Simultaneous whole-head electrophysiological recordings using EEG and OPM-MEG

Seedat, Zelekha A.; Pier, Kelly St.; Holmes, Niall; Rea, Molly; Al-Hilaly, Layla; Tierney, Tim M.; Embury, Christine M.; Pardington, Rosemarie; Mullinger, Karen J.; Cross, J. Helen; Boto, Elena; Brookes, Matthew J.

Abstract

Electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) non-invasively measure human brain electrophysiology. They differ in nature; MEG offers better performance whilst EEG (a wearable platform) is more practical. They are also complementary, with studies showing that concurrent MEG/EEG provides advantages over either modality alone, and consequently clinical guidelines for MEG in epilepsy recommend simultaneous acquisition of MEG and EEG. In recent years, new instrumentation— the optically pumped magnetometer (OPM)— has had a significant impact on MEG, offering improved performance, lifespan compliance, and wearable MEG systems. Nevertheless, the ability to carry out simultaneous EEG/OPM-MEG remains critical. Here, we investigated whether simultaneous, wearable, whole-head EEG and OPM-MEG measurably degrades signal quality in either modality. We employed two tasks: a motor task known to modulate beta oscillations, and an eyes-open/closed task known to modulate alpha oscillations. In both, we characterised the performance of EEG alone, OPM-MEG alone, and concurrent EEG/OPM-MEG. Results show that the SNR of the beta response was similar, regardless of whether modalities were used individually or concurrently. Likewise, our alpha band recordings demonstrated that signal contrast was stable, regardless of the concurrent recording. We also demonstrate significant advantages of OPM-MEG; specifically, the OPM-MEG signal is less correlated across channels and less susceptible to interference from non-brain sources. Our results suggest that there are no barriers to simultaneous wearable EEG/OPM-MEG, and consequently this technique is ripe for neuroscientific and clinical adoption. This will be important in the clinic where simultaneous EEG and OPM-MEG recordings will facilitate better interpretation of OPM-MEG data in patients.

Citation

Seedat, Z. A., Pier, K. S., Holmes, N., Rea, M., Al-Hilaly, L., Tierney, T. M., Embury, C. M., Pardington, R., Mullinger, K. J., Cross, J. H., Boto, E., & Brookes, M. J. (2024). Simultaneous whole-head electrophysiological recordings using EEG and OPM-MEG. Imaging Neuroscience, 2, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1162/imag_a_00179

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 15, 2024
• Online Publication Date: May 20, 2024
• Publication Date: May 20, 2024
• Deposit Date: May 28, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: May 29, 2024
• Journal: Imaging Neuroscience
• Print ISSN: 2837-6056
• Electronic ISSN: 2837-6056
• Publisher: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 2
• Pages: 1-15
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1162/imag_a_00179
• Keywords: optically pumped magnetometer, OPM, magnetoencephalography, MEG, OPM-MEG, electroencephalography, EEG, simultaneous EEG/OPM-MEG, electrophysiology
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/34850597
• Publisher URL: https://direct.mit.edu/imag/article/doi/10.1162/imag_a_00179/120899/Simultaneous-whole-head-electrophysiological