback object. The 1
object will be given a default
name of PackageCall1.

2) Click on the PackageCall1

object to select it then press
F2 to rename the object to 2
fMRILogResponseEvent.
Then press Enter to accept the
change.

3) Double click the

3
fMRILogResponseEvent to open
the Properties dialog.

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Task 2: Add fMRILogResponseEvent PackageCall

Configure the fMRILogResponseEvent PackageCall to record responses and the time the
fMRILogResponseEvent occurred.

Like the fMRILogResponseStimulus PackageCall the fMRILogResponseEvent PackageCall is also

associated with the object displaying the trials/stimuli, in this case the Stimulus object. However,
the fMRILogResponseEvent is specifically designed to collect responses, label them and record the
onset times. We will use the same parameters as the fMRILogResponseStimulus. It is the placement
of the package call that allows it to collect the response.

4) Select fMRI from the Package

dropdown list.

4 5
5) Select LogResponseEvent.

6) Edit the Parameters to read:

c, Stimulus, -1, 6
Hand=[Hand];
Finger=[Finger]

7) Click OK to accept changes.

7

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Chapter 2: Tutorials

Task 3: Test
Run the experiment to verify that the appropriate prompts are presented and no runtime errors are
generated.

You have now completed the basic steps necessary to log timing and experimental condition
information to the .PDAT file. After you run the experiment examine the .PDAT file.

1) Press Ctrl+S to save your work

before continuing. Click the 1
generate icon or press Ctrl+F7
to generate the script and check
it for errors.
2

2) Click the run icon or press F7 to

run the paradigm.

3) Click OK to accept the default 3 3

values for Subject Number,
Session Number and Summary
of Startup Info.
During the experiment
change the appropriate fields 3
to reflect the pertinent
information.

4) Press Enter select the 4

highlighted menu option.

5) Read the experiment instructions

then press Enter to continue.

6) Press Enter to manually

simulate the scanner trigger
pulse and begin the task.
If you test the experiment at
the scanner, in conjunction
with the appropriate interface 5
hardware, the task will
automatically begin when the
technologist initiates the
scan from scanner console.

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2.6.3 Tutorials 7: Creating a Practice Run

If you have not completed Tutorial 6, start by opening the experimental paradigm ...\My Documents\
My Experiments\fMRI\Tutorials\fMRIPress6.es. Before you start, save the experiment under the
name fMRIPress.es in the same directory. Detailed instructions on how to save can be found on
page 13, Tutorial 1 Task 2.

Resave
Only follow the steps below if you havent completed tutorial 6.
1) Select the File|Save As... from the application menu bar.
2) Type fMRIPress.es as the new name in the File name field.
3) Click the Save button.

Summary:
The ultimate goal of running an experiment is to collect usable data. To maximize the
potential that the data is good, experimental participants are often trained before the actual
functional MRI to insure the task is adequately understood. During the training process it is
necessary to provide the participant with feedback to facilitate his/her learning process.
However, when it is time to start the data collection feedback is often unnecessary or
unwanted. It is advantageous for an experiment to have the ability to control the presence
or absence of feedback when the experimenter deems necessary.

Goal:
This tutorial will illustrate how to create a practice run and include it as a menu item.

Overview of Tasks:
Edit the RunList object to include a practice run.
Add an InLine object capable of skipping feedback when the run is not a practice run.
Add a Label to indicate where to resume the experiment if feedback is skipped.

Estimated Time: 10-15 minutes

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Chapter 2: Tutorials

Task 1: Edit the RunListProperties to generate a practice choice in menu

Edit the RunList to differentiate between a practice and experimental run.

Add an Attribute to the RunList and name it Practice. The difference between a practice and
experimental run is the presence or absence of feedback presentation to the participant. To enable
an experiment with the ability to halt or display feedback requires several steps. The first step is to
provide a way to designate when the experiment is required to run a practice or an experimental run.
We will accomplish this by adding an Attribute and naming it Practice.

1) Double click the RunList icon.

This will open the RunList in the
workspace.

2) Click the Add Attribute button 1

located at the top of the RunList
dialog, third from the left.

3) Edit the Name text box to read,

Practice. 2
4) Click Add.

