Conductivity Analysis for Improved High-Resolution EEG

描述(申请人提供)：脑电(EEG)在快速的时间尺度、便携性和成本效益方面是不可或缺的神经学诊断工具。提高脑电测量的空间分辨率将极大地促进临床和研究应用，包括中风、癫痫和认知研究。密集阵列脑电记录可用于定位皮质功能，为监测大脑活动在空间和时间上提供了独特的机会。使用EEG定位大脑功能可以通过使用真实的头部模型并结合头部模型每种组织类型的准确电导率估计来进一步优化。鉴于从婴儿期到青春期头骨发育的差异，缺乏准确的头骨传导性信息尤其成问题。本项目的目标是开发电导率估计技术，以指导脑电源定位。这个第一阶段的项目将量化由于电导率错误规范和结构不确定性而导致的脑电源定位的系统偏差，并论证在计算模型中使用参数化的电阻抗断层扫描测量和真实的头部几何形状来无创性估计主要头部组织的电导率的可行性。这将导致一种产品的开发，这种产品将能够非侵入性地测定组织电导率，当与密集阵列EEG结合时，将提供关于大脑状态的独特功能信息。本项目提出的产品创新将提高EEG的效用，不仅可以对大脑进行功能评估，还可以准确地定位大脑功能。这项技术将是负担得起的，而且是便携的。因此，EEG将适用于许多神经疾病的治疗，如癫痫和中风，这些疾病需要进行急性评估和持续的大脑监测。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Electroencephalography (EEG) is an indispensable neurological diagnostic tool in terms of fast time scale, portability, and cost efficiency. Improved spatial resolution of EEG measures would greatly benefit clinical and research applications, including stroke, epilepsy, and cognitive studies. Dense-array EEG recordings can be used to localize cortical function, providing a unique opportunity for monitoring brain activity both in space and time. Localizing brain function using EEG can be further optimized by use of realistic head models and incorporating accurate conductivity estimates for each tissue type of the head model. Lack of accurate skull conductivity information is particularly problematic given the variations in skull development from infancy through adolescence. The goal of this project is to develop technology for conductivity estimation to guide EEG source localization. This Phase I project will quantify systematic bias in EEG source localization due to conductivity misspecifications and structural uncertainties and demonstrate the feasibility of noninvasive conductivity estimation of major head tissues using parameterized electrical impedance tomography measurements and realistic head geometry in computational models. This will lead to development of a product that will be able to non- invasively determine tissue conductivities, and when coupled with dense-array EEG, will provide unique functional information about brain state. The product innovation proposed in this project would improve the utility of EEG to not only perform functional assessment of the brain but also to accurately localize brain function. This technology will be affordable and portable. Consequently, EEG will be applicable to the management of many neurological disorders, such as epilepsy and stroke, which require acute assessment as well as continuous brain monitoring.