NEULOG ELECTROCARDIOGRAM LOGGER SENSOR GUIDE
NeuLog electrocardiogram logger sensor
NUL-218
The NeuLog electrocardiogram sensor can be used for any science
experiment or activity that can utilize heartbeat data such as in the fields of:
Biology, Physiology, Human medicine, Psychology, etc.
An electrocardiogram is a very commonly used medical device which
measures and graphs the heart’s electrical activity. Every single heartbeat is
a very complex event which involves many anatomical locations
undergoing changes in their electrical charges. A depolarizing cascade
event originates in the Sinoatrial Node, which is often referred to as the
natural pacemaker, and travels throughout the rest of the heart.
The sensor comes pre-calibrated so you can start experimentation right out
of the box using this guide.
Hundreds of possible experimental subjects that can be done with the NUL-
218 sensors are: electrical impulses, heart rate monitoring, human
physiology, muscle physiology, heart rate changes to stimuli, and many
more.
The ECG sensor uses the following unit of measure:
Arbitrary analog units (Arb): An arbitrary unit to demonstrate
waves, frequencies, and periods. Therefore what you will see on
the Y-axis is signal intensity, while the X-axis shows time.
Electrocardiograms:
The heart undergoes a very complex process of electrical activity; this is the
basis for how electrocardiograms work. As the heart’s muscles contract, the
cells are electrically depolarized which causes a cascade of depolarization to
flow across the heart – contracting the heart’s muscle fibers.
During a heartbeat a complex series of events happens which begins with
the cells resting potential at roughly -90mV (millivolts). The hearts
Sinoatrial Node begins the cascade by depolarizing – creating an electrical
voltage. The electrical signal travels to the right atrium and almost
immediately to the left atrium. Because the atria and the ventricles are
insulated from each other by a special type of cell which acts as an electrical
insulator, the signal is picked up in another cluster of cells called the
Atrioventricular Node located in the right atria. The signal is carried by a
special type of fibers - the Bundle of His into the ventricles. Purkinje Fibers
rapidly spread the electrical depolarization cascade throughout the
ventricles. The entire event takes some time to complete. The graph is a
visual demonstration of the heart’s relative charge at any given point during
heartbeats.