4
3

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Task 1 (continued): Edit the RunListProperties to general practice choice in the

menu
Add a Level to the RunList and edit it to display a practice listing in the menu.

Recall from Tutorial 2 that the MenuItem Attribute controls the text items that populate the user
menu. You will need to provide the user a way to distinguish a practice run from an experimental run.
In order to this, edit the MenuItem Attribute to read, Press-Practice. You will also need to designate
a procedure for the experiment to execute during the practice run, choose PressRunProc.

5) Click the Add Level button

5
located at the top of the RunList
dialog, first button from the left.

6) Edit the row one text cell,

MenuItem column, to read,
Press-Practice.
Note: All text in the menu item
column will be displayed on
screen in the menu to the user 6
and experiment participant.

7) Edit row one, the practice listing,

Practice column to read,
yes.

8) Edit the Procedure column, row

two to read, PressRunProc.
This is the non-practice listing. 7
8
9) Confirm row two, the
non-practice listing to read
Press in the MenuItem column.
9 10
10) Confirm row 2, the non-practice
listing, Practice column to read
no.

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Chapter 2: Tutorials

Task 2: Add and Edit an InLine Object

Add an InLine object, rename it CheckSkipFeedback, and add the code to tell E-Prime to ignore the
feedback when the Press-Practice has not been selected.

In this step we will enable the program to skip the feedback display if the user has selected the
Press (non-practice) run. This requires adding an InLine object to the TrialProc that instructs the
experiment to skip over the Feedback object and go to a designated label (We will add the label in
Task 4).

1) Double click the TrialProc to

open its properties dialog.

2) Drag a new InLine object from

the Toolbox and drop it after the
Fixation object. The InLine
object will be given a default
name of InLine1.

1
3) Click the InLine1 object to
select it, then press F2 to
rename the object to
CheckSkipFeedback.
Press Enter to accept the
change.

4) Double click the InLine object to

open in the workspace.
2

5) Edit the
CheckSkipFeedback InLine 3
to read:
If c.GetAttrib(Practice)=no
Then GoTo SkipFeedback

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Task 3: Add and Edit a SkipFeedback Label to TrialProc

Add a label to TrialProc and name it SkipFeedback.

Designate the proper place in the experiment for it to resume once it skips the Feedback object.

1) Drag the Label object from the

E-Prime Toolbox and drop it on
the TrialProc after the Feedback
object. 1

2) Click on the Label1 then press

F2 to rename the object.
Rename the Label1 to
SkipFeedback. 2

3) Enter to accept changes.

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Chapter 2: Tutorials

Task 4: Run the experiment

Run the experiment to verify that the appropriate prompts are presented and no runtime errors are
generated.

You have now completed the basic steps necessary to create practice run. Run the experiment in
practice mode to view the trial by trial feedback and then select the Press option to compare.

1) Press Ctrl+S to save your work

before continuing. Click the 1
generate icon or press Ctrl+F7
to generate the script and check
it for errors.
2

2) Click the run icon or press F7 to

run the paradigm.

3 3
3) Click OK to accept the default
values for Subject Number,
Session Number and summary
confirmation.
When you are actually running
3
the experiment change the
appropriate fields to reflect the
pertinent information. 4

4) Press Enter select the

highlighted menu option.

5) Read the experiment instructions

then press Enter to continue.

6) Press Enter to manually simulate

the scanner trigger pulse and
begin the task. 5
If you test the experiment at
the scanner, in conjunction
with the appropriate interface
hardware, the task will
automatically begin when the
technologist initiates the
scan from scanner console.
6

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Chapter 3: Reference
3.1 Package Calls
The following pages describe in detail the fMRI PackageCalls. The formatting is as follows; name
of the PackageCall, overview of the PackageCall, parameters of the PackageCall and any relevant
examples. The PackageCalls are named by the convention the program expects. This naming
convention is not necessary, but is recommended. Naming the PackageCalls otherwise will trigger a
dialog box to inform you, that you are not naming the PackageCall in the way the program expects.

The overview section describes the function of the PackageCall and other useful information about
the PackageCalls features. The parameter section delineates the options available to the user. It
is read as follows; the italicized text is the variable. Except in the case of c the italicized text will
need to be renamed by the user. When the examples are present they serve to clarify points made
in the overview and parameters.

