rtMEG: a real-time software interface for magnetoencephalography

To date, the majority of studies using magnetoencephalography (MEG) rely on off-line analysis of the spatiotemporal properties of brain activity. Real-time MEG feedback could potentially benefit multiple areas of basic and clinical research: brain-machine interfaces, neurofeedback rehabilitation of stroke and spinal cord injury, and new adaptive paradigm designs, among others. We have developed a software interface to stream MEG signals in real time from the 306-channel Elekta Neuromag MEG system to an external workstation. The signals can be accessed with a minimal delay (≤45 ms) when data are sampled at 1000 Hz, which is sufficient for most real-time studies. We also show here that real-time source imaging is possible by demonstrating real-time monitoring and feedback of alpha-band power fluctuations over parieto-occipital and frontal areas. The interface is made available to the academic community as an open-source resource.