This project addresses the problem of localizing brain activity in humans from visually evoked potential fields measured on the scalp. Previous work has set the localization problems in terms of defining brain current sources usually in the form of current dipoles. This leads to a problem that is ill posed, i.e., no unique solution is possible and to an undesirable linkage between the localization problem and specific models of how current is generated in the brain. One approach to ill-posed problems is to solve a closely related problem that provides the needed information but which has a unique solution. Brain surface potentials are uniquely specified by scalp potential fields and localize brain activity with good resolution. No assumptions about brain electrogenesis are required. Computation of brain surface potentials fields from scalp potential fields does require quantitative anatomy of the scalp and brain and accurate measurements of electrode position. Techniques to accomplish this using a 3-D digitizer and magnetic resonance imaging of the brian are described. Verification is proposed by means of a life-like model of the human head based on a human skull and by mapping the retino-topic projections to striate cortex in humans. The ability to localize brian activity with VEP's would provide a very useful tool for basic and clinical research in vision because the temporal resolution of VEP's is much better than that of position emission tomography, the principal method now available for regional brain activity measurement. As such it could provide the means to track brain activity as it proceeds in time after a stimulus is presented. This could be useful in understanding normal visual processing, in defining abnormal processing, and in studying adaptations to brain injury.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Eye Institute (NEI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
1R01EY009041-01
Application #
3266376
Study Section
Visual Sciences B Study Section (VISB)
Project Start
1991-05-01
Project End
1994-04-30
Budget Start
1991-05-01
Budget End
1992-04-30
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
1991
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Texas Sw Medical Center Dallas
Department
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
City
Dallas
State
TX
Country
United States
Zip Code
75390
Srebro, R (1995) The Duffing oscillator: a model for the dynamics of the neuronal groups comprising the transient evoked potential. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 96:561-73
Srebro, R; Oguz, R M; Purdy, P D (1994) Human brain responses to different image contrasts. Vision Res 34:849-61
Srebro, R (1994) Continuous current source inversion of evoked potential fields in a spherical model head. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 41:997-1003
Srebro, R; Oguz, R M; Hughlett, K et al. (1993) Functional brain imaging: dipole localization and Laplacian methods. Vision Res 33:2413-9
Srebro, R; Oguz, R M; Hughlett, K et al. (1993) Inferring regional brain activity from evoked potential fields on the scalp. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 17:445-9
Srebro, R; Oguz, R M; Hughlett, K et al. (1993) Estimating regional brain activity from evoked potential fields on the scalp. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 40:509-16
Srebro, R; Baitch, L W (1991) Image segmentation and VEP topography. Vision Res 31:2039-46