A Software Package for the Modeling of Electrophysiological Activity Data

A complex of programs has been developed for computer modeling of multichannel time series recorded in various experiments on electromagnetic fields created by the human body. Sets of coordinates and directions of sensors for magnetic encephalographs of several types, electroencephalographs and magnetic cardiographs are used as models of devices. To study the human brain, magnetic resonance tomograms are used as head models; to study the heart, a body model in the form of a half-space with a flat boundary is used. The sources are placed in the model space, for them the direct problem is solved in the physical model corresponding to the device used. For a magnetic encephalograph and an electroencephalograph, an equivalent current dipole model in a spherical conductor is used, for a magnetic cardiograph, an equivalent current dipole model in a flat conductor or a magnetic dipole model is used. For each source, a time dependence is set and a multichannel time series is calculated. Then the time series from all sources are summed and the noise component is added. The program consists of three modules: an input-output module, a calculation module and a visualization module. The input-output module is responsible for loading device models, brain models, and field source parameters. The calculation module is responsible for directly calculating the field and transforming coordinates between the index system and the head system. The visualization module is responsible for the image of the brain model, the position of the field sources, a graphical representation of the amplitude-time dependence of the field sources and the calculated values of the total field. The user interface has been developed. The software package provides: interactive placement of field sources in the head or body space and editing of the amplitude-time dependence; batch loading of a large number of sources; noise modeling; simulation of low-channel planar magnetometers of various orders, specifying the shape of the device, the number of sensors and their parameters. Magnetic and electric fields produced by sources in the brain areas responsible for processing speech stimuli are considered. The resulting multichannel signal can be used to test various data analysis methods and for the experiment planning.

Distinct Patterns of P1 and C2 VEP Potentiation and Attenuation in Visual Snow: A Case Report

Visual snow syndrome, characterized by persistent flickering dots throughout the visual field, has been hypothesized to arise from abnormal neuronal responsiveness in visual processing regions. Previous research has reported a lack of typical VEP habituation to repeated stimulus presentation in patients with visual snow. Yet these studies generally used pattern-reversal paradigms, which are suboptimal for measuring cortical responses to the onset of foveal stimulation. Instead, these responses are better indexed by the C2, a pattern-onset VEP peaking 100–120 ms after stimulus onset. In this case study, we analyzed the C2 and its adaptation profile in data previously collected from a single patient with visual snow using a “double-pulse” presentation paradigm. In controls, shorter intervals between stimulus pairs were associated with greater attenuation of the C2 VEP, with recovery from adaptation at longer stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs). However, the visual snow patient showed the opposite pattern, with reduced C2 amplitude at longer SOAs despite distinct C2 peaks at the shortest SOAs. These results stand in contrast not only to the pattern of C2 VEP attenuation in controls, but also to a lack of adaptation previously reported for the pattern-onset P1 VEP in this patient. Exploratory source localization using equivalent current dipole fitting further suggested that P1 and C2 VEPs in the visual snow patient arose from distinct sources in extrastriate visual cortex. While preliminary, these results support differential patterns of VEP attenuation and potentiation within the same individual, potentially pointing toward multiple mechanisms of abnormal neuronal responsiveness in visual snow syndrome.

Distinct neocortical mechanisms underlie human SI responses to median nerve and laser evoked peripheral activation

Magneto- and/or electro-encephalography (M/EEG) are non-invasive clinically-relevant tools that have long been used to measure electromagnetic fields in somatosensory cortex evoked by non-painful and painful somatosensory stimuli. Two commonly applied stimulation paradigms that produce distinct responses in primary somatosensory cortex (SI) linked to non-painful and painful sensations are electrical median nerve (MN) stimulation and cutaneous laser-evoked (LE) stimulation to the dorsum of the hand, respectively. Despite their prevalence, the physiological mechanisms that produce stereotypic macroscale MN and LE responses have yet to be fully articulated, limiting their utility in understanding brain dynamics associated with non-painful or painful somatosensation. We examined the neocortical circuit mechanisms contributing to MN and LE responses in SI using the Human Neocortical Neurosolver (HNN) neural modeling software tool. HNN was specifically designed for biophysically principled interpretation of the cell and circuit origin of M/EEG signals (Neymotin et al., 2020). Detailed analysis of the timing and orientation of peaks in source localized SI current dipole responses from MN and laser-evoked (LE) stimulation showed that these features were robust and conserved across prior studies. The first peak in the MN response at ∼20 ms corresponds to outward-directed deep-to-superficial electrical current flow through the cortical laminae, while the initial LE response occurs later at ∼170 ms and is oriented in the opposite direction. Historically, these peaks have both been labeled N20 and N1, despite their opposite current orientations. Simulating the cellular and circuit-level mechanisms accounting for these and later peaks with HNN’s detailed laminar neocortical column model revealed that the MN response can be simulated with a sequence of layer-specific exogenous excitatory feedforward and feedback synaptic drive. This sequence was similar to that previously reported for tactile evoked responses (Jones et al., 2007; Neymotin et al., 2020), with the novel discovery of an early excitatory feedback input to superficial layers at ∼30 ms post-stimulus that facilitated generation of the MN response’s first prominent inward-oriented deflection, known historically as the P30. Simulations of the LE response revealed that the initial ∼170 ms inward-deflection required a burst of repetitive gamma-frequency (∼40 Hz) excitatory supragranular feedback drives, consistent with prior reports of LE gamma-frequency activity. These results make novel and detailed multiscale predictions about the dynamic laminar circuit mechanisms underlying temporal and spectral features of MN and LE responses in SI, and can guide further investigations in follow-up studies. Ultimately, these findings may help with the development of targeted therapeutics for pathological somatosensation, such as chronic and neuropathic pain.

