High-quality multimodal MRI with simultaneous EEG using conductive ink and polymer-thick film nets

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Physics

Background:

• Simultaneous electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offer complementary spatial and temporal insights into brain function.
• Existing MR-conditional EEG nets introduce artifacts, limiting the range of MRI sequences usable for simultaneous acquisition.
• There is a need for improved EEG hardware to enhance multimodal neuroimaging capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the performance of a novel conductive ink-based EEG net (Inknet2) for simultaneous EEG-MRI acquisition.
• To assess the impact of Inknet2 on MRI image quality across various sequences and field strengths (3T and 7T).
• To compare artifact levels induced by Inknet2 versus conventional MR-conditional EEG nets.

Main Methods:

• Electromagnetic field and image quality simulations were conducted to model EEG net effects.
• Phantom scans were performed using a conventional copper EEG net, the Inknet2, and no net.
• Human subjects (5 at 3T, 3 at 7T) underwent structural and functional MRI with and without the Inknet2.

Main Results:

• Simulations, phantom scans, and human studies demonstrated that Inknet2 induces significantly fewer artifacts than conventional nets.
• Image quality with Inknet2 was comparable to scans acquired without any EEG net.
• The Inknet2 enabled high-quality multimodal imaging across diverse MRI sequences at both 3T and 7T.

Conclusions:

• The Inknet2, utilizing conductive ink and polymer thick film technology, effectively reduces MRI artifacts.
• This novel EEG net facilitates high-quality simultaneous EEG-fMRI across a wide range of MRI sequences and field strengths.
• Inknet2 represents a significant advancement for multimodal neuroimaging, enabling richer investigations of brain function.