Page 4 - MEGIN - Unlocking the Future of Functional Neuroimaging
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USING MEG ALONGSIDE OTHER MODALITIES
fMRI is used to localise brain functions prior to surgery. This offers MEG offers excellent temporal and spatial resolution. MEG is a
an indirect measure of brain activity with poor temporal resolution. direct measure of electrophysiological activity within the brain and
therefore more accurate.
Long-term monitoring by EEG requires large numbers of electrodes Greater accuracy of source localization is possible with MEG as the
to be consistently positioned on the subject’s head. Localization skull and scalp are transparent to the magnetic signals, allowing a
accuracy is poor due to the conduction of the signal through the consistent, clean signal. Propagation of epileptic activity from one
skull and the scalp. area of the brain to another can be monitored with MEG.
SPECT is highly invasive. It requires a contrast medium to be MEG is non-invasive. The patient experience is peaceful and
injected and the patient to be having an epileptic seizure. comfortable. There is no need to inject contrast agents or require
patients to undergo epileptic seizures. Many patients fall asleep
during their MEG scan.
Intracranial EEG is an accurate technique for localizing and MEG does not require placing invasive electrodes. MEG can be
confirming epileptic areas. However, it requires brain surgery and used to monitor most brain areas completely non-invasively.
has limited spatial coverage and resolution.
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