Magnetoencephalography (MEG)

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a brain imaging technique that measures the magnetic fields emitted by brain cells (neurons), allowing the mapping of brain activity with great precision in real time. Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center is one of only 29 clinical sites in the country, and the only site in North Carolina and surrounding states, to utilize Magnetoencephalography.

MEG has the following advantages:

• It is non-invasive.
• It is highly sensitive and accurate.
• It is completely safe; patients are not exposed to radiation.

At Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, MEG is being used to localize epileptic discharges in the brains of patients with seizures. MEG can also localize major brain regions that control movement, sensation, hearing, vision, and language, which can be important for pre-surgical planning in neurosurgery.

For referrals please call 336-716-5555. 

MEG research is increasing our understanding of human brain disorders. MEG is an important research tool for studying a number of neurological disorders such as epilepsy and stroke, as well as psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, dementia, and posttraumatic stress disorder.

For general information contact:

Dwayne Godwin, PhD
Professor, Departments of Neurobiology & Anatomy, Department of Neurology
336-716-9437
dgodwin@wakehealth.edu

Brain maps showing brain activity just before and during a generalized epileptic seizure. Multiple brain regions are involved and the high resolution of MEG allows visualization of the sequences of brain activations in this common seizure disorder. (Figure courtesy of Drs. Jennifer Stapleton-Kotloski, Cormac O'Donovan and Dwayne Godwin)