Acquiring simultaneous EEG and functional MRI.
OBJECTIVE
Electroencephalography (EEG) is a challenge to record simultaneously with functional MRI (fMRI), for it is prone to large artifacts induced by both the static and the time-variant fields of the MR scanner. However, truly concurrent EEG/fMRI recording has great potential for clinical and scientific neurological applications. We have devised a method for acquiring EEG simultaneously with fMRI that minimizes contamination of the EEG signals.


METHODS
We recorded EEG differentially during fMRI using special twisted dual-lead electrodes in a bipolar montage, and a combination of analog pre-processing and digital post-processing of the EEG data. We implemented a functional scan protocol that typically yields artifact-free EEG over 87% of the MR scanning period.


RESULTS
Our approach greatly reduced gradient, radio frequency, motion and ballistocardiographic artifact in the EEG, and allowed continuous monitoring of the EEG during functional scanning. To illustrate the quality of the EEG following post-processing, we demonstrated that EEG recorded during fMRI retains useful spectral information.


CONCLUSIONS
Quality EEG may be recorded simultaneously with fMRI. With this union, activation maps could be made of any relevant changes in the EEG, such as inter-ictal spikes or spectral variations, or of evoked response potentials (ERPs).
Goldman
R I
RI
UCLA Brain Mapping Division, Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, 660 Charles E. Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095-7085, USA. rig@ucla.edu
Stern
J M
JM
Engel
J
J
Cohen
M S
MS
D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging