Teresa Cheung

2008 Research Trainee Award, Junior Graduate Studentship

Modeling dynamical neural activity of magnetoencephalography measurements using a real time hardware phantom

The acts of perceiving, thinking, doing or feeling are marked by complex patterns of electrical activity in the brain. Dysfunction in neuronal activity is observed in many diseases and conditions, including epilepsy, dyslexia and Down syndrome.

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a leading edge technology that images functional brain activity in the human cerebral cortex. The MEG installed in the Vancouver/Burnaby (V/B) MEG laboratory contains an array of 151 sensors configured to record minute magnetic fields that are generated when neurons depolarize in the brain.

MEG is used to study neural patterns and pathways using human subjects. However, creating a phantom model to artificially activate sequences of simulated neurons in realistic patterns could help researchers explore dynamic neural networks in more detail. Using a phantom model would allow for more complex studies of brain activity and would also allow researchers to test what happens when pathways are “virtually” altered or severed.

Using neuroscience, physics and engineering, Teresa Cheung is developing a phantom model of the cerebral cortex. She will use a series of magnetic dipoles to simulate the brain’s magnetic fields and write the software to control the activation of these fields. By creating a model that accurately simulates brain activity in healthy and dysfunctional states, Cheung’s research will help researchers better understand the complex workings of the brain.

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