| [ Summary ] |
Brain biomagnetic recording techniques (magnetoencephalograohy ; MEG) and their clinical applications have progressed rapidly since the development of SQUID in 1970. At present, whole-head multichannel systems allow for simultaneous recording from both hemispheres. MEG has advantages over the other non-invasive neurofunctional imaging systems in terms of both spatial and temporal resolution. The clinical applications of MEG include : 1) presurgical imaging of localization of neurofunctional abnormalities such as epilepsy and brain masses, 2) characterization of epileptifoum transients, 3) analyses of abnormal low-frequency magnetic activity in patients with neuropathological states such as cerebrovascular disorders, epilepsy, brain masses, and so on. In the future, both the development of large whole-body systems and the accumulation of studies in this field will clarify the characteristics of the human brain. |