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Detecting Pre-Stimulus Source-Level Effects on Object Perception with Magnetoencephalography
Published on: July 26, 2019
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Using optically pumped magnetometers to replicate task-related responses in next generation magnetoencephalography
Kristina Safar1,2, Marlee M Vandewouw3,4,5,6, Julie Sato3,4
1Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada. kristina.safar@sickkids.ca.
Scientific Reports
|March 19, 2024
Summary
Optically pumped magnetometers (OPMs) provide wearable magnetoencephalography (MEG) measurements comparable to traditional systems. OPM-MEG successfully captured brain activity, even in participants with dental implants, demonstrating its potential for broader applications.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biophysics
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Optically pumped magnetometers (OPMs) represent a novel wearable technology for magnetoencephalography (MEG).
- Characterizing and validating OPM-based MEG recordings is crucial due to its emerging status.
- Assessing OPM-MEG replicability against established SQUID-MEG systems is essential for clinical adoption.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare magnetoencephalography (MEG) recordings using optically pumped magnetometers (OPMs) and superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs).
- To evaluate the replicability of evoked responses, oscillatory power, and functional connectivity during emotion processing.
- To assess the feasibility of OPM-MEG in participants with metallic dental fixtures.
Main Methods:
- Twenty adult participants underwent simultaneous or sequential OPM-MEG and SQUID-MEG recordings.
- Evoked responses, oscillatory power, and functional connectivity were analyzed during an emotion processing task.
- Five participants with dental fixtures were included to test OPM-MEG performance in the presence of metal artifacts.
Main Results:
- Task-related evoked responses were replicable across both OPM-MEG and SQUID-MEG modalities.
- Similar patterns of oscillatory power, particularly in response to faces, were observed between the two systems.
- SQUID-MEG showed increased connectivity in an occipital-parietal network compared to OPM-MEG.
- High-quality OPM-MEG data were obtained from participants with metallic fixtures, unlike conventional MEG.
Conclusions:
- OPM-MEG is a viable alternative to SQUID-MEG, offering comparable results for evoked responses and oscillatory power.
- OPM-MEG demonstrates significant potential for magnetoencephalography, especially in challenging participant groups (e.g., those with dental work).
- Further research is needed to understand discrepancies in functional connectivity findings between OPM-MEG and SQUID-MEG.
