TRIUX neo MEG system Upgrade

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Project Summary / Abstract This application seeks support from the ORIP High-End Instrumentation (HEI) Grant program to fund a MEGIN Triux Neo MEG system to be used for basic/clinical/translational research at the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging. This system will replace our existing, 20-year-old Vectorview system, and will provide an substantial increase of performance for the wide range of research at the Martinos Center: psychiatric and basic neuroscience studies, clinical research on neurological and psychiatric diseases, clinical studies of epilep- tic patients, and development of novel instrumentation and analytical tools. While the Magnetoencephalography (MEG) research program at the Martinos Center has been very successful, our MEG system, installed in 2001, has come to the end of its life cycle. Service is guaranteed by the manufacturer only for another year: there is a definite need to upgrade the existing system. The proposed upgrade will not merely replace our existing MEG system but will offer new features for improved performance and data quality: (i) The instrumental noise level of the new “ARMOR” sensors is lower, which will benefit studies of deep brain structures and the cerebellum as well as studies of spontaneous brain activity in general. (ii) The sensors in the new system are very stable and robust, which guarantees uniform high data quality in long recordings in, e.g., sleep studies and in complex cognitive experiments. (iii) The new system is equipped with new EEG hardware, which facilitates high-quality recording of combined MEG/EEG data. (iv) The new system can be operated in supine, upright, and reclined positions, which provides more options for experimental design and subject/patient comfort. (v) The system is equipped with a closed-circuit helium reliquefication system, which reduces downtime, saves limited helium re- sources, and reduces operational costs. In addition, MEGIN is about to introduce new acquisition software, which makes the system more user friendly and is geared towards clinical and translational studies. The system will be an up-to-date testbed and comparison platform for the unique instrumentation and software development work at the Martinos Center, including real-time processing of MEG/EEG data, creation of new tools for detecting and analyzing signals from brain structures outside the neocortex, and development of new devices and sys- tems, which will use new sensors enabling on-scalp MEG measurements to complement the proven capabilities of the robust SQUID-based technology. The results of this development work will be freely disseminated to the MEG/EEG communities at large. By serving a highly productive interdisciplinary group of PHS-funded investiga- tors, this proposed upgrade will enhance existing research programs while at the same time fostering opportu- nities for new projects and collaborations to emerge and flourish. This upgrade will thus help pave the way for other PHS-funded research centers to optimally use both present and next-generation MEG technologies, will further help demonstrate the utility and importance of the clinical use of MEG, and will provide our investigators with a technological edge required for innovative basic and translational research, as well as for clinical studies.