Measurements for sensorimotor processing in the brain using magnetoencephalography

Abstract

It is important to evaluate the efficacy of physical therapy using brain mapping technologies.Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is one of the powerful noninvasive tool for examining the temporal and spatial aspects of motor and sensory processing in the brain. In this paper, MEG responses elicited by voluntary movement and innocuous somesthetic stimuli were reviewed. 1) Movement related cortical fields were enhanced by voluntary bilateral hand movement in a patient with mild hemiplegia. 2) Clear sensorimotor responses were detected by imaging motor tasks without any body movement. 3) MEG can detect a quick detection system of abrupt changes in the sensory environment (change-related response), which is an index of evaluating sensory memory process. 4) Somesthetic responses were inhibited by inserting a weak leading stimulus, which indicates the presence of an inhibitory process beyond a simple reduction in response-generating activities. These findings will be helpful in further evaluation for physical therapy of the central nervous system.