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Chapter 3: Reference

fMRISessionInit

Overview: This PackageCall is used to initialize fMRI support in the E-Prime experiment at the
session level. It loads the default parameter settings for the other PackageCalls and
initializes the system hardware. It also manages the file buffer. This means it creates
a file to write data to, opens the file for writing and closes the data file when data
collection has concluded. It creates a file with the extension .PDAT and names it by
default (ExperimentName-SubjectNumber-RunNumber .PDAT). If desired the user is
able to specify the name of the .PDAT file and can also specify the names for the user
defined columns. This call must be executed at the Session Level.

Parameters: c As Context
Sets the current experiment context.

strState As String
Options: on , off
Allows user to turn on or off the fMRI Package File support, default is on.

str .PDAT Filename As String (optional)

Allows the user to specify the .PDAT filename.

str.pdatUserColumns As String (optional)

Tab delimited string of column names for user defined columns in the .PDAT
file.
Specify an empty string to disable user defined columns.
Default = User1\tUser2\tUser3\tUser4\tUser5.

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fMRIMenuBegin

Overview: This call implements an interactive menu using a specified List Object at the Run
Level (see E-Basic help for description and properties of List Object). The menu is
created dynamically by extracting text from a designated attribute (MenuItem) within
the List Object. The MenuItem attribute is defined by a column in the List Object (e.g.,
MenuList).
The text in the cell of the MenuItem column is presented on the menu screen and is
visible to the user and to the participant. When a menu item is selected at runtime the
corresponding row of the List Object is selected and executed.
In the experiment structure the fMRIMenuBegin PackageCall must be followed by the
menu List Object and the List Object must be followed by the fMRIMenuEnd package
call.

For example:
fMRIMenuBegin
MenuList (object that contains MenuItem attribute)
fMRIMenuEnd

It is recommended that the fMRIMenuBegin and PackageCall is placed after

the fMRISessionInit.

Parameters: c As Context
The current experiment context.

strMenuState As String
Options: on , off
Enables or disables the display of the menu at runtime. When the menu is
enabled it will be displayed to the user and the Selection, Reset/Exit related
properties specified on the List Object will be ignored. When the menu is
disabled the List Object will execute normally.

theMenuList As List
The List Object is used to create the menu. The List Object is required to
contain an attribute whose contents are the text displayed to the user. By
default the attribute is expected to be named MenuItem, but may be changed
using the following optional parameter.

strMenuItemAttribute As String (optional)

Optional name of an attribute on the List Object that will obtain the text
displayed to the user and participant for each menu item.
Default = MenuItem.

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Chapter 3: Reference

fMRIMenuEnd

Overview: This PackageCall completes the implementation of a menu that was defined by the
fMRIMenuBegin call. In the experiment structure the fMRIMenuEnd PackageCall
must follow the List Object and the List Object must follow the fMRIMenuBegin
package call.
For example,
fMRIMenuBegin
MenuList
fMRIMenuEnd

It is recommended that the fMRIMenuEnd call is placed at the end of the
Session Level.

Parameters: c As Context
The current experiment context.

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fMRIRunBegin

Overview: This call designates the beginning of a new run by writing a RunBegin record to the
.PDAT file, including a run start time and condition. By default the command will
overlay a text message on the current screen and then wait for a designated trigger
key to start the run. The trigger time is saved as the zero time for the run. The
default functionality may be overridden by use of various parameters. If you are
handling trigger detection and synchronization yourself you should still call this
command after the trigger is received, and pass in the timestamp of the trigger and
the appropriate condition. This will cause the RunBegin record to be written to the
.PDAT file with the appropriate condition and experiment start time to be used in later
analyses.

Parameters: c As Context
The current experiment context.

nTriggerTime As Long
A millisecond timestamp to associate with the trigger. If -1 then this call will
wait until one of the designated trigger is received from the scanner trigger
pulse or designated trigger key before returning. If non-zero, then this value will
be used directly as the trigger time and the system will NOT wait for a trigger.

strRunConditionId As String
A string that identifies the current run condition.

strTriggerText As String (optional)

A text message that will be overlaid on the screen and displayed to the
participant while waiting for the trigger. You should pass in an empty string to
disable the message. An empty string is coded as open and close quotes.

strTriggerKeys As String (optional)

An optional set of keys that will be accepted as the trigger. By default the
allowable keys are {^}, {ENTER}, {ESCAPE}, and F6.

