Whole-head child MEG systems and their applications

Abstract

Whole-head magnetoencephalography (MEG) systems to study cognitive processing in young children have been developed in recent years. Child MEG systems consist of a helmet-shaped sensor array that is designed to fit the smaller head sizes, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratio of the MEG measurements acquired from children. The child MEG systems are expected to become effective tools for studies about developing brain functions because of their noninvasiveness, high temporal and spatial resolutions, and "acoustic quietness, " a feature that is currently unavailable in other brain functional imaging modalities. Clinical uses of the child MEG systems have also been acquiring increased interest. In this chapter, we describe the first whole-head child MEG system that we developed in 2008 and its applications to studies of the developing brain and its functions-such as language acquisition-and compare it with other child MEG systems developed elsewhere.