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UAB was among the first medical centers in the country to obtain a MEG, having done so originally in 2001; however, evolving technology has created a need for replacing the old technology with a new one.
Photography: Andrea MabryThe complexity of the human brain has long been an enigma that neuroscientists have sought to untangle. Advancements in technology play a critical role in expanding the knowledge of the brain’s inner workings, helping researchers and clinicians alike.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham and UAB Medicine have added a new magnetoencephalography, or MEG, machine to advance research and clinical care across the enterprise. UAB Hospital is one of fewer than 30 clinical centers in the nation that houses MEG technology.
The MEG technology measures the magnetic fields from the brain’s nerve cells to analyze their function. Scans can help localize brain abnormalities in patients with diseases like epilepsy while providing insight into how the brain performs normal functions like speaking, hearing and seeing.
The new machine also provides benefits to patients that other brain activity technology does not.
“It is noninvasive, which minimizes risks to patients,” said Ismail Mohamed, M.D., professor in the Division of Pediatric Neurology at UAB and Children’s of Alabama. “You can record patients in different age groups, including children, and provide measurements of brain activity at milliseconds’ time resolution.”
The MEG provides greater coverage of brain activity, allowing for more accurate information and precise localization. This information is crucial for epilepsy surgeries, where surgeons can use MEG results to determine where brain seizures are located.
The MEG technology measures the magnetic fields from the brain’s nerve cells to analyze their function.
Photography: Andrea Mabry“MEG studies help us as surgeons to localize seizure onset zones, directing us to areas to implant monitoring electrodes,” said Kristen Riley, M.D., professor in the UAB Department of Neurosurgery. “Often these areas look completely normal on MRI but are identified by the MEG study as possible sites of seizure onset.”
A second clinical implementation involves functional brain mapping — to localize areas important for language, sensory and motor function.
“It has huge implications for learning — like child development,” Mohamed said. “Learning new languages. Processing information as the child grows. It has a lot of potential research use for the prediction of disease outcomes. Studying things like traumatic brain injury or Alzheimer’s disease.”
The new MEG will enhance research opportunities across UAB. Researchers hope to use information from MEG scans to add to the growing knowledge of the brain while providing translational findings to improve patient care.
Read more about the MEG technology here.