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Chapter 3: Reference

fMRIRunEnd

Overview: This PackageCall designates the end of a current run by writing a RunEnd record to
the .PDAT file. If the user decided to break out of the run before it ends, a RunBreak
record written instead. An optional timing report will also be generated and displayed
to the user. If fMRIRunBegin was called to begin the run then this call is required to
complete the run.

Parameters: c As Context
The current experiment context.

nReportDuration As Long
Specifies how long the report should be in milliseconds unless one of the flag
values below is specified.
0 = disable the report (do not show the report)
-1 = leave the report displayed to the user until the {Enter} key is
pressed.

strReportOptions As String (optional)

Allows you to show/hide various aspects of the report.
(NOT CURRENTLY IMPLEMENTED)

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fMRILogEvent

Overview: This call logs an event record to the .PDAT file. It should be placed after the object
that you associate with the event (e.g. stimulus presentation object) has been run so
that the correct timing information for the event is logged in the .PDAT file. The record
id is hardcoded as Event. This call must be associated with an Object (see E-Basic
help for details regarding Objects), usually the Object presenting the experimental
stimulus.

Parameters: c As Context
The current experiment context.

StimulusObject As RTERunnableInputObject
The object that corresponds to the event (e.g. Stimulus). The time of the event
will be set to the value saved in objects OnsetTime property.

nDuration As Long
The duration that will be associated with the event. The duration passed in
will be used directly unless one of the following flag values is supplied.
-1 = Set the duration based on value of the theObject.Duration
property.
-2 = Flag the value to be calculated via post processing.

strConditionId As String
A string that describes an experimental condition to associate with the event.

strUserDefinedData As String (optional)

An optional tab delimited string that provides data for user defined columns.

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Chapter 3: Reference

fMRILogResponseEvent

Overview: Logs a Response Event record to the .PDAT log file. The response information will be
extracted from the Object passed in, usually the Object presenting the experimental
stimulus. The record id is hardcoded as Response, and the RT will be logged as the
duration for the event.

Parameters: c As Context
The current experiment context.

StimulusObject As RTERunnableInputObject
The object that enabled and collected the response. The time of the event will
be set to value saved in objects OnsetTime property.

nDuration As Long
The duration that will be associated with the response event. The duration
passed in will be used directly unless one of the following flag values is
supplied.
-1 = Set the duration to the value of objects RT property.
-2 = Flag the value to be calculated via post processing.

strConditionId As String
A string that describes an experimental condition to associate with the event.

strUserDefinedData As String (optional)

An optional tab delimited string that provides data for user defined columns.

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fMRILogUserEvent

Overview: This call is like the fMRILogEvent call. It logs a user defined event record in the .PDAT
file. The difference is that it does not have to be associated with an Object.
For example if there is a period of time when the participant is memorizing stimuli,
this
would be the PackageCall that you would use.

Parameters: c As Context
The current experiment context.

nOnsetTime As Long
The onset time that will be associated with the event. The onset time passed
in will be used directly unless one of the following flag values is supplied.
-1 = Get a current timestamp by calling Clock.Read
-2 = Get an expected timestamp by calling GetNextTargetOnsetTime()

nTargetOnsetTime As Long
The target onset time that will be associated with the event. The target onset
time passed in will be used directly unless one of the following flag values is
supplied.
-1 = Get a current timestamp by calling Clock.Read
-2 = Get an expected timestamp by calling GetNextTargetOnsetTime()

strRecordId As String
A string id that describes the type of event record described. The fMRI system
reserves some default id strings, but the user may define their own as needed
to assist in post processing activities.

nDuration As Long
The duration that will be associated with the event. The duration passed in
will be used directly unless one of the following flag values is supplied.
-1 = Unused.
-2 = Flag the value to be calculated via post processing.

strConditionId As String
A string that describes an experimental condition to associate with the event.

strUserDefinedData As String (optional)

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Chapter 3: Reference

fMRIResetListByName

Overview: The experimental level at which you reset the list will vary depending on the type of
experiment you want to run. If you reset the list at the block level, every time that
block is run you will regenerate the list. This could cause a member of that list to be
repeated during the same experimental run (in this example a run is defined as
every time the scanner starts and stops.) and session This will repeat stimuli to the
same participant. If you rest the list at the run level, the list will be refreshed every
run. This will allow you to set the stimulus presentation to random, and run many
blocks without showing a repeat list member.

