Gratifying Gizmos for Research and Clinical MEG

Abstract

Experimental designs are of utmost importance in neuroimaging. Experimental repertoire needs to be designed with the understanding of physiology, clinical feasibility, and constraints posed by a particular neuroimaging method. Innovations in introducing natural, ecologically-relevant stimuli, with successful collaboration across disciplines, correct timing, and a bit of luck may cultivate novel experiments, new discoveries, and open pathways to new clinical practices. Here I introduce some gizmos that I have initiated in magnetoencephalography (MEG) and applied with my collaborators in my home laboratory and in several other laboratories. These gizmos have been applied to address neuronal correlates of audiotactile interactions, tactile sense, active and passive movements, speech processing, and intermittent photic stimulation (IPS) in humans. This review also includes additional notes on the ideas behind the gizmos, their evolution, and results obtained.

Cortical networks show characteristic recruitment patterns after somatosensory stimulation by pneumatically evoked repetitive hand movements in newborn infants

“…In this work, we used a custom-built movement stimulator (see also Jousmäki 2021 ), which may hinder the uptake of the method. However, the stimulator solution needed for CKC recording is mechanically simple.…”

The Swedish National Facility for Magnetoencephalography Parkinson’s disease dataset

“…It is recommended to calculate the absolute acceleration by taking the Euclidian mean of the three accelerometer channels when analysing the movement kinematics. The accelerometer data is useful for extracting precise movement onset times, duration of movements, and potentially other features from the movement kinematics (for examples see 44 ). The accelerometer data is present in all three MEG task files (not just the movement-related tasks) and can be used to check for movement kinematics in the rest data or before and after movements in the movement-related tasks (e.g., to discard trials with movements in the pre-stimulus time window).…”