New technology at Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center will allow physicians to map children's brains to better understand and treat neurological conditions such as autism, epilepsy and brain tumors. The hospital will be the third pediatric medical center in the country to house a magnetocephalography (MEG) laboratory.

The 18,000-pound machine is the first diagnostic imaging technology approved in the United States to perform functional mapping of eloquent cortices (hearing, sensory, motor, language and vision) in patients with brain lesions such as tumors.

"The opportunity to have the MEG laboratory based in our growing Neuroscience Institute at Le Bonheur will allow us to take better care of children with complex brain problems in Memphis and all of the surrounding states," said Dr. James Wheless, director of Le Bonheur's Neuroscience Institute and Comprehensive Epilepsy Program and division chief of pediatric neurology at The University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

MEG is a non-invasive neurophysiological technique that measures the magnetic fields generated by neuronal activity of the brain. The locations of the magnetic fields are used to determine the sources of activity within the brain. Locations of activity are then superimposed on anatomical images, such as MRI, to provide information about both the structure and function of the brain.

MEG will allow physicians to see changes in brain activity in real time, unlike a functional MRI or PET scan. "In the past, other technology has been used to look at physiological explanations for impairments in things such as the ability to understand speech and language, the ability to express yourself through words, attention, among other abilities," said Dr. Vickie Brewer, chief of neuropsychology at Le Bonheur Children's. "With MEG, changes in the brain can be detected at the moment you ask someone to do something like speak, listen, pressing a key on a keyboard, etc."

The MEG will provide exciting new opportunities for understanding neurological conditions like ADHD, autism and traumatic brain injuries. MEG is primarily used to determine if surgery is appropriate for epilepsy patients whose seizures cannot be controlled by drug therapy as well as for patients scheduled for other neurosurgical procedures of the brain. The MEG is used to locate the exact regions of the brain responsible for various functions and to determine the best surgical route to keep these functions intact. These images guide the neurosurgeons and help provide the best outcomes possible.

Dr. Rick Boop, medical director of neurosurgery at Le Bonheur Children's, says the MEG provides a non-invasive way to map the brain and find the precise spot where the seizure originates before surgery. "The MEG will help us see more precisely where the abnormal electrical discharges associated with seizures come from, and enables us to provide this important service on our campus," he said.

The MEG is located on the first floor of the hospital in a magnetically shielded room (MSR) and is made up of layers of copper and mu metal, which is a nickle-aluminum alloy, said Mark McManis, Ph.D., who serves as the technical director of the MEG Clinic. The room is designed to block electrical and magnetic fields from interfering with our measurements.

According to McManis, the MEG has 248 of the most sensitive devices available for recording brain activity in a comfortable setting for patients. A scan can take up to an hour and a half, depending on the types of scans needed.

"A patient will lie on a bed and the sensors will be pulled down over the child's head as if we were putting a helmet on them. The sensors cover the head and ears, but not their face. We may ask the children to do simple repetitive things to map where in the brain the skills are located so that the neurosurgeons can avoid damaging those areas," McManis said.

"For years, neuropsychologists have struggled with accurately determining the relationship between the brain and its ability to perform cognitive tasks. We have been reliant on studies that measure the relationship between these tasks and abnormalities on EEG and MRI.  But there have been limits to the knowledge we can gain from that approach. Because the MEG is real-time, we narrow that gap between our understanding of the brain and behavior," Brewer said.

The Urban Child Institute, formerly LHS, Inc. and former parent company of Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center, donated $2.9 million to Le Bonheur to purchase the MEG.

The Neuroscience Institute at Le Bonheur Children's is well-known nationally for excellence in pediatric neurology and neurosurgery. Its physicians are nationally recognized as leaders in their field and are backed by the specialized staff and facilities available at Le Bonheur. In addition, the partnerships with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital allows for world-renowned research and innovation.