The Method of Fundamental Solutions in Solving Coupled Boundary Value Problems for M/EEG

Abstract

The estimation of neuronal activity in the human brain from electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) signals is a typical inverse problem whose solution process requires an accurate and fast forward solver. In this paper the method of fundamental solutions is, for the first time, proposed as a meshfree, boundary-type, and easy-to-implement alternative to the boundary element method (BEM) for solving the M/EEG forward problem. The solution of the forward problem is obtained by numerically solving a set of coupled boundary value problems for the three-dimensional Laplace equation. Numerical accuracy, convergence, and computational load are investigated. The proposed method is shown to be a competitive alternative to the state-of-the-art BEM for M/EEG forward solving.