Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40363144›Full record

ArticleSensors (Basel, Switzerland)2025

Optimization of OPM-MEG Layouts with a Limited Number of Sensors.

Urban Marhl, Rok Hren, Tilmann Sander, Vojko Jazbinšek

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Sensors (Basel, Switzerland), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Spatial-Jitter Model for Magnetoencephalography Sensor Arrays.IEEE transactions on medical imaging · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Enhanced Neural Decoding With Optically Pumped Magnetometer MEG Using Multivariate Pattern Analysis.IEEE transactions on neural systems and rehabilitation engineering : a publication of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society · 2026
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Urban MarhlInstitute of Mathematics, Physics and Mechanics, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.ORCID 0000-0003-1562-8434
Rok HrenInstitute of Mathematics, Physics and Mechanics, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Tilmann SanderPhysikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, 10587 Berlin, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-2984-5579
Vojko JazbinšekInstitute of Mathematics, Physics and Mechanics, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.ORCID 0000-0002-8592-6253

Funding

The Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency N1-0283The Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency P2-0348
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a non-invasive neuroimaging technique that measures weak magnetic fields generated by neural electrical activity in the brain. Traditional MEG systems use superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) sensors, which require cryogenic cooling and employ a dense array of sensors to capture magnetic field maps (MFMs) around the head. Recent advancements have introduced optically pumped magnetometers (OPMs) as a promising alternative. Unlike SQUIDs, OPMs do not require cooling and can be placed closer to regions of interest (ROIs). This study aims to optimize the layout of OPM-MEG sensors, maximizing information capture with a limited number of sensors. We applied a sequential selection algorithm (SSA), originally developed for body surface potential mapping in electrocardiography, which requires a large database of full-head MFMs. While modern OPM-MEG systems offer full-head coverage, expected future clinical use will benefit from simplified procedures, where handling a lower number of sensors is easier and more efficient. To explore this, we converted full-head SQUID-MEG measurements of auditory-evoked fields (AEFs) into OPM-MEG layouts with 80 sensor sites. System conversion was done by calculating a current distribution on the brain surface using minimum norm estimation (MNE). We evaluated the SSA's performance under different protocols, for example, using measurements of single or combined OPM components. We assessed the quality of estimated MFMs using metrics, such as the correlation coefficient (CC), root-mean-square error, and relative error. Additionally, we performed source localization for the highest auditory response (M100) by fitting equivalent current dipoles. Our results show that the first 15 to 20 optimally selected sensors (CC > 0.95, localization error < 1 mm) capture most of the information contained in full-head MFMs. Our main finding is that for event-related fields, such as AEFs, which primarily originate from focal sources, a significantly smaller number of sensors than currently used in conventional MEG systems is sufficient to extract relevant information.

Indexed as

auditory-evoked fieldsmagnetic field mapsmagnetoencephalographyminimum norm estimationoptically pumped magnetometerssensor optimizationsequential selection algorithm

Identifiers

PMID40363144
PMCPMC12074169

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.