A layer potential approach to functional and clinical brain imaging

In this work, we consider the inverse source recovery problem from sEEG, EEG and MEG point-wise data. We regard this as an inverse source recovery problem for L2 vector-fields normally oriented and supported on the grey/white matter interface, which together with the brain, skull and scalp form a non-homogeneous layered conductor. We assume that the quasistatic approximation of Maxwell’s equation holds for the electro-magnetic fields considered. The electric data is measured point-wise inside and outside the conductor while the magnetic data is measured only point-wise outside the conductor. These ill-posed problems are solved via Tikhonov regularization on triangulations of the interfaces and a piecewise linear model for the current on the triangles. Both in the continuous and discrete formulation the electric potential is expressed as a linear combination of double layer potentials while the magnetic flux density in the continuous case is a vector-surface integral whose discrete formulation features single layer potentials. A main feature of our approach is that these contributions can be computed exactly. Due to the consideration of the regularity conditions of the electric potential in the inverse source recovery problem, the Cauchy transmission problem for the electric potential is inadvertently solved as well. In the problem, we propagate only the electric potential while the normal derivatives at the interfaces of discontinuity of the electric conductivities are computed directly from the resulting solution. This reduces the computational complexity of the problem. There is a direct connection between the magnetic flux density and the electrical potential in conductors such as the one we explore, hence a coupling of the sEEG, EEG and MEG data for solving the respective inverse source recovery problems simultaneously is direct. We treat these problems in a unified approach that uses only single and/or double layer potentials. We provide numerical examples using realistic meshes of the head with synthetic data.