Clinical Validation of the Champagne Algorithm for Evoked Response Source Localization in Magnetoencephalography

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a robust method for non-invasive functional brain mapping of sensory cortices due to its exceptional spatial and temporal resolution. The clinical standard for MEG source localization of functional landmarks from sensory evoked responses is the equivalent current dipole (ECD) localization algorithm, known to be sensitive to initialization, noise, and manual choice of the number of dipoles. Recently many automated and robust algorithms have been developed, including the Champagne algorithm, an empirical Bayesian algorithm, with powerful abilities for MEG source reconstruction and time course estimation (Wipf et al. 2010; Owen et al. 2012). Here, we evaluate automated Champagne performance in a clinical population of tumor patients where there was minimal failure in localizing sensory evoked responses using the clinical standard, ECD localization algorithm. MEG data of auditory evoked potentials and somatosensory evoked potentials from 21 brain tumor patients were analyzed using Champagne, and these results were compared with equivalent current dipole (ECD) fit. Across both somatosensory and auditory evoked field localization, we found there was a strong agreement between Champagne and ECD localizations in all cases. Given resolution of 8mm voxel size, peak source localizations from Champagne were below 10mm of ECD peak source localization. The Champagne algorithm provides a robust and automated alternative to manual ECD fits for clinical localization of sensory evoked potentials and can contribute to improved clinical MEG data processing workflows.

Parieto-Occipital Alpha and Low-Beta EEG Power Reflect Sense of Agency

The sense of agency (SoA) is part of psychophysiological modules related to the self. Disturbed SoA is found in several clinical conditions, hence understanding the neural correlates of the SoA is useful for the diagnosis and determining the proper treatment strategies. Although there are several neuroimaging studies on SoA, it is desirable to translate the knowledge to more accessible and inexpensive EEG-based biomarkers for the sake of applicability. However, SoA has not been widely investigated using EEG. To address this issue, we designed an EEG experiment on healthy adults (n = 15) to determine the sensitivity of EEG on the SoA paradigm using hand movement with parametrically delayed visual feedback. We calculated the power spectral density over the traditional EEG frequency bands for ten delay conditions relative to no delay condition. Independent component analysis and equivalent current dipole modeling were applied to address artifact rejection, volume conduction, and source localization to determine the effect of interest. The results revealed that the alpha and low-beta EEG power increased in the parieto-occipital regions in proportion to the reduced SoA reported by the subjects. We conclude that the parieto-occipital alpha and low-beta EEG power reflect the sense of agency.

Near-field scattering from PEC wedge excited by electric dipole in lossy medium

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to derive the dyadic representations of Green’s function in lossy medium because of the electric current dipole source radiating in close proximity of a PEC wedge and to reveal the effect of conductivity on the scattered electric field. Design/methodology/approach By using the scalarization procedure, the paraxial fields are obtained first and then scalar Green’s functions are used to derive asymptotic forms of the dyadic Green’s functions. The problem is also analyzed by the image theory and analytical derivations are compared. However, analytically calculated results are validated with FEKO, a commercially available numerical electromagnetic field solver. Findings The results indicate that excellent agreement is observed between analytical and numerical results. Moreover, it is found that the presence of conductivity introduces a reduction in scattered electric fields. Originality/value Asymptotically derived forms presented in this study can be used to calculate field distributions in the paraxial region of a wedge in a lossy medium.

Clinical Validation of the Champagne Algorithm for Epilepsy Spike Localization

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is increasingly used for presurgical planning in people with medically refractory focal epilepsy. Localization of interictal epileptiform activity, a surrogate for the seizure onset zone whose removal may prevent seizures, is challenging and depends on the use of multiple complementary techniques. Accurate and reliable localization of epileptiform activity from spontaneous MEG data has been an elusive goal. One approach toward this goal is to use a novel Bayesian inference algorithm—the Champagne algorithm with noise learning—which has shown tremendous success in source reconstruction, especially for focal brain sources. In this study, we localized sources of manually identified MEG spikes using the Champagne algorithm in a cohort of 16 patients with medically refractory epilepsy collected in two consecutive series. To evaluate the reliability of this approach, we compared the performance to equivalent current dipole (ECD) modeling, a conventional source localization technique that is commonly used in clinical practice. Results suggest that Champagne may be a robust, automated, alternative to manual parametric dipole fitting methods for localization of interictal MEG spikes, in addition to its previously described clinical and research applications.

