MEGIN Spotlights

MEGIN Spotlight – Theresa Williard from Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital

In this Spotlight we welcome Theresa Williard, BSN, RN, CNRN, the MEG and TMS Manager at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. Theresa discusses how to create a successful MEG program, and how to stand out from other healthcare providers. She also shares insights into the day-to-day responsibilities of her role and Le Bonheur’s EMU program, including their sedation protocol.

MEGIN Spotlight – Elaine O’Loughlin

We were delighted to welcome Elaine O’Loughlin, who we were introduced to at the Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery Alliance Conference in Boston. She was kind enough to share her daughter’s experience of MEG as part of her epilepsy diagnosis and surgical planning at Boston Children’s Hospital. We hear about her family’s experience of being included in a MEG research study, how MEG data informed clinical decision making and surgical planning, and the positive changes this has had on her daughter’s epilepsy and quality of life. Elaine also shares her advice for families who are facing similar challenges.

MEGIN Spotlight – Strategic Software Partners FIND Neuro

We were delighted to welcome our new strategic software partners FIND Neuro to the Spotlight. FIND Neuro will develop a multi-modal solution* to improve MEG utilization for pre-surgical evaluation.

On this Spotlight, we are joined by co-founders Noam Peled and Avi Yaron to discuss why FIND Neuro was created, learn more about our guests’ backgrounds and share how MEGIN and FIND Neuro intend to work together.

You can learn more at findneuro.com

*FIND Neuro is a work in progress and not available for sale.

MEGIN Spotlight – Professor Srikantan Nagarajan from University of California, San Francisco

In this Spotlight, we welcome Srikantan Nagarajan, PhD, a Professor in the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at the University of California, San Francisco. Professor Nagarajan explains how MEG technology is utilized in the brain tumor and epilepsy treatment programs at UCSF. He also offers insights on how UCSF runs a successful MEG program and achieves an ROI on this modality.

MEGIN Spotlight – Melinda Blalock, Caregiver

We were delighted to welcome Caregiver Melinda Blalock to our Spotlight series. Melinda was kind enough to share her son’s epilepsy journey through 4 different pediatric hospitals, and his eventual MEG scan at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. We hear how the inclusion of MEG during her son’s epilepsy evaluation at Le Bonheur enabled new clinical decision making – which ultimately led to positive changes to his epilepsy, allowing for a more free and independent life with the amazing support of his family. 

MEGIN Spotlight – Professor Chris Plummer, Neurologist, and Simon Vogrin, Clinical Multimodal Neuroimaging Scientist

We were delighted to welcome Simon Vogrin and Professor Chris Plummer to our Spotlight today. Together, they are the Managing Directors and co founders of EMSL, a privately run center in Melbourne which uses MEG technology in collaboration with Swinburne University of Technology.

Listen to our guests discuss the role of the EMSL center and MEG, with Professor Plummer being one of the only neurologists in Australia to incorporate MEG in patient work ups. They share specific clinical and research cases and discuss why they choose to use MEG as a part of a multi modal neuroimaging treatment plan.

MEGIN Spotlight – Professor Hanna Renvall of BioMag Laboratory at Helsinki University Hospital

In this Spotlight we welcome Professor Hanna Renvall, head of the MEG Lab at BioMag Laboratory at Helsinki University Hospital, to discuss how MEG is incorporated at the institution. Professor Renvall shares preliminary insights into the AI Mind research project, which incorporates MEG technology to assess the risk of developing clinical dementia in the near future. Professor Renvall also discusses her findings on a research study where MEG was combined with machine learning to classify mild traumatic brain injuries, and how she sees MEG being used in the future.

MEGIN Spotlight – Professor Krish Singh of Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre

In this Spotlight, we welcome Professor Krish Singh, Head of Human Electrophysiology at Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre. Professor Singh’s group uses MRI, EEG, and MEG. The group has collaborated on research such as epilepsy, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer’s disease. In this Spotlight, Professor Singh discusses two major multi-modal research projects running with MEG and explains how Cardiff are exploring using MEG technology as an exciting new tool for pharma to help accelerate and improve drug development pipelines.

