Development of BabySQUID for Neonatal Brain Assessment

描述(由申请者提供)：我们建议开发一部小说， 高分辨率脑磁图(MEG)系统，称为BabySQUTD，用于 评估早产儿和足月儿的神经损害。这是一个 便携式非侵入性脑磁图系统，可在任何患者床边使用 没有笨重的磁屏蔽室的新生儿护理病房。系统 将是检查台的大小和形状，并在表格中放置头枕 一个枕头套。前所未有的空间分辨率和敏感度 由紧密分布的超导阵列(19 x 4通道模块)提供 脑磁图传感器安装在头枕外表面下方2毫米处。有一个 开发这种非侵入性监测工具的需求日益增长 随着越来越多的神经损害婴儿的出现，人类婴儿的功能 活到今天。在第一阶段，我们表明，正如所提议的那样：(1)我们可以建立一个 用于检测线圈的噪声级别低于10 ft/vhz的4通道模块 直径为6毫米，(2)我们可以建造一个厚度为 安全用于BabySQUID(即，保持真空的)的1.0-1.5 mm 无破损)，以及(3)BabySQUID的灵敏度应高 足以在不进行信号平均的情况下清楚地检测到诱发的皮质活动 (基于对现有微型鱿鱼的诱发反应研究，这是 类似于BabySQUID的一个模块)。在第二阶段，我们将 构建BabySQUID原型并评估其在儿童 新墨西哥大学的医院。BabySQUID的设计是 根据我们在第一阶段的经验进行了优化。 样机将包括：(1)测试是否可以无噪音运行 电磁非屏蔽临床环境中的问题和(2) 从健康和神经受损的新生儿那里获得数据以评估 BabySQUTD在基础和临床研究中的潜力。 建议的商业应用： 将在商业化阶段(第三阶段)开发的BabySQUID有望成为一种新的非侵入性神经诊断工具，通过其独特的能力，在不进行信号平均的情况下实时检测皮质焦点区域的电生理功能，从而在评估新生儿可能的神经功能障碍和大脑发育方面补充EEG。

DESCRIPTION (Provided by Applicant): We propose to develop a novel, high-resolution magnetoencephalography (MEG) system, called BabySQUTD, for evaluating neurological impairments of preterm and term babies. This is a portable, non-invasive MEG system that can be used next to the bedside of any neonatal care unit without a cumbersome magnetically shielded room. The system will be the size and shape of an examination table with a headrest in the form of a pillow case. Unprecedented spatial resolution and sensitivity will be provided by a closely spaced array (19 x 4-channel modules) of superconducting MEG sensors housed 2 mm below the outer surface of the headrest. There is an increasing need to develop this type of non-invasive tools for monitoring functions of human infants as more and more neurologically impaired infants survive today. During Phase I, we showed, as proposed, that: (1) we can build a 4-channel module with a noise level less than 10 ft/vHz for detection coils with a diameter of 6 mm, (2) we can construct a headrest with a thickness of 1.0-1.5 mm that is safe to use for the BabySQUID (i.e., that holds the vacuum without breakage), and (3) the sensitivity of the BabySQUID should be high enough to clearly detect evoked cortical activity without signal averaging (based on an evoked response study with the existing micro SQUID which is similar to one module of the BabySQUID). During this Phase II, we will construct a prototype BabySQUID and evaluate its performance in a children's hospital at the University of New Mexico. The design of the BabySQUID is optimized based on our experience during Phase I. The evaluation of the prototype will consist of: (1) testing whether it can operate without noise problems in an electromagnetically unshielded clinical setting and (2) obtaining data from healthy and neurologically impaired neonates to assess potentials of the BabySQUTD for basic and clinical research. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: The BabySQUID to be developed during the commercialization stage (Phase III) is expected to become a new non-invasive neurodiagnostic tool complementing EEG in assessing possible neurological disfunctions and brain development in neonates through its unique capability to detect electrophysiological functions in focal areas of the cortex in real time without signal averaging.