Chapter 10 - Methodology of combined EEG and fMRI

Summary

Electroencephalogram (EEG) in combination with a fast whole-brain imaging method such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is an ideal tool to study sleep. This chapter covers practical aspects when planning and conducting a simultaneous EEG-fMRI experiment. It describes the choice of hardware to provide patient safety and comfort, while delivering high quality EEG and fMRI data. The chapter examines the choice of post processing methods applied to the electrophysiological data for scanner and subject-induced artifact reduction. Two empirical approaches have been mainly used to integrate fMRI and EEG data; first, using fMRI for the better determination of the source of the measured electrical EEG signal and second, trying to find the common neural origin of both the EEG and fMRI signals in a broader sense. EMG recordings are feasible but await further improved artifact reduction methods dealing with motion in the magnetic field.