Fetal Magnetoencephalography and Evoked Potentials

描述(由申请人提供)：神经学评估是全面胎儿监测概念的基础。然而，目前还没有可靠的测试来确定胎儿是否患有神经功能障碍。目前的挑战是增加胎儿神经疾病检测的阳性预测价值。通过我们之前资助的NIH/NINDS赠款，我们已经朝着这一目标迈进了一步，在阿肯色大学医学科学大学(UAMS)成功地开发并安装了世界上第一个致力于胎儿监测的生物磁感应系统SARA(SQUID阵列生殖评估)。根据初步结果，我们认为使用SARA系统的胎儿脑磁图(FMEG)研究代表了解决这一挑战的正确方法。通过非侵入性地检测体内产生的生物磁场，151个初级超导传感器提供了从受孕到分娩的母婴参数调查手段。测量的时空信号是来自体内许多不同来源的复杂混合物。这些信号必须有效地分离成它们的组成波形，以便用于基础研究和诊断目的。在源分离后，可以对信号进行分析和量化。此外，还必须确定信号可能的相互作用。在SARA之前，没有任何设备提供完整的母婴生理研究手段。该系统生成了一个高维时空数据集，其特征取决于实验任务。对胎儿大脑发育的研究主要使用特定的感觉刺激方案，如对声音和光的诱发和稳态反应。每个任务的最佳记录和分析参数必须通过比较不同刺激参数对胎儿大脑发育的效率来确定。这些研究的成功取决于分析工具的力量。为了对计算工具进行编程、验证和优化，必须开发能够处理大型时空数据集的高效算法。 这项建议涉及两项主要任务：1)开发用于胎儿大脑评估的新分析工具和技术，2)实施一项评估神经学正常和异常胎儿的临床研究。 以下目标是针对这些目标：1.改进数据分析技术，以减弱母体和胎儿生物磁信号的干扰，从而增强可靠的脑信号的提取，并提高数据分析的效率和速度。通过比较解剖学和生理学数据来确定脑磁图信号的有效性。优化诱发磁场的刺激方案，提高检测率，确定胎儿可能产生的行为反应4.通过在短时间内对单个患者进行重复测量，确定反应的变异性。确定子宫内大脑反应的成熟度，并比较正常人群中新生儿的反应，以生成标准数据6。测定异常胎儿的胎脑发育

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Neurological assessment is a fundamental to the concept of comprehensive fetal monitoring. There are, however, no tests to reliably identify the fetus with neurological impairment. The current challenge is to increase the positive predictive value of testing for fetal neurological disease. Through our previously funded NIH/NINDS grant, we have progressed toward this goal by successfully developing and installing at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) the world's first biomagnetic-sensing system, SARA (SQUID Array for Reproductive Assessment), dedicated to fetal monitoring. Based on initial results, we believe fetal magnetoencephalography (fMEG) studies using the SARA system represent the correct approach to this challenge. By non-invasively detecting biomagnetic fields generated in the body, the 151 primary superconducting sensors provide the means for the investigation of maternalfetal parameters from conception to delivery. The measured spatial-temporal signals are a complex mixture from many different sources in the body. These signals must be efficiently separated into their constituent waveforms in order to be utilized for basic research and diagnostic purposes. After separation of sources, the signals can be analyzed and quantified. Also, the possible interactions of the signals must be determined. Prior to SARA, no device provided the means for complete investigation of maternal and fetal physiology. This system generates a high dimensional spatialtemporal dataset, the characteristics of which depend on the experimental task. The investigation of fetal brain development is mainly performed using certain sensory stimulation protocols such as evoked and steady state responses to sound and light.The optimal recording and analysis parameters of each task must be determined by comparing the efficiency of different stimulation parameters for fetal brain development. The success of these studies is dependent on the strength of the analysis tools. To program, validate, and optimize computational tools, efficient algorithms must be developed that can process large spatial-temporal datasets. This proposal addresses 2 maior tasks: 1) development of new analysis tools and technologies for fetal brain assessment, 2) implementation of a clinical study for assessment of neurologically normal and abnormal fetuses. The following objectives are directed towards these goals:1. improve data analysis techniques to attenuate maternal and fetal biomagnetio signals of interference, therefore enhancing extraction of reliable brain signals, and increase efficiency and speed of data analysis.2. Determine the validity of MEG signals by comparison of anatomical and physiological data3. Optimize the stimulation protocol for evoked fields to improve detection rate and determine possibleconfounding behavioral responses in the fetus 4. Determine the variability of response by repeated measurements on individual patients in a short period of time5. Determine the maturation of brain responses in-utero and compare the responses to newborns in a normal population to generate normative data6. Determine fetal brain development in abnormal fetuses