Discovery 24 EEG/qEEG Amplifier, 19 Channels, BrainAvatar 4.0 Acquisition and Built-in Impedance Meter

The Discovery 24 from BrainMaster is a non-invasive EEG system for 19-channel EEG and qEEG recordings. It ships with BrainAvatar 4.0 Acquisition, and the impedance meter is built into the unit. Because the software configuration is flexible, the system can be set up for the task at hand — from plain EEG recording through qEEG to neurofeedback training.

Neurofeedback training

Paired with the appropriate software, the system delivers visual and auditory feedback in real time from the EEG signal. Frequency bands such as alpha, beta and theta can be displayed live, as can real-time brain mapping, including LORETA.

The Discovery 24 works with the established protocols for neurofeedback-based interventions — Z-score, SCP, ISF/ILF — as well as Brodmann area training, NeuroGuide, and the IFEN software and games.

Two aux channels: HRV and event-related potentials

Alongside the 19 EEG channels there are two auxiliary channels. They allow cardiac activity to be recorded in parallel with the EEG. Heart rate variability measures can then be derived with the IFEN ERP-Analyzer — EEG and HRV come from the same recording and share an exact time base.

The same aux channels carry the signals from the IFEN trigger box: auditory and visual stimuli on aux channel 1, the participant's motor responses on aux channel 2. That separation is what makes a single recording yield more than the ERP alone. The intervals between stimulus and response markers give reaction time and its variability, omission and commission errors, and post-error slowing — the slowdown after a mistake, a measure of how a person adjusts their behaviour once they have erred.

Research and laboratory use

Suited to EEG-based studies of neural activity and of feedback systems. Since workflows can be configured freely, your own signal-processing and analysis steps can be built into the chain. Data can be exported as EDF.

The programming interface is available for research projects. We support the integration into existing analysis pipelines — we work with universities on a regular basis.

Analysis

The work does not end with the recording. For the analysis we provide a range of further tools: the IFEN ERP-Analyzer for event-related potentials and HRV measures, IFEN Pro-Z Live for Z-score training, the Neuropathfinder, and the normative qEEG databases QEEG-Pro and NeuroGuide. AI-supported methods for qEEG analysis come on top of these. Which of them fit your question is something we clarify in the consultation.

On the software side the system works with both platforms: BrainAvatar from BrainMaster and NeuroGuide.

BrainMaster systems compared

Please note: this overview shows which methods are possible in principle with each system. It does not indicate which software is included. Several of the methods listed — ISF training, Z-score training and sLORETA among them — require separately licensed software modules. Talk to us and we will put together what your particular work actually calls for.

Available functionality depends on the hardware configuration chosen and on the licensed BrainMaster software modules.

Specifications

• EEG channels: 19 channels following the international 10-20 system
• Additional inputs: 2 aux channels as differential inputs with separate references
• Channel count: alongside the 19 canonical recording sites, FpZ and OZ are available as channels in their own right — 21 active channels in total. Both are rarely needed in routine work, but can be included whenever a research question calls for it
• Sampling rate: 256 Hz
• Impedance measurement: built into the unit
• Connection and power: USB, portable operation without batteries
• Data export: EDF
• Software: BrainAvatar 4.0 Acquisition

The Self Calibration Device

The Self Calibration Device lets you verify the technical function of the amplifier yourself at regular intervals. On an EEG system this is not a minor detail: you can only rely on the data you record if you know the hardware is working cleanly. A check of this kind is not usually included by other suppliers. With the Discovery 24 it comes at no extra cost — the full contents of the box are listed in the corresponding section.

Applications and users

The Discovery 24 is a medical device. It is used both in medical diagnostics and in neurofeedback, depending on how the software is configured. Diagnostic work needs only the EEG recording; qEEG and neurofeedback add analysis and real-time feedback.

Its users are correspondingly varied: physicians and neurologists, neurofeedback practitioners, and researchers. The system is designed for use by qualified professionals and supports their data-based decisions. Use always falls within the practitioner's own scope of qualification and practice; see the “Medical approval” section for details of the intended purpose.

Before you buy: talk to us

If you have read this far, a conversation is worth your time. Which software modules you actually need, which electrodes and caps suit the way you work, and what qualification goes with it all depend on what you intend to do with the system. One appointment is usually enough to settle that — and it saves you from buying something that turns out not to fit the plan.

The Decision Navigator helps with the pre-selection. At IFEN we have been training neurofeedback professionals since 2008; which path suits your plans is something we discuss in the same appointment.