Protocol for cerebellar battery: experimental procedures

Centralized document for how to run each session for controls in the cerebellar battery (2022-2023).

Session 1

Before the participant arrives

  • Gather assessment materials
    • CCAS form and instructions
    • MOCA form and instructions
    • Motor speech instructions (record with AUDACITY)
    • Start up AUDACITY
    • Participant history (Qualtrics)/ participant history for people with ataxia (Qualtrics)
    • Music questionnaire link
    • Hearing screening
    • Panera link or other business providing lunch
  • Get two copies of the UCSF consent form (one for us, one for them)
  • In case of patient:
    • Get three copies of MRI consent form; one for participant, one for us and one for MRI technician
    • get MRI eligibility form
    • get filled out form eligibility MRI
  • Gather special hardware
    • ¼ to ¼ cord
    • Open back headphones
  • Run general audio check to ensure that the levels are approximately accurate

Hardware checks for reaching studies

These should not have any occasion to change between studies, but it is good to check anyway. Note that you should run these checks on the REACHING computer, which is on the cart (not Quiberon). 

Check sampling rate of tablet: 

  1. Windows start button
  2. Wacom tablet properties
  3. Click on device
  4. Needs to be in "Recognition Data" mode

Check refresh rate of monitor: 

  1. Control panel
  2. Display
  3. Adjust resolution
  4. Advanced settings
  5. Monitor-144

Consent

Obtain consent using the UCSF consent form. 

"This is a consent form for participation in our study. It tells you about our research and what you will be doing today. In this study you will be doing some brief assessments, some experiments where you use a joystick to make reaching movements, some experiments where you speak into a microphone and listen to your own speech over headphones, and some experiments where you listen to different sounds and answer questions about them. 

If at any time you would like to stop participating in the study, that is okay. You will still be compensated for the time you have spent here today. All of your information will be kept confidential, and if you have any questions, you can ask me today or contact our lead researcher, Dr. Benjamin Parrell at the number listed on the consent form. I will give you some time to look this over now. You can sign this copy, which we will keep with us, and the second copy here on the desk is yours to keep."

Patient: Obtain consent MRI

 

Assessments

    1. How to conduct a hearing screening (simplified) (we are not excluding people with mild-moderate hearing loss, but we are collecting the data)
    2. for controls:
    3. for patients:
    4. CCAS assessment (cerebellar cognitive affective syndrome---use paper assessment) 
    5. MoCA: items that do not have equivalents in CCAS
    6. Motor speech task
    7. Music questionnaire: https://uwmadison.co1.qualtrics.com/app/distributions/surveys/SV_6lHuC9FBlGi4bHM/anonymous-links

 

    Experiments

    At the beginning of this session: 

    1. Open-back headphones should be connected at the speech computer
    2. Microphone should be connected at the speech computer

    No special equipment setup needs to be completed between the two reaching studies. 

    Before typical production, participant will change computers to the speech computer. 

    Before paced VOT: 

    1. Put open-back headphones on participant
    2. Connect the output amp to the second input of the Scarlett
    3. Adjust volume to about 40% on the headphone channel going to the participant 

    This is a suggested time for a break, since you will have to do some equipment setup, and it is approximately the middle of the experiments. 

    1. Disconnect the output amp from the Scarlett
    2. Change out open-back headphones for closed-back headphones 
    3. Run check_audioLevels with noise alone and with sustained speech to adjust for speech experiment levels. 

    No equipment adjustments are needed before the formant JND study; adjust the sound level, if too loud.

    1. Run check_audioLevels with noise alone
    2. You will need to take the participant's headphones off to start the pitch compensation study. The first section in pitch compensation is a calibration phase and the participant can hear themselves in free field. Have the participant put the headphones back on when they start the main phase of the study. (Note: this is to avoid the participant having to hear you listen to various different samples of the pitch shifting algorithm; nothing bad will happen if you accidentally leave the headphones on. It is much worse to not put them back on afterwards) 

     

    After the participant leaves

    • Copy data from all experiments to their respective folders on the server
    • Fill out participant_info for assessments
    • Fill out lab notebook for each experiment
    • File consent form and assessments

     

     

     

    Session 2

    Before the participant arrives

    • BoDyS instructions
    • patients:
      • INAS form
      • SARA form
    • Check audio levels for general level accuracy
    • Need tapping interface for this session 
    • Only closed-back headphones 
    • Unplug speakers from amp output 3
    • Signed check

    Assessments

    1. BoDyS (record with Audacity)
    2. Music and dance experience questionnaire 
    3. patients:
      1. SARA
      2. INAS

    Experiments

     Suggested time for break

    Equipment setup: 

    1. Move tapping apparatus to one of the three velcro spots. Make sure that it is comfortable for the participant to reach 
    2. Plug in tapping apparatus (uses mini USB) 
    3. Plug in speakers amp output 3 and check audio levels (appr. 50 dBA with audiometer placed in between speakers and running check_audioLevels)

    Equipment setup: 

    1. Remove tapping apparatus
    2. Unplug speakers from amp output 3
    3. Place microphone back in circle marked on desk
    4. check audio levels

     Pay participant

    After the participant leaves

     



    Keywords:
    cerebellar, battery, control
    Doc ID:
    121955
    Owned by:
    Robin K. in SMNG Lab Manual
    Created:
    2022-10-19
    Updated:
    2024-05-31
    Sites:
    Speech Motor Neuroscience Group