Adjustable Helmet Array for Neonatal Magnetoencephalography

描述（由申请人提供）：本项目的目标是开发一种非常低成本的全头部新生儿MEG系统，该系统可以适应头部的形状和大小。临床上，长期以来一直需要一种技术，可以帮助诊断和预后的婴儿与脑功能障碍，由于宫内和产后中枢神经系统损伤，这可能会导致智力迟钝和神经发育障碍。该系统是完全非侵入性的，并且基于原子磁力计技术的最新突破，该技术消除了与传统MEG系统中使用的超导传感器相关的大部分成本和复杂性。 公共卫生相关性：MEG是最有前途的功能成像技术之一，已应用于新生儿和婴儿研究。该项目的目标是开发一种MEG系统，该系统非常适合婴儿研究，并且成本几乎低一个数量级-与基于SQUID的系统的> 200万美元相比，为20万至30万美元。我们期望该项目的成功实施将刺激新生儿和婴儿MEG的研究，并鼓励更多的研究人员和临床医生采用MEG技术。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this project is to develop a very low-cost whole-head neonatal MEG system that can adapt to the shape and size of the head. Clinically, there is a longstanding need for a technology that can aid in the diagnosis and prognosis of babies with brain dysfunction due to intrauterine and postnatal central nervous system insults, which may result in mental retardation and neurodevelopmental disorders. The proposed system is completely non-invasive and is based on a recent breakthrough in atomic magnetometer technology that eliminates majority of the costs and complexity associated with superconducting sensors used in traditional MEG systems. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: MEG is one of the most promising functional imaging techniques that have been applied to neonatal and infant studies. The goal of this project is to develop a MEG system that is ideally suited for infant studies and costs less by almost an order of magnitude - $200k to $300k compared to >$2M for a SQUID-based system. We expect that successful execution of this project will stimulate research in neonatal and infant MEG and encourage many more researchers and clinicians to adopt MEG technology.