Accepts a comma delimited string of List names and performs a List.Reset call to
each List that is named. This will reset the items contained in the list so that all items
are once again available for sampling.

Parameters: c As Context
The current experiment context.

strListNames As String
A comma delimited string containing the names of List objects that should be

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fMRICheckForBreak

Overview: Checks for a user break request. If a break request is detected the currently running
List will be terminated.

Parameters: c As Context
The current experiment context.

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Appendix A: MapperOne Experiment Description

Appendix A: MapperOne Experiment Description

Introduction
This section of the manual is designed to describe the EEfMRI sample paradigms included with
the package installation. The sample experiment is located \My Experiments\fMRI\Samples\
MapperOne. The MapperOne.es experiment is a collection of research-oriented tasks designed to
map various areas of the brain. The task design is based on the published work of Drobyshevsky et
al 2006 and is intended to reliably produce activation patterns in the areas of the brain associated
with visual, motor, cognitive, and emotional function. The task resolution is set at 640 X 480, and
the included image resources are the same resolution.

Task Overview
There are five tasks contained in this set divided into four runs. To save time the visual and motor
tasks have been combined. All of the tasks except the emotional pictures task consist of a probe
block (18 seconds duration) alternated with a control block of equal length, and an interstimulus
interval (ISI) of two seconds.

Each run consist of eight blocks and last for two minutes and twenty-eight seconds. Recommended
scanning parameters are TE = 35ms, FOV=20cm, TR=3000ms, two discarded acquisitions 37 slices.
The tasks are set up for the instructions to verbally be given to the participant at the beginning of
each block. It is highly recommended that the participant practice the task prior to the actual scan.

The emotional pictures task consists of a neutral and probe block (both 18 seconds), a rest block (6
seconds) and an ISI of 3 seconds. Each block condition repeats four times and the run lasts three
minutes and 10 seconds.

The paper can be found here:

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1620013

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Visual - Motor Task

In this task, the participant will passively observe a fixation for a period of time, observe a series
of single digit clues and, then see a flashing checkerboard. Instruct the participant to press the
corresponding button on their response unit. The button response unit will need to be set to BRU
Duplicate (see Appendix C for instructions on how to alter this). The numbering for the right and left
hand are as follows: the right hand buttons are numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (1=thumb) and the left hand
buttons are numbered 6, 7, 8, 9, A (6=thumb).

For example:

IN
3 3
4 4
2 2

5 5

1 1

During the flashing checkerboard pattern, remind the participant to remain still. The digit blocks and
visual stimulation will alternate eight times.

4 sec 18 sec 18 sec

Fixation Motor Checkerboard

**Motor responses are collected but not scored.

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Appendix A: MapperOne Experiment Description

Language Task (Verb Generation)

In this task the participant will passively observe a control stimulus (####) for a period of time and
then observe a series of nouns. For each noun the participant is shown, he or she is to think of a
corresponding verb and say the verb silently to themselves.

For example:

Trial 1 2 3 4
Noun truck apple key dog
Silent Verb drive eat unlock bark

In trials one and three, the verb could have also been honk and lock respectively. Be sure to inform
the participant there are no right or wrong answers. The important thing is that they think of a verb.

The control blocks and verb generation blocks will alternate several times.

4 sec 18 sec 18 sec 18 sec

Fixation ### See noun ###
Silently say verb

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Working Memory (Verbal N-Back)

In this task, the participant will perform two alternating letter comparison task. During the first
comparison task, Zero-Back or target letter X, the participant will see a series of letters shown in
red. The participants task is to look for the target letter X. Every time the letter X is shown, the
participant should respond by pressing the 2 key (index finger on their right hand). If the letter
shown is not an X the participant should respond by pressing the 3 key (middle finger on their right
hand).

