Medical Biotechnology

Central Nervous System (CNS) Organization of the brain; From cells to mental states; How to study brain functioning. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Introduction; Physical principle; Sensors and electronics; Application examples. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fRMI) Introduction; Introduction; Physical principle; Sensors and electronics; Nature of the BOLD signal; Application examples. Functional infra-red spectrography (fNIRS) Introduction; Physical principle; Sensors and electronics; Application examples. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) Introduction; Physical principle; Sensors and electronics; Application examples. Electroencephalography (EEG) Introduction; Physical principle; Sensors and electronics; Application examples. Neuroscience applied in industrial contexts Assessment of mental states in aviation; Mechanisms of neuroplasticity during training; Stress assessment of Air Traffic Controllers; Assessment of mental states in automotive; Passive BCI and adaptive automations to improve Human-Machine interaction in operational and industrial contexts. Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI)-controllable prosthetics atttraverse modulation of brain activity Brain signal decoding and definition of Brain Computer Interface (BCI); Examples of clinical and industrial application. Autonomous Nervous System Nature and analysis of Electrocardiographic (ECG) signal; Evaluation and correlates of ECG signal; Nature and analysis of Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) signal; Evaluation and correlates of GSR signal; Nature and analysis of oculometric signals: EOG and Eye Tracker; Evaluation and correlates of oculometric signals. Neuroaesthetics Use of brain imaging methodologies to assess the impact of artworks on Human brain activity; Application examples. Neuromarketing Use of brain imaging methodologies to assess the impact of advertising communications on Human brain activity; Application examples. Ethics and GDPR Basic experimental protocols; Ethics and Data Protection Considerations (GDRP). Non-invasive technologies and sensors for assessing mental and emotional states. Video - based methodologies and technologies for acquiring neurophysiological parameters; Application examples. Teamwork assessment. Use of brain imaging methodologies to assess the level of interaction between 2 or more people; Application examples. Fundamentals of statistics Introduction; Descriptive statistics; Inferential statistics; Parametric and non - parametric tests. Examples. Implantable prostheses in the ear and clinical applications (Cochlear) Use of brain imaging methodologies to assess the impact of cochlear implants on brain activity in Adults and Children; Application Examples.

No previous knowledge are necessary.

Suggested textbooks Vecchiato et al. Neuroelectrical Brain Imaging Tools for the Study of the Efficacy of TV Advertising Stimuli and their Application to Neuromarketing, Biosystems & Biorobotics (BIOSYSROB, volume 3) Borghini et al., Industrial Neuroscience in Aviation, Biosystems & Biorobotics (BIOSYSROB, volume 7) Aaron J. Newman, Research Methods for Cognitive Neuroscience, SAGE Other resources Slides with the lessons and exercises for the preparation of the exam (electronic archive indicated by the lecturer).

The course attendance is not mandatory.

The evaluation methods of the Teaching are characterized by exam sessions set in the scheduled sessions. The exam consists of a written task with both multiple-choice and open-ended questions and verbal interview on the topics of the Teaching, followed by a clarification on the evaluation criteria at the request of the student or student. The exam aims to certify the student's knowledge of physic principles, electronic and operating characteristics of most common neuroimaging techniques, processing of neurophysiological signals, validation of results in terms of statistics, definition of experimental protocols, examples of clinical and industrial applications, and management of ethical and privacy aspects of collected data. The topics presented must be treated with proper language. The elements examined for evaluation purposes are listed below: (1) the knowledge of the subject in all the areas included in the teaching program; (2) the use of a proper language; (3) the ability to reasoning; (4) the logical articulation of the wording; and (5) the integration of skills demonstrated in the response to exam questions. The verbal and written nature of the exam will allow correcting the individual evaluation of the student’s elaborate according to "item analysis" techniques. This procedure will allow not to penalize areas of the answer that will be insufficient in most of the students involved a certain exam appeal. Furthermore, the evaluation of the single student will be conducted comparatively, to guarantee equanimity and recognize the individual merits in the allocation of grades. In the evaluation process, we will also consider (1) the ability of the student to manage the time agreed to supply the answers in a concise but exhaustive manner and (2) link the key concepts in a logical and coherent way.

The teaching of Electronic Bioengineering and Clinical Applications consists of lectures with the students, with eventually some specific seminars. The lessons are all interactive, so the teacher stimulates the students with questions to which they, by virtue of the courses already followed, can give an answer. This allows the teacher to highlight the links between the current course and some previous courses, whose notions play a key role in the understanding of what is presented in the class. The continuous remanding to concepts of other courses must get the student to study the proposed subject not only with the aim of passing the final exam, but wants to highlight a multidisciplinary study, to which the student has to be educated and that is absolutely required for a master's degree student, now almost at the end of his training. The student will find on the e-learning platform teaching material (exam program, recommended texts, links) useful for the preparation of the exam. It is understood that all material is a guide to the exam topics, but they can never absolutely replace the recommended texts.