Magnetoencephalography is feasible for infant assessment of auditory discrimination
Magnetoencephalography is feasible for infant assessment of auditory discrimination
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DOI：
10.1016/j.expneurol.2004.06.030
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发表时间：
2004-11-01
影响因子：
5.3
通讯作者：
Kuhl, P
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Cheour, M;Imada, T;Kuhl, P
脑磁图（MEG）检测由突触离子流产生的神经元电流产生的大脑磁场。它是非侵入性的，具有良好的时间分辨率，它可以定位神经元活动具有良好的精度。由于这些原因，许多对脑功能定位感兴趣的科学家转向了MEG。然而，该技术并非没有缺点。那些不愿意使用它的人指出，它在儿科人群中相对笨拙，因为MEG要求受试者在实验过程中相当安静。由于这些方法上的挑战，婴儿MEG研究并不常见。本研究采用脑磁图（MEG）研究婴儿的听觉辨别能力。我们有两个目标：第一，确定是否可以从婴儿中获得可靠的结果，尽管他们的运动;第二，改进MEG数据分析方法。为了从婴儿中获得更可靠的结果，我们采用了新的硬件（实时头部位置跟踪系统）和软件（信号空间分离方法，SSS）解决方案，以更好地处理噪声和运动。有了这些解决方案，头部的位置和方向可以在真实的时间跟踪，我们能够大大减少噪音和文物起源于头盔外。在本研究中，这些新的方法被用来研究生物磁等效的事件相关电位（ERP）在睡眠中，健康，足月新生儿的谐波音调的持续时间变化的反应。我们的研究结果表明，使用这些新的分析程序，MEG将被证明是一个非常有用的，更容易获得的实验技术在儿科人群。(C)2004年爱思唯尔公司All rights reserved.
Magnetoencephalography (MEG) detects the brain's magnetic fields as generated by neuronal electric currents arising from synaptic ion flow. It is noninvasive, has excellent temporal resolution, and it can localize neuronal activity with good precision. For these reasons, many scientists interested in the localization of brain functions have turned to MEG. The technique, however, is not without its drawbacks. Those reluctant to employ it cite its relative awkwardness among pediatric populations because MEG requires subjects to be fairly still during experiments. Due to these methodological challenges, infant MEG studies are not commonly pursued. In the present study, MEG was employed to study auditory discrimination in infants. We had two goals: first, to determine whether reliable results could be obtained from infants despite their movements; and second, to improve MEG data analysis methods. To get more reliable results from infants we employed novel hardware (real-time head-position tracking system) and software (signal space separation method, SSS) solutions to better deal with noise and movement. With these solutions, the location and orientation of the head can be tracked in real time and we were able to reduce noise and artifacts originating outside the helmet significantly. In the present study, these new methods were used to study the biomagnetic equivalents of event-related potentials (ERPs) in response to duration changes in harmonic tones in sleeping, healthy, full-term newborns. Our findings indicate that with the use of these new analysis routines, MEG will prove to be a very useful and more accessible experimental technique among pediatric populations. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.