Brain Sciences Center

Our Research Methods

  • gaborExperimental psychology

  • allows researchers to explore the relationship between cognitive processes and behavior.

  • fMRIFunctional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)

  • Ultra-high-field fMRI magnets, allow neuroscientists a non-invasive way to delve into the depths of  the active, functioning human brain.

  • modelingLarge scale computer modeling

  • Researchers develop large-scale mathematical models of the brain network and then explicitly simulate these models using high-performance supercomputers.

  • MEGMagnetoencephalography (MEG)

  • Our 248-sensor, whole head MEG instrument brings a new perspective to neuroimaging and research by allowing scientists to watch the brain at work in the speed of milliseconds.

  • population vectorsNeurophysiology

  • is a branch of neuroscience that studies the functioning brain and the accompanying nervous system.

  • single cellSingle cell recordings

  • allows researchers to explore the relationship between cognitive processes and behavior.

  • sonificationSonification

  • Multi-dimensional data arrays are transformed into multi-track musical sequences in the Studio of the Mind.
M E G overview

Magnetoencephalography (MEG)

     Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a rare, complex neuroimaging technique that allows scientists a unique view of the dynamic, interactive brain.   There are only a few research centers in the world that have the expertise and capital to incorporate this advanced level of technology into their brain studies.

    The uniquely powerful MEG machine at the Brain Science Center uses a non-invasive, whole-head, 248 channel, super-conducting-quantum-interference-device (SQUID) to measure small magnetic signals reflecting changes in the electrical signals in the human brain. The incorporation of liquid helium creates the incredibly-cold conditions (4.2 kelvin) necessary for the MEG’s SQUIDs to be able to measure fields that are literally billions of times weaker than the background magnetic field of the earth.

     Investigators at the Center use the MEG to measure these magnetic changes in the active, functioning brain in the speed of milliseconds.  Used in conjunction with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), to relate the MEG sources to brain structures, and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), for optimal spatial resolution, researchers can now localize brain activity and measure it in the same temporal dimension as the functioning brain itself.  This allows investigators to measure, in real-time, the integration and activity of neuronal populations while either working on a task, or at rest.   The brains of healthy subjects and those suffering from dysfunction or disease are imaged and analyzed in these MEG studies.

Applications

      MEG provides scientists a vital neuroimaging tool to gain critical perspectives into the basic mechanisms of the cognitive processes of the healthy, functioning brain in the same lightning speed at which the brain itself operates.

     MEG studies also allow researchers valuable insights into the dysfunctional brain with respect to neurological disorders and diseases such as: schizophrenia, stroke, mental retardation, dyslexia and Alzheimer’s disease through measuring these changes in the brain’s electro-magnetic fields.

History

     This ever-evolving technology began as a single-channel system in the 1970s.    Since then, MEG technology has been constantly updated and refined into its current state-of-the-art status.  The MEG instrument at the Brain Sciences Center, is one of the few of its caliber in existence.   Its 248 SQUID sensors make this imaging machine one of the most powerful and technologically advanced in the world.