Research Lab Bench

Medical College of Wisconsin Magnetoencephalography (MEG) Research

Scanning Information
Before working with the MEG, researchers are required to gain approval from the MCW Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Froedtert Hospital’s Office of Clinical Research and Innovative Care Compliance (OCRICC). This means that no researcher will be allowed to work with any hardware, software, or devices in the MEG suite before they have been approved by both the IRB and OCRICC.

IRB Approval

  • MCW Researchers: All MCW researchers must be approved by the MCW IRB. This can be done by creating an IRB proposal in eBridge.
  • Non-MCW Researchers: All non-MCW researchers must have approval from their own institution’s IRB or comparable committee. Once approved, researchers must register with the MCW IRB to obtain an IRB project number.

OCRICC Approval
All researchers who wish to use the MEG scanner must have OCRICC approval. It is recommended that OCRICC approval be applied for at the same time as IRB approval. Approval can be requested by filling out the online forms, “OCRICC Project Application Form” and “PHI Checklist” at the OCRICC website. Please ask the MEG scheduler (rrohloff@mcw.edu) for the forms if you cannot download them, then email them directly to the OCRICC at ocricc@froedterthealth.org.

MEG Committee
All researchers must also gain approval from the MEG Committee before they may begin research. To be approved by the MEG Committee, researchers must email their proposal to Dr. Colin Humphries at chumphries@mcw.edu.

Scheduling
To schedule a scan time with the MEG scanner you must have received approval from both the IRB at MCW and the OCRICC at Froedtert Hospital. Once you have approval you may email the MEG scheduler at rrohloff@mcw.edu. All researchers must schedule training/development (non-scanning) and testing times before they will be allowed to scan a subject in the MEG. Research scans may be scheduled for any week day after 1:00 pm. The MEG will not be available Tuesday afternoons as the scanner undergoes weekly maintenance at that time. If absolutely necessary, weekend scans may be requested. Please email the MEG scheduler at rrohloff@mcw.edu.

Current Research Projects

Our core research activities focus on developing new methods, analysis techniques and software to promote MEG/EEG as a genuine functional brain imaging modality. The unique, superlative time resolution of MEG makes it a challenging endeavor, because of the high-density and multi-dimensional aspects of the data (3D space, time, frequencies, connectivity bonds between brain areas, etc.). This page briefly summarizes our methodological research and the clinical research projects we are developing with collaborators on and beyond the campus and the hospital partners.

figure13

Functional image reconstruction from MEG/EEG data with coregistration with MRI

Inverse image estimation, modeling, statistical appraisal.

causality_cs

Detection and characterization of neuromodulatory effects of Cortical and Deep Brain Stimulation (CS, DBS)

Movement disorders, depression, chronic pain, tinnitus.
spikerecurrence

Functional imaging biomarkers of epilepsy

Investigating the brain's ongoing rhythms to reveal the origins and the characteristics of epileptic dysfunctions. Collaboration with M. Raghavan (Neurology) and W. Mueller (Neurosurgery).
noyauxnuclei

Anatomical and electrophysiological imaging models of deeper brain structures

Basal ganglia, hippocampus.

Software Usage/Developments

  • We use Brainstorm and other software.
  • In-house development of MEG-Clinic, a comprehensive software solution for routine MEG analysis.