Frye Richard E, Rezaie Roozbeh, Papanicolaou Andrew C
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Child and Adolescent Neurology, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX.
Phys Life Rev. 2009 Mar 1;6(1):1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.plrev.2008.08.001.
Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a novel functional brain mapping technique capable of non-invasively measuring neurophysiological activity based on direct measures of the magnetic flux at the head surface associated with the synchronized electrical activity of neuronal populations. Among the most actively sought applications of MEG has been localization of language-specific cortex. This is in part due to its practical application for pre-surgical evaluation of patients with epilepsy or brain tumors. Until recently, comprehensive language mapping during surgical planning has relied on the application of invasive diagnostic methods, namely the Wada procedure and direct electrocortical stimulation mapping, often considered as the "gold standard" techniques for identifying language-specific cortex. In this review, we evaluate the utility of MEG as a tool for functional mapping of language in both clinical and normal populations. In particular, we provide a general description of MEG, with emphasis on facets of the technique related to language mapping. Additionally, we discuss the application of appropriate MEG language-mapping protocols developed to reliably generate spatiotemporal profiles of language activity, and address the validity of the technique against the "gold standards" of the Wada and electrocortical mapping procedures.
脑磁图（MEG）是一种新型的功能性脑图谱技术，能够基于与神经元群体同步电活动相关的头部表面磁通量的直接测量，非侵入性地测量神经生理活动。在MEG最为积极探索的应用中，语言特异性皮层的定位是其中之一。部分原因在于其在癫痫或脑肿瘤患者术前评估中的实际应用。直到最近，手术规划期间的全面语言图谱绘制一直依赖于侵入性诊断方法的应用，即Wada测试和直接皮层电刺激图谱绘制，这两种方法通常被视为识别语言特异性皮层的“金标准”技术。在本综述中，我们评估了MEG作为临床和正常人群语言功能图谱绘制工具的效用。特别是，我们对MEG进行了总体描述，重点关注与语言图谱绘制相关的技术方面。此外，我们讨论了为可靠生成语言活动的时空分布图而开发的适当MEG语言图谱绘制方案的应用，并探讨了该技术相对于Wada测试和皮层电图绘制程序“金标准”的有效性。
