Jason Ford

Liquid-nitrogen-cooled sensors could improve brain research

News

Swedish researchers have used liquid-nitrogen-cooled sensors to improve the cost and performance of magnetoencephalography (MEG) systems used to study the brain.

MEG is used as a diagnostic system in highly specialised hospitals, and applications include pre-operative planning for brain surgery and the diagnosis of epilepsy and dementia.

A single MEG system costs roughly €3m (£2.4m) to buy and €200,000 in annual running costs. Because of the high price tag, there is currently not a single MEG system in many countries with high-tech medical care, including Sweden.

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology and Gothenburg University are now working on technology that can make MEG far more accessible.

The research group aims to develop a MEG system that is simple and cheap enough to be available at every hospital, while providing totally new possibilities for fundamental investigations in brain research.

According to a statement, a new class of sensors is at the heart of the system. Unlike today’s MEG sensors, which require cooling to -269ºC, the new sensors work at -196ºC — a capability that provides a number of advantages.

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