MRI: Acquisition of Magnetoencephalography (MEG) Scanner for Brain Research at MIT

该合同提供的资金允许约翰·加布里埃利博士和罗伯特·德西蒙博士购买Elekta Neuromag系统用于人脑成像。该仪器将被整合到麻省理工学院的马蒂诺斯成像中心，并将补充该中心目前基于磁共振成像的现有神经成像能力。Neuromag有306个MEG通道，外加多达124个同步脑电通道。脑磁图(MEG)是一种对人脑活动进行非侵入性成像的强大技术。它测量活跃的脑细胞发出的磁信号，它结合了良好的空间和非常高的时间分辨率。特别是，脑磁图使研究认知任务期间通过大脑的信息流成为可能，并可以揭示高频振荡，这是不同大脑区域相互交流的生理机制的基础。因此，这项技术非常适合回答关于人脑功能的一系列基本问题。例如，它在躯体感觉和听觉处理等领域做出了重要贡献，特别是在语言研究方面，这是一种独特的人类能力，涉及的快速神经过程无法通过功能磁共振很好地解决。这项技术也可以用于儿童，包括新生儿，这种方法有可能改变对早期大脑发育的理解，包括感知能力、语言和大脑功能的许多其他方面的发展。尽管购买这种仪器的理由取决于将要进行的基础研究和对正常大脑功能的洞察，但脑磁图也有临床应用。对于转译研究来说，这是一个潜在的强大工具，例如，它可以识别大脑活动的模式，这些模式可能会作为大脑疾病的生物标志物。该仪器还可以用来研究阅读或音乐训练等领域的教育干预的神经影响，并作为开发人脑-机器接口的基础。

This award provides funds which permit Drs John Gabrieli and Robert Desimone to purchase an Elekta Neuromag system for human brain imaging. The instrument will be integrated into the Martinos Imaging Center at MIT and will complement the Center's existing neuroimaging capabilities currently based on magnetic resonance imaging. The Neuromag has 306 MEG channels plus up to 124 channels for simultaneous EEG. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a powerful technology for noninvasive imaging of human brain activity. It measures magnetic signals given off by active brain cells and it combines good spatial with very high temporal resolution. In particular, MEG makes it possible to study the flow of information through the brain during cognitive tasks and can reveal the high-frequency oscillations which are fundamental to the physiological mechanism by which different brain areas communicate with each other. The technique therefore is extremely well suited to answering a wide range of basic questions about human brain function. For example it has made important contributions in areas such as somatosensory and auditory processing, and particularly in the study of language, a distinctively human capability for which the rapid neural processes involved are not well resolved by fMRI. It is also possible to use this technique on children, including newborns, and this approach has the potential to transform understanding of early brain development including development of perceptual abilities, language and many other aspects of brain function.Although the justification for purchase of this instrument rests on the basic research which will be performed and the insights into normal brain functioning which will result, MEG also has clinical applications. It is a potentially powerful tool for translational research, for example for identifying patterns of brain activity that might serve as biomarkers for brain disorders. The instrumentation can also be used to study the neural effects of educational interventions in such areas as reading or musical training and as a basis for developing human brain-machine interfaces.