MEGIN Spotlight – Dr. Jeffrey Tenney, Clinical Director of MEG at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center

We are pleased to release a new MEGIN Spotlight with Dr. Jeffrey Tenney, Clinical Director of MEG at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

In this Spotlight, Dr Tenney shares a case study illustrating how MEG technology was vital in the diagnostic process of a patient and changed the surgical outcome. Dr Tenney also discusses his work as President of ACMEGs and gives insight into research projects at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

MEGIN Spotlight – Dr. Olga Taraschenko, Dr. Valentina Gumenyuk and Dr. Matthew Rizzo from UNMC

We were delighted to welcome to the Spotlight Dr. Olga Taraschenko, Dr. Valentina Gumenyuk and Dr. Matthew Rizzo from the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC).
UNMC has a long history as a MEG site in the United States, and recently upgraded to MEGIN’s TRIUX™ neo
In this Spotlight, our guests describe how UNMC utilizes MEG technology for both clinical services and research initiatives, including epilepsy, memory and sleep disorders.

MEGIN Spotlight – Dr. Sarah Weatherspoon, Pediatric Neurologist at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital

It was a pleasure welcoming our guest Dr. Sarah Weatherspoon to the Spotlight. Dr. Weatherspoon is a Pediatric Neurologist at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. In this interview, Dr. Weatherspoon discusses how she discovered MEG technology, the importance of finding a MEG center for her first attending position, and how the technology is incorporated into the workflow at the EMU today. Dr. Weatherspoon explains why using MEG is always high on her priority list, and shares one patient’s incredible epilepsy journey where MEG was instrumental in guiding the hospital team. This patient was previously not considered a surgical candidate but with the data from a MEG scan and the following surgery, the patient has gone from hundreds of seizures a day to two and a half months seizure free.

MEGIN Spotlight – Amy Godknecht, a caregiver of her daughter, an epilepsy patient

MEGIN was pleased to welcome caregiver Amy Godknecht to share her daughter Autumn’s epilepsy journey through multiple medications and surgeries. She provides information about when the family was first introduced to MEG technology and the reassurance it provided in the family’s decision-making. As Amy explains, the family decided to pursue surgery for a second time because they could gather more data with MEG technology. Amy gives insight into the excellent care that Autumn received at Cook Children’s Hospital and the current process of transitioning from a pediatric to an adult epilepsy care team. She highlights the importance of access to testing and expertise as Autumn moves into this next stage of her epilepsy journey as an adult.  

MEGIN Spotlight – Professor Sándor Beniczky of Arhus University Hospital and Danish Epilepsy Center

In this Spotlight, Professor Beniczky explains the evolution of MEG’s utilization in his clinical and research career. He discusses how MEG is incorporated into the operational flow at the Danish Epilepsy Center and explains the importance of MEG in pre-surgical epilepsy evaluations and assessing patients’ viability for epilepsy surgery. Professor Beniczky also offers insights into how MEG has helped to facilitate epilepsy research conducted by his department and gives insights into the clinical added value in pre-surgical evaluation. Watch the episode now to learn more.

MEGIN Spotlight – MYndspan co-founder and COO, Caitlin Baltzer, and CSO, Dr. Ben Dunkley

Watch a MEGIN Spotlight with MYndspan co-founder and COO, Caitlin Baltzer, and CSO, Dr. Ben Dunkley. Learn about MYndspan, a service designed to empower consumers about brain health, with a detailed report of brain function following a quick 45-minute on-site appointment for an MEG scan and assessment. Our guests further elaborate on why they are utilizing MEG technology as the main modality for MYndspan scans, and what insights consumers can learn from brain function reports. Watch the episode to learn more.

MEGIN Spotlight – Oostveen Family and Dr. Hernandez, Helen De Vos Children’s Hospital

MEGIN was delighted to welcome Nick, Danielle, and Everett Oostveen. We were introduced to the Oostveens by our wonderful customer-partner, and previous Spotlight guest, Dr. Angel Hernandez. Dr. Hernandez is the division chief for pediatric neurology at Corewell Health Helen De Vos Children’s Hospital. The Oostveens have kindly agreed to share their epilepsy surgery journey in this Spotlight episode.

MEGIN Spotlight – Emily Portis, a caregiver of her teenage daughter, an epilepsy patient

MEGIN was delighted to welcome Emily Portis. We were introduced to Emily at an advocacy event last summer hosted by the Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery Alliance, our wonderful advocacy group partner. After meeting Emily and her daughter Jenna there, she kindly agreed to share her caregiver’s perspective on her daughter’s epilepsy diagnosis and surgery journey with us and how the family discovered MEG Technology during Jenna’s treatment journey.

