Novel 4He-OPMs support waveform-specific beta burst analysis comparable to SQUID-MEG.
Tjerk P Gutteling1,2, Maciej J Szul3,4, Sébastien Daligault1
1CERMEP-Imagerie du Vivant, MEG Departement, Lyon, France.
Imaging Neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.)
|December 5, 2025
Summary
Novel wearable Helium sensors (Helium-OPMs) accurately analyze brain's beta bursts, matching traditional SQUID-MEG. This advances electrophysiology for motor control studies with greater freedom.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biophysics
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Electrophysiology of motor control is limited by imaging constraints.
- Magnetoencephalography (MEG) offers temporal and spatial resolution but requires head immobilization.
- Beta band activity (13-30 Hz) is crucial for motor control and occurs in bursts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate novel, room-temperature, wearable Helium optically pumped magnetometers (Helium-OPMs) for waveform-specific beta burst analysis.
- To compare Helium-OPM performance with traditional SQUID-based MEG in a visuomotor task.
- To assess the suitability of Helium-OPMs for detailed electrophysiological analysis of motor preparation and execution.
Main Methods:
- Developed a novel pipeline for extracting and analyzing beta burst waveforms.
- Quantified burst occurrence and modulation of specific waveform motifs.
- Directly compared data acquired using Helium-OPMs and SQUID-MEG during a visuomotor task.
Main Results:
- Identified specific beta burst waveform classes with robust, task-relevant modulations in burst rate.
- Demonstrated high similarity in burst waveform shapes and their modulations between Helium-OPMs and SQUID-MEG.
- Observed differences in overall time-frequency characteristics between the two modalities, but waveform analysis remained consistent.
Conclusions:
- Helium-OPMs are validated for waveform-specific beta burst analysis, comparable to SQUID-MEG.
- These wearable sensors enable high-quality electrophysiology in less restricted experimental paradigms.
- Supports the use of Helium-OPMs for advanced motor control research and other neurophysiological investigations.
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