Magnetoencephalography with 120 optically pumped magnetometers (OPM-MEG) in epilepsy: Pilot measurements for feasibility analyses Magnetenzephalographie mit 120 optisch gepumpten Magnetometern (OPM-MEG) bei Epilepsie: Pilotmessungen zur Überprüfung der Machbarkeit
Anders P, Rampp S, Stier C, Sander T, Krüger P, Holtkamp M, Brickwedde M, Vorderwülbecke B (2026)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2026
Journal
DOI: 10.1007/s10309-026-00833-0
Abstract
Background: Drug-resistant focal epilepsy can successfully be treated by surgical elimination of the epileptogenic brain area. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) can contribute to localizing the epileptogenic zone, providing complementary information to electroencephalography (EEG). In recent years, optically pumped magnetometers (OPMs) have been developed as a new type of MEG sensor which promise to improve the signal-to-noise ratio as well as localization accuracy and to reduce operating costs. Objective: We aimed at demonstrating the feasibility of OPM-MEG in adults with drug-resistant epilepsy and at confirming the plausibility of the results obtained. Material and methods: In this study, three adult volunteers with drug-resistant frontal lobe epilepsy, temporal lobe epilepsy and unclassified epilepsy, respectively, underwent a 45-min MEG scan with 120 OPMs. We averaged the recorded epileptic spikes and used them for MEG source localization. The results were compared with those of EEG source localization and the results of other presurgical diagnostic modalities. Results: All test persons tolerated the OPM-MEG measurements without any problems. In all cases, epileptic spikes were recorded and reconstructed through MEG source localization. In all three cases, the results were congruent with those of EEG source localization and other clinical diagnostics. Conclusion: The use of OPM-MEG is feasible in adults with pharmacoresistant epilepsy and yields plausible results. As a next step, we are planning a clinical-technical study to determine the diagnostic value of OPM-MEG during presurgical epilepsy evaluation, especially in comparison to EEG and conventional MEG.
Authors with CRIS profile
Involved external institutions
Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB)
Germany (DE)
Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität (WWU) Münster
Germany (DE)
Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Germany (DE)
Germany (DE)
Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität (WWU) Münster
Germany (DE)
Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Germany (DE)
How to cite
APA:
Anders, P., Rampp, S., Stier, C., Sander, T., Krüger, P., Holtkamp, M.,... Vorderwülbecke, B. (2026). Magnetoencephalography with 120 optically pumped magnetometers (OPM-MEG) in epilepsy: Pilot measurements for feasibility analyses Magnetenzephalographie mit 120 optisch gepumpten Magnetometern (OPM-MEG) bei Epilepsie: Pilotmessungen zur Überprüfung der Machbarkeit. Clinical Epileptology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10309-026-00833-0
MLA:
Anders, Paul, et al. "Magnetoencephalography with 120 optically pumped magnetometers (OPM-MEG) in epilepsy: Pilot measurements for feasibility analyses Magnetenzephalographie mit 120 optisch gepumpten Magnetometern (OPM-MEG) bei Epilepsie: Pilotmessungen zur Überprüfung der Machbarkeit." Clinical Epileptology (2026).
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