MEGIN Spotlight – MEGIN Customers in Research

A compilation of some of MEGIN’s prestigious research customers who utilize MEG Technology in research studies across the globe.

MEGIN Spotlight – Hokkaido University in Japan

MEGIN welcomed Professor Yokosawa from the Faculty of Health Sciences, and Associate Professor Shiraishi from the Paediatric Neurology Department focusing on epilepsy for this month’s spotlight episode. Hokkaido University has two MEG devices, one for clinical use and the other for research use.

MEGIN Spotlight – Sherrie Van Oss, a caregiver of epilepsy patients, her daughter, and her son

Both Sherrie’s children have epilepsy, detected at different ages. Sherrie describes how MEG assisted epilepsy drug management to improve seizure control.

MEGIN Spotlight – Ken Lininger, a caregiver of an epilepsy patient, his daughter

Ken’s daughter was suspected to have epilepsy in the ER, and was then transferred to an inpatient team under the care of a leading expert in epilepsy. Ken describes the family’s journey of discovering MEG Technology and how a relatively quick decision about surgery was made which has allowed Ken’s daughter to have an improved quality of life.

MEGIN Spotlight – BCBL, Basque Center on Cognition, Brain & Language

MEGIN was delighted to welcome Dr. Lucia Amoruso, an Ikerbasque Researcher at the BCBL, in Spain. Dr. Amoruso leads the line of research focused on the identification of neurophysiological markers supporting language plasticity in brain tumor patients via means of magnetoencephalography (MEG). Polina Timofeeva is a Ph.D. student working with Dr. Amoruso, conducting her thesis in the same field.
In addition, BCBL’s research activity aims to unravel the neurocognitive mechanisms involved in the acquisition, comprehension, and production of language, with special emphasis on bilingualism and multilingualism.

MEGIN Spotlight – Dr. Alex Wiesman, NIH Postdoctoral Fellow at Montreal Neurological Institute

Dr. Alex Wiesman describes his journey with MEG and how he was first exposed to the technology. We find out about MEG’s challenges and its overpowering benefits in his research work.

MEGIN Spotlight – Dr. Vahe Poghosyan, from King Fahd Medical City Riyadh, in Saudi Arabia

MEGIN welcomed Dr. Vahe Poghosyan, Head of the MEG department at King Fahd Medical City, National Neuroscience Institute Riyadh, in Saudi Arabia.

KFMC has a strategic location in the heart of Riyadh city, the capital of Saudi Arabia, and is one of the largest and fastest-growing medical complexes in the Middle East with a total capacity of 1200 beds. It has a highly qualified and efficient Technical Management Team. It is also one of the most advanced hospitals in the region.

The team at KFMC is engaged to achieve one goal: making the hospital a benchmark in the medical care, to which all patients from all over the region are referred, for all treatment levels where medical and professional competencies of different disciplines are gathered to provide assistance to patients. KFMC is estimated annually to treat more than 30,000 inpatients and 500,000 outpatients.

MEGIN Spotlight – Dr. Michael Funke, from UT Health Science Center in Houston, Texas

UTHealth Neurosciences doctors use MEG scans to help pinpoint the source of epileptic seizures and determine whether a patient is a candidate for surgery. The Center also offers patients access to specialized neurological care at clinics across the greater Houston area.

MEGIN Spotlight – Dr. Palva, professor in MEG at the CCNi – Centre For Cognitive Neuroimaging

MEGIN was delighted to have Dr. Satu Palva as our guest. Dr. Palva is a professor in Magnetoencephalography at the CCNi – the Centre For Cognitive Neuroimaging. The CCNi is part of the Institute for Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of Glasgow.

The CCNi is the only MEG site in Scotland, and we are here today to discuss with Dr. Palva how MEG is being utilized at the Center.

MEGIN Spotlight – Kate Cooper, a caregiver of an epilepsy patient, her daughter

MEGIN is delighted to share a view of a caregiver’s journey, a mum of a teenager with epilepsy. She describes the journey with her daughter and how they achieved seizure freedom following epilepsy surgery at the age of 17, through a combination of methods and tools including MEG.