If the letters are shown, in yellow then the participant will perform a slightly harder task called Two-
Back or letter skips task. During the two-back task the participant will need to keep the previous
two letters in their working memory, compare them to the letter presented in the current trial and
make a judgment if the letter in the current trial is the same letter as the letter presented two trials
ago. If the letter shown in the current trial matches the letter shown two trials back, the participant
should respond by pressing the 2 key (index finger on their right hand). If the letter does not match
the letter shown in the previous two trials the participant should respond by pressing the 3 key
(middle finger on their right hand).

For example:

Trial 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Letter G J J K J G K
Correct
2 2 2 2 3 2 2
Response

The table above shows a series of letters. The only target occurs on trial five because trail three (the
trial two previous) is the same letter; the target letter skips a letter.

The Zero-Back (red) and Two-Back (yellow) blocks will alternate several times.

4 sec 18 sec 18 sec

Fixation Zero-Back Two-Back

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Appendix A: MapperOne Experiment Description

Emotional Pictures
In this task the Participant will passively observe a fixation for a short period of time. The Participant
will then passively observe a control stimulus (alternating pictures of unemotional pictures) for
a period of time. The Participant will then passively observe a series of emotional pictures. The
control blocks and emotional pictures blocks will alternate several times.

4 sec 18 sec 6 sec 18 secs 6 sec 18 sec 6 sec 18 sec 6 sec ...
Fixation Control Rest Emotional Rest Control Rest Emotional Rest
Pictures Pictures

We are not legally able to distribute the control and emotional pictures, actually used in the
Drobyshevsky et. al. publication. The original experiment used images from the The International
Affective Picture System (IAPS).

IAPS provides normative ratings of emotion (pleasure, arousal, dominance) for a set of color photo-
graphs that provide a set of normative emotional stimuli for experimental investigations of emotion
and attention.

You can request a copy of the stimuli via this web site:
http://csea.phhp.ufl.edu/media/iapsmessage.html

The .bmp files used in the Drobyshevsky et al 2006 study are:

1121, 1390, 1660, 1670, 1720, 1810, 1811, 1812,

2030, 2070, 5260, 5390, 5500, 5875, 5890, 5920,
6150, 7000, 7002, 7004, 7009, 7010, 7030, 7034,
7050, 7090, 7130, 7150, 7200, 7233, 7235, 7270,
7351, 7500, 7595, 8161, 8162, and 8300.

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Appendix B: .PDAT File Format

The .PDAT is located in the \ My Documents\My Experiments\fMRI\Tutorials\
The file can be opened via Excel.

The Time of Day field is the computer clock time.

The ClockTime column is the computer clock time in milliseconds.

The OnsetTime is the PackageCall timestamp (computer clock time, ms), and the TargetOnsetTime is
when the program expects the PackageCall (computer clock time, ms).

Please note:
All of the fields except the The RESP, CRESP, ACC, RT, and RTTime are empty
because the PackageCalls that populate the fields have not yet been added to the
experiment.

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 Appendix C: Configuring your MapperOne Experiment to Left-Right Unique

Appendix C: Configuring your MapperOne

experiment to Left-Right Unique
The following steps will teach you how to configure the MapperOne experiment configuration to left-right
unique. Please note: If you wish to use the scanner trigger pulse to start your experiment please refer to
Section 6 (pages 30-37) of the FOBRS Manual.

Note: You must have E-Prime Version 1.2 or higher to enable the experiment and accept the trigger
pulse from the BNC connection. The experiment we will use is located in the My Documents\My
Experiments\Samples\MapperOne folder, that is installed when you install E-Prime.
If you do not have this experiment, follow the instructions below.

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Task 1: Copy Samples and Tutorials into My Experiments

Recopy the E-Prime default Samples and Tutorials folders to configure the MapperOne experiment to
run with the FOBRS hardware.
If you have the MapperOne.es file in My Documents\My Experiments\Samples\MapperOne then skip to
Task 2.

1) Click on the Windows Start 1

menu, select All Programs, and
then select E-Prime. From
the menu, click on E-Studio to
launch the application.

1 1
2) Click the Cancel button.

3) Select Tools g Options

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 Appendix C: Configuring your MapperOne Experiment to Left-Right Unique

Task 1 (continued): Copy Samples and Tutorials into My Experiments

Recopy the E-Prime default Samples and Tutorials folders to configure the MapperOne experiment to
run with the FOBRS hardware.

