Abstract
Magnetoencephalography (MEG) records weak magnetic fields outside the human head and thereby provides millisecond-accurate information about neuronal currents supporting human brain function. MEG and electroencephalography (EEG) are closely related complementary methods and should be interpreted together whenever possible.This manuscript covers the basic physical and physiological principles of MEG and discusses the main aspects of state-of-the-art MEG data analysis. We provide guidelines for best practices of patient preparation, stimulus presentation, MEG data collection and analysis, as well as for MEG interpretation in routine clinical examinations.In 2017, about 200 whole-scalp MEG devices were in operation worldwide, many of them located in clinical environments. Yet, the established clinical indications for MEG examinations remain few, mainly restricted to the diagnostics of epilepsy and to preoperative functional evaluation of neurosurgical patients. We are confident that the extensive ongoing basic MEG research indicates potential for the evaluation of neurological and psychiatric syndromes, developmental disorders, and the integrity of cortical brain networks after stroke. Basic and clinical research is, thus, paving way for new clinical applications to be identified by an increasing number of practitioners of MEG.
Highlights
These are the first IFCN-endorsed clinical guidelines for magnetoencephalography (MEG)
During the 1960s, with the introduction of laboratory computers, evoked-potential recordings and quantitative methods became widely available in the EEG community but still the main clinical use of EEG relied on interpretation of spontaneous activity
Frequency of cortex–muscle coherence is reduced in Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) patients, which corresponds to the emergence of the typical tremor-like mini-asterixis
Summary
Preparation of the patient for MEG recordings and taking the measurements includes several steps, and the following issues must be considered. Recording of long-latency responses typically requires more co-operation as the patient may need to be alert and/or to pay attention to the stimuli (g) During major seizures, such as generalized tonic-clonic events, MEG recordings are contaminated by muscle and movement artifacts. (j) Recording personnel should have personal experience in being a subject for an MEG measurement to fully understand what it requires to stay immobile for long periods and to be isolated from the outside world in a magnetically shielded room. They should be familiar with the institution’s and MEG unit’s health and safety procedures, in case of emergencies. While evaluating source strengths, pay attention to the source depths
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Schedule a callMore From: Clinical neurophysiology : official journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology
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