MAGNETIC FIELD

DUE TO BRAIN
ACTIVITY

 One of the best ways to determine which

regions are activated is to detect the

magnetic field produced by the activation.

 The apparatus in the photograph can detect

the magnetic field set up by a persons brain

so that a map of brain activity can be
correlated to what the person does.

 Heres the icing effect- there are NO

MAGNETIC MATERIALS IN THE BRAIN.

SO HOW CAN BRAIN PRODUCE A
MAGNETIC FIELD????

MAGNETIC FIELD DUE TO

BRAIN ACTIVITY
Scientists , researchers,&
physiologists have a new tool to
understand how the human brain
worksMAGNETOENCEPHALOGRAPHY
{MEG}

 Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is an imaging

technique used to measure the magnetic fields
produced by electrical activity in the brain via
extremely sensitive devices such as
superconducting quantum interference devices
(SQUIDs). These measurements are commonly used
in both research and clinical settings. There are many
uses for the MEG, including assisting surgeons in
localizing a pathology, assisting researchers in
determining the function of various parts of the brain,
neurofeedback, and others.

What is it?
It is a procedure in which the magnetic fields

of a persons are monitored as the person

performs a task .

 The task activates part of the brain thats

involved ,causing weak electrical impulses to

be sent along conducting paths between
brain cells.

 As with any current,each pulse produces magnetic field.

 The magnetic field produced detected by

MEG are probably produced by the walls of

the fissures on the brain surface.

What is the magnitude?

Magnitude of the field at a point P located at a

distance r=2 cm from the pulse.

Let the path of the pulse be tangent to the
brain surface so that angle in the eqn is 90
In a typical pulse ,the current
i=10microampere and the conduting path
length is about 1mm.
Let us assume that this length is short
enough for us to substitute 1mm for element
length ds in the eqn

 This would come to approximately 3pT

 VERY SMALL magnetic feild

Million times weaker than the earths

magnetic field.

 So cannot use a compass to detect this field.

 Extremely sensitive instruments called

SQUIDS [superconducting quantum

interference devices.]

 Superconducting Quantum Interference

Devices (SQUID) are very sensitive

magnetometers used to measure extremely
small magnetic fields, based on
superconducting loops containing Josephson
junctions. They are sensitive enough to
measure fields as low as 5 aT (510-18T)
within a few days of averaged measuremen

 The extreme sensitivity of SQUIDs makes

them ideal for studies in biology.

Magnetoencephalography (MEG), for
example, uses measurements from an array
of SQUIDs to make inferences about neural
activity inside brains.

 These devices can measure the fields of

magnitude less than 1pT.

Care must be taken to eliminate sources of
varying magnetic fields in the detection area.

 Can be used to study inner activities of brain

in detail.

Two essential problems of biomagnetism arise:

weakness of the signal and
strength of the competing environmental
noise.