Core 3 – Biomagnetism (PTB)
Magneto- and electroencephalography (MEG/EEG) are well established tools for characterizing neuronal processes on a ms-scale On the other hand, slow processes lasting several seconds are much more difficult to measure by conventional MEG or EEG. To this end special “direct current” (DC) measurement techniques have been developed at PTB.
The aim of this Project is to provide the measurement and data analysis technology for characterizing slow neuronal signals. Slow processes are of considerable importance for studying neuro-vascular coupling, which is one of the main topics of the BNIC. In addition to the modulation based DC-MEG facility, which is presently operated in the Benjamin Franklin Medical School, a new reference facility with enhanced capabilities is now ready for use by the project groups of the BNIC.
The new facility consists of a 304-channel vector magnetometer, which is operated in a seven layer magnetically shielded room. The facility allows broadband recording of MEG and EEG form 0 Hz upwards. Specifically for the study of neuro-vascular coupling, a combined measurement setup consisting of MEG/EEG and near-infrared spectroscopy will be installed in cooperation with core project 5.
