Feasibility of simultaneous EEG-fMRI at 0.55 T: Recording, Denoising, and Functional Mapping

TL;DR

This study demonstrates the feasibility of simultaneous EEG-fMRI at 0.55T, showing reduced artifacts and effective neurovascular coupling measurement, offering a promising alternative to high-field systems.

Contribution

It is the first to show that combined EEG-fMRI at 0.55T is feasible, with reduced artifacts and preserved signal quality for neuroimaging.

Findings

Reduced BCG artifact magnitude at 0.55T

EEG power envelope correlates with BOLD response

Feasibility of multimodal neuroimaging at low field

Abstract

Simultaneous recording of electroencephalography (EEG) and functional MRI (fMRI) can provide a more complete view of brain function by merging high temporal and spatial resolutions. High-field ($\geq$3T) systems are standard, and require technical trade-offs, including artifacts in the EEG signal, reduced compatibility with metallic implants, high acoustic noise, and artifacts around high-susceptibility areas such as the optic nerve and nasal sinus. This proof-of-concept study demonstrates the feasibility of simultaneous EEG-fMRI at 0.55T in a visual task. We characterize the gradient and ballistocardiogram (BCG) artifacts inherent to this environment and observe reduced BCG magnitude consistent with the expected scaling of pulse-related artifacts with static magnetic field strength. This reduction shows promise for facilitating effective denoising while preserving the alpha rhythm and signal integrity. Furthermore, we tested a multimodal integration pipeline and demonstrated that the EEG power envelope corresponds with the hemodynamic BOLD response, supporting the potential to measure neurovascular coupling in this environment. We demonstrate that combined EEG-fMRI at 0.55T is feasible and represents a promising environment for multimodal neuroimaging.