Revolutionizing Pediatric Neurophysiology With Magnetoencephalography

This paper considers the current and future use of magnetoencephalography (MEG) for assessing neural activity in children (birth to 18 years old), including the well-established use of SQUID (Superconducting QUantum Interference Device) MEG technology as well as the very rapidly developing Optically Pumped Magnetometry (OPM) technology. A primary conclusion is that the changing landscape of pediatric neurophysiology studies foretells a revolution in electromagnetic neuroimaging. These changes will produce some discontinuity, progressing away from what once worked well enough, namely, examining neural activity at the level of the EEG or MEG sensor, but is not up to current and anticipated challenges. Given features intrinsic to MEG, including simpler mathematical models for source localization and higher-dimensional representation of neural activity, little effect of open fontanelles and sutures on infant neural measures, and reference-free neural measures, MEG will often be the preferred method for assessing neural activity in children. In particular, noninvasive, whole-brain MEG sensor data with source localization provide measures of neural activity in brain space that richly represent the structure and maturation of neural activity spanning both local and regional processes, as well as measures of connectivity within and between brain regions. Assessing neurophysiology in brain space is also essential for associating local neural activity with local brain structure (e.g., gray and white matter) and brain chemistry (e.g., magnetic resonance spectroscopy data). It is also highly likely that MEG data are more future-proof than EEG data (higher dimensionality, ease of source localization), especially for advanced source localization methods as well as advanced analysis methods yet to be developed and applied to previously collected data. The emergence of OPM-based MEG opens a new age of imaging for children and infants, such as translating the source localizing abilities of MEG in adults to wearable systems in young children. Looking forward, greater access to MEG and other advanced imaging technologies, the accessibility of greater computational power, and the rapid development of open-source software will combine to improve our methods and inform our research questions, all leading to a better understanding of how the human brain changes and supports behavioral development from birth to adulthood.