Reduction of Electromagnetic Interference in ultra-low noise Bimodal MEG & EEG

TL;DR

This paper presents a design approach to significantly reduce electromagnetic interference in ultra-low noise bimodal MEG and EEG systems, enabling simultaneous single-trial detection of neural activity.

Contribution

It introduces a careful design methodology that minimizes EMI effects, allowing concurrent operation of MEG and EEG with preserved noise performance.

Findings

Successful reduction of EMI in combined MEG and EEG systems

Enabling single-trial detection of synchronized neural activity

Improved noise performance during simultaneous recordings

Abstract

Single-channel SQUID system technology, operating at a noise level of 100s of aT/$\sqrt{\textrm{Hz}}$, enables the non-invasive detection of synchronized spiking activity at the single-trial level via magnetoencephalography (MEG). However, when combined with simultaneous electroencephalography (EEG) recordings, the noise performance of the ultrasensitive MEG system can be greatly diminished. This issue negates some of the complementary qualities of these two recording methods. In addition, typical electrical components required for electrical stimulation of peripheral nerves, a common method for evoking specific brain responses, are also observed to have a detrimental influence on ultra-low MEG noise performance. These effects are caused by electromagnetic interference (EMI) and typically preclude single-trial detection. This work outlines, how careful design allows a significant reduction of the impact of EMI when these different electronic systems are operated concurrently. This optimization enabled the simultaneous single-trial detection of synchronized spiking activity using these two highly sensitive recording modalities.