Progress in molecular biology and translational science
-
Prog Mol Biol Transl Sci · Jan 2019
ReviewMagnetoencephalography applied to the study of Alzheimer's disease.
Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a relatively modern neuroimaging technique able to study normal and pathological brain functioning with temporal resolution in the order of milliseconds and adequate spatial resolution. Although its clinical applications are still relatively limited, great advances have been made in recent years in the field of dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD) in particular. In this chapter, we briefly describe the physiological phenomena underlying MEG brain signals and the different metrics that can be computed from these data in order to study the alterations disrupting brain activity not only in demented patients, but also in the preclinical and prodromal stages of the disease. ⋯ To this aim, findings from different approaches such as resting state or during the performance of different cognitive paradigms are discussed. Lastly, there is an increasing interest in current scientific literature in promoting interventions aimed at modifying certain lifestyles, such as nutrition or physical activity among others, thought to reduce or delay AD risk. We discuss the utility of MEG as a potential marker of the success of such interventions from the available literature.