Brain Products granted U.S. patents for EEG & fMRI, EEG & TMS and dry electrodes

Brain Products is proud to have been granted several patents by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office recently. These inventions demonstrate our continued motivation to design and develop innovative products.

• United States Patent 8,600,492
• Inventors: Svojanovksy; Alexander
• Assignee: Brain Products GmbH
• Filed: January 31, 2011

The present invention relates to EEG artifact correction in combined EEG (electroencephalography) and fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) recording. In particular, the present invention relates to a method of removing EEG artifacts induced during an fMRI. During scanning by the fMRI scanner, artifacts are introduced into the EEG signals which are caused by alternating electromagnetic fields and high frequency pulses, for example. These pulses are output from the scanner in the same direction. Assuming that the electrodes and cables feeding the EEG signals from the electrodes to an EEG recording apparatus have specific positions at or on the patient’s head, the pulses are continuously reproduced as artifacts in the EEG signals in the same manner.

A method of removing repeatedly occurring interferences/artifacts induced by a functional MRI in continuous EEG signals is the so-called average subtraction method described by Allen, Josephs, and Turner: “A Method for Removing Imaging Artifact from Continuous EEG Recorded During Functional MRI,” Academic Press, NeuroImage vol. 12, pp. 230-39, 2000. With the above method it is possible to achieve good results as long as there is no movement of the patient’s head wearing the EEG electrodes. If there is such movement, the topography of the MR and blood pulse artifacts changes, and the results of the above correction method deteriorate. The invention improves the quality of corrected data recorded in an MRI scanner by taking head movements into account.

• United States Patent 8,608,633
• Inventors: Svojanovsky; Alexander
• Assignee: Brain Products GmbH
• Filed: January 31, 2011

The present invention relates to a system for recording electric signals from a subject while magnetic field pulses are being applied to the subject. For example, electric signals are recorded from a patient’s head by means of electrodes placed on the patient’s head while magnetic field pulses are applied to the patient’s head by a transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) apparatus. The recording of the electric signals is disturbed by the repeatedly applied magnetic field pulses.

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide an apparatus and system for recording electric signals in the context as described above which overcomes the disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices and methods of this general type and which provides for the correction of electric signals recorded from a subject which suffer from interferences/artifacts caused by a TMS apparatus repeatedly applying magnetic field pulses to the subject during recording of the electric signals from the subject. The present invention improves the quality of corrected data by clock-synchronizing both units.

• United States Patent US8326396 B2
• Inventors: Svojanovsky; Alexander, Picht; Bernd
• Assignee: Brain Products GmbH
• Filed: March 24, 2010

The present invention relates to an electrode for detecting EEG signals and an attaching device for holding the electrode which allow contacting the scalp without a conductive gel between the scalp and the electrode. In order to provide contact between an electrode used for measuring EEG (Electro-Encephalography) signals and the scalp, usually a conductive gel is applied between the skin and the electrode. However, applying the gel is cumbersome and dry electrodes are aimed for which do not require a conductive gel.

An electrode for detecting EEG signals comprises a body comprising a fixture on a first end of the body, and a sensor detachably held by the fixture, wherein the body has an external thread in a portion of the body extending from the first end of the body towards a second end of the body, and the sensor has a brush-like shape with pins protruding off the body. The electrode may be held by an attaching device for holding electrodes for detecting EEG signals, the attaching device comprising a strap including a plurality of holes for accommodating electrodes and a rotary closure connecting a first end of the strap and a second end of the strap. Dry electrodes from Brain Products are available from May 19th, 2014.