Magnetoencephalography (MEG) and its role in studying human neurophysiology David Poeppel

Cognitive Neuroscience of Language Lab Department of Linguistics and Department of Biology Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program University of Maryland College Park

Additional slides courtesy of: Kanazawa Institute of Technology/Eagle Technology Prof. Dr. Kensuke Sekihara, Tokyo Prof. Dr. Timothy Roberts, Toronto Prof. Dr. Riitta Salmelin, Helsinki

Positron emission tomography (PET)

Hemodynamic techniques

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

Non-invasive recording from human brain (Functional brain imaging)

Excellent spatial resolution (~1-2mm) Limited temporal resolution (~1sec)

Electroencephalography (EEG)
Electro-magnetic techniques

Magnetoencephalography (MEG)
D. Poeppel , A. Braun et al.

Limited spatial resolution (~1cm) Excellent temporal resolution (<1msec)

Origin of the signal

MEG scalp skull CSF tissue B EEG V recording surface orientation of magnetic field

current flow

- noninvasive measurement - direct measurement.

How small is the signal?

10 10
-4 -5

Earth field
EYE (retina) Steady activity Evoked activity LUNGS Magnetic contaminants LIVER Iron stores BRAIN (neurons) Spontaneous activity Evoked by sensory stimulation SPINAL COLUMN (neurons) Evoked by sensory stimulation HEART Cardiogram (muscle) Timing signals (His Purkinje system) GI TRACK Stimulus response Magnetic contaminations

Intensity of magnetic signal(T)

10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10

-6

-7

-8

Urban noise
FETUS Cardiogram

-9

Contamination at lung
LIMBS Steady ionic current MUSCLE Under tension

-10

Heart QRS
-11

-12

Fetal heart Muscle Spontaneous signal (-wave) Signal from retina Evoked signal

Biomagnetism
requires sensitive detectors (low noise-high gain amplification)

-13

-14

Intrinsic noise of SQUID

-15

Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices (SQUIDS) with differential measurement

Magnetometer Gradiometer
KIT System CTF System BTi-4D

NeuroMag VectorView

50 mm base line

NeuroMag VectorView BTi-4D Magnes

Planar type

Axial type

Superconductivity

To construct a highly sensitive detector - Magnetic flux quantization - Josephson effect - Linearization

Capturing the signal

For a gradiometer of this type, a signal from cortex looks different between the two coils because of the distance between the two coils. A signal from far away, however, will look similar in size to the two coils. This gradiometer principle can help further with the challenging problem of measuring small source that exist in an electromagnetic environment with many large source (subways, elevators, computers, etc.). axial gradiometer

recording surface

neuronal source

In addition to using gradiometers: Noise reduction using reference channels

250mm

In addition to using gradiometers and reference channels for noise reduction: Magnetically shielded room (MSR)

Sensor layout: recording from 160 channels

Response peak at 98ms after onset of an auditory stimulus, in the left and right temporal lobes.

Butterfly plot: overlay of the channels over right temporal lobe

Response peak at 98ms after onset of an auditory stimulus

Contour plot: distribution of magnetic field at peak response

For better source reconstruction

not so ideal

expensivebut closer to ideal

high spatial sampling is crucial.

High density sensor array

front view

bottom view

Magnetic source imaging (MSI): MEG + MRI

Dipole fit at response peak, 98ms after onset of stimulus

Somatosensory evoked field (SEF)

SI 40ms

SII 160 ms and >300ms

AI 100ms

Dipole locations subsequent to somatosensory and auditory stimulation (primary and secondary somatosensory as well as primary auditory areas and the time of response peak). Disbrow et al. (2001) J. Neurophysiol.

What is the benefit of using MEG?

MEG

EEG

-As high temporal resolution as EEG but much easier and quicker to set up (kids, patients) - Sensitivity to within-subjects effects -Magnetic fields are not differentially attenuated . . easier to get a reasonable estimate of source over time

fMRI (yellow blobs) and MEG (red dots) show remarkably consistent co-localization
Roberts & Poeppel, forthcoming

Sanders, Sekihara, Poeppel 2003

MEG is a technique that allows you to (i) record brain activity directly, with excellent temporal resolution (ms) design within-subjects experiments and evaluate single-subject data test models of cognitive processes and evaluate how these models map on to the brain.

(ii)

(iii)