Functional-Structural Imaging: Integrating EEG and MRI

Yuchtman, Moshe

Ann Clin Neurophysiol > 2000 ;2(1) > Article

Ann Clin Neurophysiol. 2000; 2: 39.

Moshe Yuchtman

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

ABSTRACT

Conventional scalp EEG has been used for many years as an important clinical tool in evaluating changes in the functional activity of the brain. A significant feature of the EEG is its high temporal resolution, which is also scaleable, ranging from fraction of a second, to minutes and even hours. At the same time, traditional EEG provides low spatial resolution, thus limiting any interpretation of brain signals with respect to their underlying functional neuroanatomy. In contrast, magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) provides superb resolution of the brain structures and lesions. However, MRI and the related fMRI still lack the temporal resolution, which is required in the interpretation of rapid changes in brain activity. Recent developments in computational techniques of EEG signals may narrow the gap between these different technologies. These new techniques use MRI-based three-dimensional structural models of the head and brain to either enhance the spatial resolution of the EEG, or to localize the underlying source of the electrical activity. By using these tools, the neurologist can co-register two modalities: structure and function into a single integrated image. In this presentation, a number of co-registration methodologies will be reviewed with the perspective of their implications for clinical neurology and neurosurgery.