| 1. |
- Andersen, L. M., et al.
(författare)
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Similarities and differences between on-scalp and conventional in-helmet magnetoencephalography recordings
- 2017
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Ingår i: Plos One. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 12:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The development of new magnetic sensor technologies that promise sensitivities approaching that of conventional MEG technology while operating at far lower operating temperatures has catalysed the growing field of on-scalp MEG. The feasibility of on-scalp MEG has been demonstrated via benchmarking of new sensor technologies performing neuromagnetic recordings in close proximity to the head surface against state-of-the-art in-helmet MEG sensor technology. However, earlier work has provided little information about how these two approaches compare, or about the reliability of observed differences. Herein, we present such a comparison, based on recordings of the N20m component of the somatosensory evoked field as elicited by electric median nerve stimulation. As expected from the proximity differences between the on-scalp and in-helmet sensors, the magnitude of the N20m activation as recorded with the on-scalp sensor was higher than that of the in-helmet sensors. The dipole pattern of the on-scalp recordings was also more spatially confined than that of the conventional recordings. Our results furthermore revealed unexpected temporal differences in the peak of the N20m component. An analysis protocol was therefore developed for assessing the reliability of this observed difference. We used this protocol to examine our findings in terms of differences in sensor sensitivity between the two types of MEG recordings. The measurements and subsequent analysis raised attention to the fact that great care has to be taken in measuring the field close to the zero-line crossing of the dipolar field, since it is heavily dependent on the orientation of sensors. Taken together, our findings provide reliable evidence that on-scalp and in-helmet sensors measure neural sources in mostly similar ways.
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| 2. |
- Ruffieux, Silvia, 1990, et al.
(författare)
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Feedback solutions for low crosstalk in dense arrays of high-T-c SQUIDs for on-scalp MEG
- 2017
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Ingår i: Superconductor Science & Technology. - : IOP Publishing. - 0953-2048 .- 1361-6668. ; 30:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Magnetoencephalography (MEG) systems based on a dense array of high critical temperature (high-T-c) superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) can theoretically outperform a state-of-the-art MEG system. On the way towards building such a multichannel system, we evaluate feedback methods suitable for use in dense high-T-c SQUID arrays where the sensors are in very close proximity to the head (on-scalp MEG). We test on-chip superconducting coils and direct injection of the feedback current into the SQUID loop as alternatives to the wire-wound copper coils commonly used in single-channel high-T-c SQUID-based MEG systems. For the evaluation, we have performed coupling, noise, and crosstalk measurements. We conclude that direct injection is the optimal solution for dense on-scalp MEG as it gives crosstalk below 0.5% even between SQUIDs whose pickup loops are within 0.8 mm of one another. Further, this solution provides sufficient flux coupling without adding additional noise. Finally, it does not compromise the standoff distance, which is important for on-scalp MEG.
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| 3. |
- Xie, Minshu, 1988, et al.
(författare)
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Improved coupling of nanowire-based high-T-c SQUID magnetometers-simulations and experiments
- 2017
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Ingår i: Superconductor Science & Technology. - : IOP Publishing. - 0953-2048 .- 1361-6668. ; 30:11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) based on high critical-temperature superconducting nanowire junctions were designed, fabricated, and characterized in terms of their potential as magnetometers for magnetoencephalography (MEG). In these devices, the high kinetic inductance of junctions and the thin film thickness (50 nm) pose special challenges in optimizing the field coupling. The high kinetic inductance also brings difficulties in reaching a low SQUID noise. To explore the technique for achieving a high field sensitivity, single-layer devices with a directly connected pickup loop and flip-chip devices with an inductively coupled flux transformer using a two-level coupling approach were fabricated and tested. Two-level coupling is an approach designed for flip-chip nanowire-based SQUIDs, in which a washer type SQUID pickup loop is introduced as an intermediate coupling level between the SQUID loop and the flux transformer input coil. The inductances and effective areas of all these devices were simulated. We found that at T = 77 K, flip-chip devices with the two-level coupling approach (coupling coefficient of 0.37) provided the best effective area of 0.46 mm(2) among all the tested devices. With a flux noise level of 55 mu Phi(0) Hz-1/2, the field sensitivity level was 240 fTHz-1/2. This sensitivity is not yet adequate for MEG applications but it is the best level ever reached for nanowire-based high-Tc SQUID magnetometers.
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