See Also: NRC Membership Listing > Magnetoencephalography (MEG)
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An imaging technique that allows the magnetic fields of the brain
to be detected and recorded.
Magnetoencephalography
(MEG), also known as Magnetic Source Imaging (MSI) provides an image
of the brain by recording magnetic fields over the surface of the
head. These fields are generated by “electric currents”
inside the brain, resulting from electrically charged ions flowing
within each brain cell. By measuring these magnetic fields, scientists
can accurately pinpoint the location of the cells that produce each
field. In this way, they can identify zones of the brain that are
producing abnormal signals. For example, MEG can be used to:
- Identify
brain zones that emit abnormal electric currents associated with
epilepsy.
- “See”
the magnetic fields associated with sensory areas of the brain
by stimulating the senses during MEG.
- Pinpoint
the magnetic fields associated with motor skills by asking a patient
to move various parts of the body during MEG.
- View
the brain zones that control language by having a patient perform
linguistic tasks during MEG.
- Identify
the brain zones associated with learning and memory by having
a patient perform cognitive tasks during MEG.
The MEG Laboratory
is located in Hermann Hospital, the teaching hospital of The University
of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and is operated by members
of the university’s Department
of Neurosurgery. The following projects are under way in the
MEG Laboratory:
Identification
of brain zones producing abnormal electric currents associated with
epilepsy in patients who are candidates for epilepsy surgery, in
collaboration with the university’s Department of Neurology
- Pre-surgical
mapping of electrical currents in the cerebral cortex (the portion
of the brain that coordinates sensory and motor information) in
patients who will undergo surgical removal of lesions adjacent
to this area of the brain
- Identification
of areas of the brain associated with delays in cognitive functions,
such as learning and memory.
- Mapping
of electrical currents generated during language and memory tasks,
and determination of the hemispheres of the brain that are dominant
for these functions in normal and abnormal individuals
- Assessing
how the brain recovers sensory, cognitive and language functions
following brain injury or stroke.
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