MEGIN Spotlight – Dr. Veikko Jousmäki, Snr Scientist at Aalto NeuroImaging, Aalto University, Finland

Aalto NeuroImaging is an open-access research infrastructure focusing on functional neuroimaging in healthy subjects. Their unique portfolio in Finland comprises MEG, functional magnetic resonance imaging, navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation, and behavioral lab. We discuss MEG and how it is utilized in a variety of projects and studies at what is becoming a Center of Excellence for Neuroimaging in Europe.

MEGIN Spotlight – Dr. Vladimir Litvak, Professor of Translational Neurophysiology at UCL

MEGIN is delighted to have Dr. Vladimir Litvak as a guest. He is the Senior Research Associate at the Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, at UCL’s Institute of Neurology. Dr. Litvak is responsible for developing EEG/MEG analysis methods. The Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging at UCL focuses on the collection of methods that investigate human brain structure and function. As a Senior Researcher at the centre, Dr. Litvak is heavily involved in work concentrating on cortico-subcortical communication.

MEGIN Spotlight with strategic software partners, BESA GmbH

MEGIN is delighted to welcome strategic software partners, BESA GmbH. Dr. Tobias Scherg, CEO and Managing Director and Dr. Harald Bornfleth, Vice President, Research & Product Management as our guests, who gave us more insight into how BESA started in the EEG/MEG field more than 25 years ago.

MEGIN Spotlight – Since installation how has the Internal Helium Recycler (IHR) improved efficiency in your routine?

Dr. Arjan Hillebrand describes how has the Internal Helium Recycler (IHR) improved efficiency in Amsterdam University Medical Center’s routine. The IHR brings zero helium boil-off technology to MEGIN’s hardware. Find out more in this interview.

MEGIN Spotlight – Dr. Arjan Hillebrand, Associate Professor of Clinical Neurophysiology

Dr. Arjan Hillebrand is an Associate Professor at the Clinical Neurophysiology department at Amsterdam University Medical Centers. VUMC is rated as one of the best academic medical centers in the country in terms of patient care and research. Besides the established use of MEG in patients with epilepsy who are candidates for epilepsy surgery, MEG is also routinely utilized for differential diagnosis in patients who visit VUmc’s memory clinic. The entire brain coverage of the system has greatly enhanced the center’s capability to approach the brain as a complex network, which has provided fundamental insights into the disease mechanisms in several neurological disorders.

MEGIN Spotlight – Dr. Steve Allder, a Consultant Neurologist at Re:Cognition Health

MEGIN was delighted to welcome Re:Cognition Health’s Steve Allder, Brain and Mind Experts in the UK specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of conditions, such as Autism, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s, and Traumatic Brain Injury utilizing MEG Technology during patient’s treatment plans. We discuss case studies in which MEG enabled patients to gain an insight into their current health situation and provide more clarity.

MEGIN Spotlight – MEGIN discusses Optically Pumped Magnetometers (OPMs) and conventional Squid-based MEG utilization

Lauri Parkkonen and Rasmus Zetter from MEGIN, Helsinki team discuss differences between OPM technology and conventional SQUID-based MEG. We discover the benefits of each technology and its utilization and application.

MEGIN Spotlight – Prof Nobukazu Nakasato, Chair of Epileptology Dept, Tohoku University, Japan

MEGIN invited Professor Nobukazu Nakasato, Chair of the Epileptology Department at Tohoku University, Japan. Professor Nakasato, describes in this talk how is Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is incorporated into the operational flow of the epileptology department, i.e. how is MEG used in conjunction with other modalities. In this interview, he also touches upon how a MEG scan might benefit the epilepsy care plan for patients.

MEGIN Spotlight – Dr. Olaf Hauk, MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge University

MEGIN invited Dr. Olaf Hauk, the Senior Investigator Scientist at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at the University of Cambridge as a guest to give our viewers an insight into how Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is utilized at the Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit in a number of research studies using a multi-modal imaging approach to problems in the neuroscience of language and cognition.

MEGIN Spotlight – How does Magnetoencephalography (MEG) help with clinical pre-evaluation for epilepsy surgery?

MEGIN has frequently asked Magnetoencephalography (MEG) thought and key opinion leaders the question, how MEG can support and help with clinical pre-evaluation for epilepsy surgery. The question is answered by two KOL’s active globally, Dr. Stefan Rampp and Dr. Saleem Malik, both active in the epilepsy neurosurgery departments at their respective hospitals.

