A PDP-12 system for on-line acquisition of heart rate data

A research program for investigating the responsiveness of infants at high risk for developing schizophrenia is described briefly. Two measures of reactivity to brief auditory stimuli, the evoked heart-rate response and the evoked potential of the brain, are recorded for analysis by the PDP-12 computer. An interface to the PDP-12, called the R peak detector and R-R interval counter, is used for reducing the EKG to R-R intervals, with an accuracy of ± 1 msec. The current usage of the PDP-12 and its IBM-compatible tape transports is discussed, and proposed developments for on-line statistical analyses of the physiological data and real-time control of the experiment are presented.