Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 13353, Berlin, Germany.
Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Berlin, Germany.
Transl Psychiatry. 2024 Aug 24;14(1):341. doi: 10.1038/s41398-024-03047-y.
Magnetoencephalography (MEG) allows the non-invasive measurement of brain activity at millisecond precision combined with localization of the underlying generators. So far, MEG-systems consisted of superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDS), which suffer from several limitations. Recent technological advances, however, have enabled the development of novel MEG-systems based on optically pumped magnetometers (OPMs), offering several advantages over conventional SQUID-MEG systems. Considering potential improvements in the measurement of neuronal signals as well as reduced operating costs, the application of OPM-MEG systems for clinical neuroscience and diagnostic settings is highly promising. Here we provide an overview of the current state-of-the art of OPM-MEG and its unique potential for translational neuroscience. First, we discuss the technological features of OPMs and benchmark OPM-MEG against SQUID-MEG and electroencephalography (EEG), followed by a summary of pioneering studies of OPMs in healthy populations. Key applications of OPM-MEG for the investigation of psychiatric and neurological conditions are then reviewed. Specifically, we suggest novel applications of OPM-MEG for the identification of biomarkers and circuit deficits in schizophrenia, dementias, movement disorders, epilepsy, and neurodevelopmental syndromes (autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). Finally, we give an outlook of OPM-MEG for translational neuroscience with a focus on remaining methodological and technical challenges.
脑磁图（MEG）允许以毫秒级的精度和潜在发生器的定位对脑活动进行非侵入性测量。到目前为止，MEG 系统由超导量子干涉器件（SQUIDs）组成，这些系统存在一些局限性。然而，最近的技术进步已经使基于光泵磁强计（OPMs）的新型 MEG 系统的开发成为可能，与传统的 SQUID-MEG 系统相比具有许多优势。考虑到神经元信号测量的潜在改进以及运营成本的降低，OPM-MEG 系统在临床神经科学和诊断环境中的应用极具前景。在这里，我们提供了 OPM-MEG 的最新技术现状及其在转化神经科学中的独特潜力的概述。首先，我们讨论了 OPM 的技术特点，并将 OPM-MEG 与 SQUID-MEG 和脑电图（EEG）进行了基准测试，随后总结了 OPM 在健康人群中的开创性研究。然后回顾了 OPM-MEG 在研究精神和神经疾病方面的关键应用。具体来说，我们建议将 OPM-MEG 用于识别精神分裂症、痴呆、运动障碍、癫痫和神经发育综合征（自闭症谱系障碍和注意缺陷多动障碍）中的生物标志物和电路缺陷的新应用。最后，我们着眼于转化神经科学，重点介绍了 OPM-MEG 仍然存在的方法和技术挑战。