Computational and Phantom-Based Feasibility Study of 3D dcNCI With Ultra-Low-Field MRI

The possibility to directly and non-invasively localize neuronal activities in the human brain, as for instance by performing neuronal current imaging (NCI) via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), would be a breakthrough in neuroscience. In order to assess the feasibility of 3-dimensional (3D) NCI, comprehensive computational and physical phantom experiments using low-noise ultra-low-field (ULF) MRI technology were performed using two different source models within spherical phantoms. The source models, consisting of a single dipole and an extended dipole grid, were calibrated enabling the quantitative emulation of a long-lasting neuronal activity by the application of known current waveforms. The dcNCI experiments were also simulated by solving the Bloch equations using the calculated internal magnetic field distributions of the phantoms and idealized MRI fields. The simulations were then validated by physical phantom experiments using a moderate polarization field of 17 mT. A focal activity with an equivalent current dipole of about 150 nAm and a physiologically relevant depth of 35 mm could be resolved with an isotropic voxel size of 25 mm. The simulation tool enabled the optimization of the imaging parameters for sustained neuronal activities in order to predict maximum sensitivity.

The Correlation of ELP4-PAX6 With Rolandic Spike Sources in Idiopathic Rolandic Epilepsy Syndromes

Objective: To study the single nucleotide polymorphism rs662702 of ELP4-PAX6 in patients with idiopathic rolandic epilepsy syndromes (IRES) in China and explore the relationship between the distribution of rolandic spike sources and the single nucleotide polymorphism rs662702 in ELP4-PAX6.Methods: First, clinical information was obtained from patients diagnosed with IRES. Next, the single nucleotide polymorphism rs662702 of ELP4 was analyzed by using the Sanger method. Resting-state magnetoencephalography data were collected from 17 patients. We analyzed the epileptic spike sources using the single equivalent current dipole (SECD) model and determined the spike distributions across the whole brain. Finally, Fisher's test was performed to assess the correlation between the single nucleotide polymorphism rs662702 of ELP4-PAX6 and rolandic spike sources.Results: ELP4 rs662702 T alleles were found in 10.7% of IRES patients and occurred four times more frequently in these patients than in the healthy controls. TT homozygosity was found in one IRES patient (1.3%), while no TT homozygosity was found in the healthy control group. The IRES rolandic spike sources were unilateral in sixteen patients (94.1%) and were mainly located in the anterior central gyrus (58.8%). The spike source of patients without the ELP4 rs662702 T allele was correlated with the central region (p < 0.05). The rolandic spikes sources were significant correlated with the non-central gyrus (frontal and temporal lobes) in patients with the ELP4 rs662702 T allele (p < 0.05).Conclusion: The rolandic spike sources of the IRES patients with the ELP4 rs662702 T allele were significantly associated with the non-central gyrus, including the frontal and temporal lobes. Our study confirmed for the first time in vivo that ELP4 rs662702 T allele overexpression is correlated with the rolandic spike distribution in patients with IRES and provides important insights into how genetic abnormalities can lead to brain dysfunction and into the precise targeting of abnormal discharge sources in the brain.

The magneto-seismic method in geoscience

Key concepts and potential applications associated with a phenomenon hitherto unexplored by the geoscience community, which we have named the magneto-seismic effect, are introduced. The method is based on the simple principle that when an electric charge moves in the presence of an external magnetic field, the charge carrier experiences an instantaneous force, which is equal to the vector cross product of the current it carries and the magnetic field that is present. This “Lorentz force” can create both compressional and shear sound waves in electrical conductors by passing an alternating current through them via an electromagnetic source. In laboratory settings, this magneto-seismic effect can produce readily detectable rock frame displacements. This opens up the possibility of developing new experimental methods to interrogate elastic and poroelastic response of rocks in a broad frequency range from subhertz to megahertz, potentially closing the frequency gap between traditional ultrasonic characterization and properties of interest in the seismic frequency band. In exploration settings, electric current dipole/bipole sources, or novel rotating magnetic dipole sources, can be used to generate electric currents at depth. These currents produce seismic waves at interfaces (or boundaries) where conductivity abruptly changes. The amplitude and propagation directions of these generated seismic waves depend on the relative orientation of the interfaces (or boundaries) with respect to the earth's magnetic field. These seismic waves can then be recorded by receivers at the surface and, in principle, might be processed to yield a resistivity map with seismic resolution. It is shown that processing to obtain a signal from deep targets is significantly limited by seismic background noise. However, an acceptable signal-to-noise ratio might be achieved for shallower targets. The difference between the magneto-seismic response and the previously well-studied electro-seismic response will be discussed.