Multichannel SQUID system for measurement of spinal cord evoked magnetic field for supine subjects

Abstract

A SQUID biomagnetometer system for cervical spinal cord evoked field (SCEF) was developed to investigate a non-invasive diagnosis of function of the spinal cord. The measurement system was characterized by a uniquely shaped cryostat designed for supine subjects. The cryostat has a vertical cylindrical main body whose dimensions are 500 mm in diameter and 940 mm in height and a horizontal protrusion from the side surface with 390 mm of length. The sensor array of 35 LTS-SQUID vector gradiometers directed vertically upward is installed in the end of the protruded part. Subjects lie on a bed in supine position with the head running off the edge of the bed and the back of the neck supported on the upper surface of the protruded part of the cryostat standing beside the bed. This structure readily enables the sensor array to approach close to the neck of the supine subject. The subjects can keep their posture stable during the measurement. We demonstrated the cervical SCEF was successfully detected from a healthy subject who was given electric stimulation to the median nerve at the wrist. The intensity of the evoked magnetic field was 40–70 fT in amplitude. The neural signal propagating along the spinal cord was magnetically observed from the investigation of the transition of the magnetic field distribution.