MEGIN Spotlight – McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT discussing utilization of MEG

Dimitrios Pantazis, the Principal Research Scientist and Director of the MEG Lab at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT discusses his two areas of research focus: human visual recognition and Alzheimer’s disease as well as the future of MEG and predicted advances in machine learning and AI.

MEGIN Spotlight – How has the usage of MEG made a difference to this Neuroscience Center?

Dr. Saleem Malik discusses how epileptologist became comfortable with MEG Technology and realized the benefits of its utility since its installation in 2012.
In 2021, MEG has now become part of the operational standard of care for pre-surgical evaluation in epilepsy patients at this Neuroscience Center.

MEGIN Spotlight – MEG Epilepsy Case Studies

MEGIN Spotlight – Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital discussing Magnetoencephalography

Dr. Angel Hernandez serves as the Division Chief of Neurosciences and Dr. Paul Ferrari, the Technical Director for MEG at the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. The Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital is a 234-bed regional referral center and teaching hospital based in Michigan. It offers advanced pediatric specialty care with more than 300 pediatric physicians who practice in more than 50 pediatric specialties and programs. The hospital is Michigan’s largest neonatal center and is ranked as one of the Best Children’s Hospital by U.S. News & World Report.

MEGIN Spotlight – Dr. Malik discussing how MEG has helped in delineate frontal lobe epilepsy

Dr. Saleem Malik is our guest on another episode of our MEGIN Spotlight this week. Dr. Malik is the Medical Director of the Comprehensive Epilepsy program as well as the Magnetoencephalography Lab in Fort Worth, Texas. In this episode, Dr. Malik discusses how MEG has helped in delineate frontal lobe epilepsy and other areas of epileptic foci.

MEGIN Spotlight – Dr. Fernando Maestu, Center for Biomedical Technology of Madrid

Dr. Fernando Maestu leads many extremely interesting studies around Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia that have required and utilized the use of Magnetoencephalography Technology to assess AD patients. In this spotlight, we find out more about how the Lab uses MEG data to support Alzheimer’s Disease.

MEGIN Spotlight – Epilepsy patient’s incredible journey now seizure free after brain surgery

An incredible journey of a teenager who is now able to live free of epileptic seizures since brain surgery. This was achieved through a combination of methods and tools, including Magnetoencephalography (MEG), a functional brain imaging technology.

MEGIN Spotlight – Dr. Saleem Malik, Fort Worth, Texas USA

An insightful discussion how using neuroimaging tools including Magnetoencephalography (MEG) helps patients with refractory epilepsy. Dr Malik explains how MEG can solve problems for those patients where medication is not bringing epileptic seizures under control.

MEGIN Spotlight – Sven Braeutigam, Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity (OHBA)

Welcome to the another episode of the MEGIN Spotlight series this January 2021 in which we focus on topics revolving around Magnetoencephalography, research conducted in the MEG field, and discussion about utilisation of MEG in treatment of patients diagnosed with neurological disorders.

We are excited to have Sven Braeutigam, the Senior Researcher and MEG Physicist of the Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity as our guest.

MEGIN Spotlight – Dr. James Wheless, Chief Neurologist at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital

Welcome to another episode of the MEGIN Spotlight series in which we focus on topics, discussions, research, and utilisation of MEG in treatment of patients diagnosed with neurological disorders.

We are excited to have Dr James Wheless as our guest, who is the Chief Neurologist and Co-director of the Neuroscience Institute at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis.

MEGIN Spotlight – Patricia Kuhl, Co-Director of the Institute for Learning and Brain Science (I-LABS)

I-LABS is a center dedicated to discovering the fundamental principles of human learning, with a special emphasis on early learning and brain development. For MEGIN, I-LABS has been a long-term partner to evolve the MEG field and we have established a strategic research partnership between both parties. The idea behind this collaboration is to enable both organizations to further support our device’s software and hardware developments resulting from research and projects conducted by I-LABS, an integral part of MEGIN’s research and product development roadmap.

MEGIN Spotlight – Dr. Stefan Rampp

MEGIN Spotlight invited Dr Stefan Rampp from University Hospital in Erlangen to share his knowledge and experience using Magnetoencephalography (MEG) in treatment of patients diagnosed with neurological disorders.