4) Select Copy Samples and

Tutorials to My Experiments
Folder

5) Click OK.

6) Click Yes.

7) You will see this dialogue.

8) Click OK. 4

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Task 2: Load MapperOne.es2

Locate the E-Studio icon in the Start>Programs>E-Prime menu and launch the application by selecting
it. Load the MapperOne.es sample experiment.

The E-Studio application is installed as part of the standard E-Prime installation. This application is
used to create, modify and test experiments within E-Prime. Open the E-Studio application, navigate to
the appropriate folder and load the MapperOne.es2 sample experiment.
Under Windows XP the folder will be:
My Documents\My Experiments\Samples\MapperOne\MapperOne.es

1) Click on the Windows Start 1

menu, select All Programs,
and then select E-Prime. From
the menu, click on E-Studio to
launch the application.

2) Click the OK button. Select 1 1

File g Open.

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 Appendix C: Configuring your MapperOne Experiment to Left-Right Unique

Task 2 (continued): Load MapperOne.es2

Locate the E-Studio icon in the Start>Programs>E-Prime menu and launch the application by selecting
it. Load the MapperOne.es sample experiment.

The E-Studio application is installed as part of the standard E-Prime installation. This application is
used to create, modify and test experiments within E-Prime. Open the E-Studio application, navigate to
the appropriate folder and load the MapperOne.es2 sample experiment.
Under Windows XP the folder will be:
My Documents\My Experiments\Samples\MapperOne\MapperOne.es

3) Navigate to the ...Samples\

MapperOne folder to locate the 3
paradigm.

4) Select the MapperOne.es2 file

and then open it.

5) Click the Open button to load

the paradigm into E-Studio.

6) If you are using E-Prime 2.0

Professional, you will be
prompted to Maintain the E-Prime 4 5
2.0 file format or Convert this file
to E-Prime 2.0 Professional file
format.
Make the appropriate choice for
your situation and click OK.

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Task 3: Add and Configure the SRBox to Experiment Object Properties

Open the Experiment Object and use the Devices tab to add the SRBox to the experiment and edit the
SRBox properties.

The SRBox needs to be added to the Experiment Objects to emulate the keyboard. If the experiment
is not configured as instructed below the hardware and E-Prime will not effectively communicate; the
FOBRS hardware will send the {^} to trigger the experiment, but E-Prime will not recognize the character
properly.

1) Double click the Experiment 1 2

object at the top of the tree in
the Structure view.

2) Click on the Devices tab of

the Experiment Object
Properties dialog.

3) Click the Add... button.

4) Select the SRBox.

5) Click the OK button to dismiss 3 4

the dialog. 5
6) Highlight the SRBox and click
Edit

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 Appendix C: Configuring your MapperOne Experiment to Left-Right Unique

Task 3: (continued) Add and Configure the SRBox to Experiment Object Properties
Open the Experiment Object and use the Devices tab to add the SRBox to the experiment and edit the
SRBox to enable Left/Right unique.

7) Select BRU Unique from the

Configuration dropdown menu.

8) Select Keyboard from the

Emulate Device dropdown
menu.

9) Click the OK.

10) Click OK when the warning 7

appears and close the rest of
the open dialogues. 8
Note: This warning means that
the SRBox outputs are sent
to the keyboard buffer. 9
In other words, the computer
thinks the SRBox is a keyboard.

10

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Task 4: Test
Run the experiment to verify that the appropriate prompts are presented and no runtime errors are
generated.

The experiment you just saved is now enabled to use both the right and left response unit.

1) Generate the script by pressing 1

Ctrl+F7 or click the generate
icon. 2
2) Click the run icon or press F7
to run the paradigm. 3
3) Select SPACE to manually
simulate the Trigger Pulse.

4) Press ENTER at the

instructions screen to test the
equipment.

5) Press ENTER to test.

6) Press the corresponding finger

when prompted to perform the
task.

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Technical Support
Psychology Software Tools, Inc. provides technical support for E-Prime via the PST web site.
You must register online at http://www.pstnet.com/e-prime/support/login.asp to receive technical
support. To register you simply need a valid serial number. At the support site, you will also find
a Knowledge Base including release notes and a compilation of frequently asked questions. In
addition, the support site also includes E-Prime sample paradigms that are available for you to
download.

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