A 3-D measurement of biomagnetic field and its application

This review paper focuses in the usefulness of three-dimensional (3-D) biomagnetic field measurement for discriminating multiple sources closely located and overlapped in time. We have developed a 3-D second-order gradiometer connected to 39-channel SQUIDs for vector measurement of magnetoencephalogram (MEG), which can simultaneously detect magnetic field components perpendicular and tangential to the scalp. To assess discrimination and separation of multiple sources overlapping in time, we showed both simulation study and 3-D vector measurement of MEG as following; (a) mixed auditory evoked field (AEF) and somatosensory evoked field (SEF), (b) separating second somatosensory (SII) activity from primary somatosensory (SI) activity in SEF. The magnetic field distribution perpendicular to the scalp was not helpful for estimating the location and number of sources, owing to the lack of a dipole pattern, but the magnetic field distribution tangential to the scalp can provide information about new constraint conditions by visual inspection and singular value decomposition (SVD) method. We estimated multiple sources of mixed AEF and SEF from the MEG data of the magnetic field tangential to the scalp, and also estimated multiple sources of SI and SII activity. These results were confirmed by comparison with superimposed source locations in MRI of subject's head.