Bezsudnova, Yulia 
ORCID: 0000-0003-2443-7082
(2024).
Development and optimization of optically pumped magnetometers for brain imaging.
University of Birmingham.
Ph.D.
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Bezsudnova2024PhD.pdf
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Abstract
Portable and compact optically pumped magnetometers (OPMs) offer new research possibilities that are not achievable with conventional systems (SQUIDs) for brain recordings based on magnetoencephalography (MEG). The most compelling advantage of OPMs is that they can be placed directly onto the subject’s head. This improves the accuracy and resolution of electrophysiological measurements, offering deeper insights into the human brain. While OPM-MEG systems are already commercially available, there is still scope for improvement. This thesis focuses on optimizing different aspects of OPM systems to enhance their performance for human MEG. First, we enhance the OPM sensor’s noise resilience using nonlinear magneto-optical rotation. In the future, OPM sensors based on this principle can be combined with transcranial magnetic stimulation to study brain connectivity. Next, a mathematical model of the OPM-MEG system is developed to optimize sensor parameters, for example, vapour cell volume, to increase system sensitivity under specific environmental conditions. The model can serve as a guide to design OPM-MEG systems tailored to specific research needs. In the final part of this thesis, the foundation is laid for an experiment to test our hypothesis that the OPM- MEG system can offer significant advantages in experiments designed for multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA), a frequently employed technique in cognitive neuroscience. MVPA is based on comparing the spatial distribution of brain signals under different experimental conditions conditions and therefore holds a strong promise when applied to OPM-MEG data.
| Type of Work: | Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.) | |||||||||
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| Award Type: | Doctorates > Ph.D. | |||||||||
| Supervisor(s): |
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| Licence: | Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0 | |||||||||
| College/Faculty: | Colleges > College of Engineering & Physical Sciences | |||||||||
| School or Department: | School of Physics and Astronomy | |||||||||
| Funders: | Other | |||||||||
| Other Funders: | UK Research and Innovation | |||||||||
| Subjects: | Q Science > QC Physics | |||||||||
| URI: | http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/id/eprint/14638 |
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