From zero to lab: Guidelines and practical implementation for building a multimodal experimental psychology and cognitive neuroscience laboratory.

Abstract

As multimodal approaches become increasingly common in cognitive neuroscience, there is a growing need for clear guidelines for designing and building laboratories. Here, we present a structured framework for the development of a multimodal neuroscience laboratory, covering key aspects such as space selection, acoustic treatment, electromagnetic shielding, environmental control, data synchronization, and data management. We also describe its practical implementation at the Instituto de Neurociencia Avanzada de Barcelona (INAB), where the facility was configured to support both individual and multi-participant studies using electroencephalography (EEG), functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), eye-tracking, and peripheral biosensors. The laboratory was designed to preserve signal quality, minimize artifacts, and promote experimental reproducibility through controlled environmental conditions and rigorous synchronization procedures. Validation tests confirmed that the recording space achieved reverberation times below 0.6 s and reduced electromagnetic interference (EMI) by more than 30 × . Taken together, these technical and practical considerations provide a replicable model that other research groups can adopt to improve standardization and data reliability in multimodal neuroscience settings.