Wearable magnetoencephalography (MEG): The next-generation of dynamic human neuroimaging

项目摘要/摘要 奥马哈脑磁图(MEG)网站是世界上最高产、国际知名的网站之一 世界上最大的MEG组织。仅在2020年，他们就出版了30多份以MEG为中心的同行评议出版物， 多项重大NIH奖项，并在人类神经科学的多个领域取得了重大影响的发现。 脑磁图是一种先进的无创成像方法，可用于人群水平的高密度神经生理活动的成像。 时间(&lt；1毫秒)和空间精度(2-3毫米)。该方法的应用已大大扩展到 在过去的十年里，由于技术的进步和人们对神经振荡、动态连接、 以及时空精度极其重要的其他指标。奥马哈梅格小组已经有了一个 在这一增长中发挥了重要作用，并继续在脑磁图研究的许多领域处于领先地位，经常超过所有其他领域 MEG网站介绍了衡量科学生产率和影响的主要指标。然而，这一群体现在正处于十字路口。 在那里，他们未来的增长，甚至生存，都受到了该领域革命性的范式转变的威胁 神经生理成像和世界范围的氦短缺。简而言之，传统的脑磁图系统很大， 静止，要求研究参与者在接受实验时尽可能长时间地坐着不动 录音。这给获取特定患者群体和年幼儿童的数据带来了重大挑战。 此外，传感器阵列的尺寸固定在MEG头盔内，其设计用于容纳 98%的成年人。这在幼儿的头皮表面和传感器阵列之间形成了很大的间隙 以及婴儿的巨大差距。因为磁场的强度随着距离的增加而指数下降 电流源(即活跃的神经种群)，其净影响是强烈衰减的神经反应 在儿童和婴儿中使用，因此精确度较差。此外，传统的脑磁图需要液氦来支撑。 超导温度，这不仅非常昂贵，而且越来越难在 当前的氦短缺时代。鉴于这些担忧，我们提议购买最先进的光学- 泵浦磁测(OPM)系统。OPM的想法已经存在了几十年，但重大突破 通过奥巴马总统的大脑倡议，将这项技术从物理实验转移到切割 神经科学中的前沿应用。OPM是MEG的未来，因为它克服了传统的 系统，在大多数情况下提供超高的精度。具体来说，OPM：(1)不需要液氦和 因此，传感器可以直接放置在头皮上以获得最佳灵敏度，(2)可以安装到任何头部大小，包括 儿童和婴儿群体，以及(3)允许参与者在录制过程中相对自由地移动，使 该系统非常适合于发育和临床人群，以及自然主义实验(如行走)。 因此，OPM是向前迈出的重要的一大步，将带来一个全新的功能成像时代。使用 这项技术，奥马哈·梅格小组将继续站在发现以下几个主要主题领域的前沿 NIH和翻译神经科学界对此有明显的兴趣。

Project Summary/Abstract The Omaha magnetoencephalography (MEG) site is home to one of the most productive, internationally-known MEG groups in the world. In 2020 alone, they published over 30 peer-reviewed MEG-centric publications, had numerous major NIH awards, and made high impact discoveries spanning multiple areas of human neuroscience. MEG is an advanced method for noninvasively imaging population-level neurophysiological activity with high temporal (< 1 ms) and spatial precision (2-3 mm). Application of the method has expanded substantially over the past decade due to technical advancements and the growing interest in neural oscillations, dynamic connectivity, and other metrics where spatiotemporal precision is extremely important. The Omaha MEG group has had a major role in this growth and continues to lead the way in many areas of MEG research, often exceeding all other MEG sites on major measures of scientific productivity and impact. However, this group is now at a crossroads where their future growth, and even existence, is threatened by a revolutionary paradigm shift in the field of neurophysiological imaging, and a worldwide helium shortage. Briefly, conventional MEG systems are large and stationary, requiring research participants to sit as still as possible for extended periods of time while undergoing recordings. This creates major challenges for acquiring data in specific patient populations and young children. Further, the dimensions of the sensor array are fixed within the MEG helmet, which is designed to accommodate 98% of adults. This translates into large gaps between the scalp surface and the sensor array in young children and huge gaps in infants. Since the strength of magnetic fields fall off exponentially with increasing distance from the current source (i.e., active neural populations), the net impact of this is strongly attenuated neural responses in children and infants and thus poor precision. Additionally, conventional MEG requires liquid helium to support superconducting temperatures, which is not only very expensive but also increasingly difficult to obtain in the current era of helium shortages. Given these concerns, we are proposing to purchase a state-of-the-art optically- pumped magnetometry (OPM) system. The idea of OPM has been around for decades, but major breakthroughs through President Obama’s BRAIN Initiative have moved the technology from a physics experiment to cutting edge applications in neuroscience. OPM is the future of MEG, as it overcomes the key limitations of conventional systems and in most cases offers superior precision. Specifically, OPM: (1) does not require liquid helium and thus sensors can be placed directly on the scalp for optimal sensitivity, (2) can be fitted to any head size, including pediatric and infant populations, and (3) allows participants to move relatively freely during recordings, making the system ideal for developmental and clinical populations, as well as naturalistic experiments (e.g., walking). Thus, OPM is a significant, major step forward and will give rise to a whole new era of functional imaging. With this technology, the Omaha MEG group will remain at the forefront of discovery in several major topic areas that are described in the proposal and of clear interest to the NIH and the translational neuroscience community.