Once all the data have been collected, analyzed, and statistically significant results found, the next step is to tell the world, preferably in a high impact journal, or at least on a poster with lots of colorful figures. This section of the website is where we keep useful tools and hints for making better quality publications.

Referring to the NIMH MEG Core Facility scanner

When you are writing your paper, you'll want to include a paragraph in your Methods section that goes something like this:

Neuromagnetic data were recorded at 600 Hz with a bandwidth of 0—150 Hz using a CTF 275 MEG system (CTF Systems, Inc., Canada) composed of a whole-head array of 275 radial 1st order gradiometer/SQUID channels housed in a magnetically shielded room (Vacuumschmelze, Germany). Synthetic 3rd gradient balancing was used to remove background noise on-line.

(Substitute the appropriate sampling rate and bandwidth. Usually the bandwidth is 0 to 1/4 the sampling rate.)

If you wish to provide a reference, it is:

"A 275-channel whole cortex MEG system." Fife AA, Vrba J, Haid G, Hoang T, Kubik PR, Lee S, Loewen R, McKay J, McKenzie D, Robinson SE, Spear P, Tillotson M, Coppola R. Proceedings of the 13th annual conference on biomagnetism (2002). Nowak, Haueusen, Gießler, Huonker, Eds., VDE Verlag, Berlin.

Also, if you use the Biowulf to do MEG processing, you should reference them as follows:

Please report the publication of articles which made use of the cluster to the Helix Systems Staff, either by citing the reference in email to staff@helix.nih.gov, or by mailing a copy of the article to:

  Chief, Helix Systems Staff
  NIH  12 Center Drive
  Building 12B, Rm 2N207
  Bethesda, Md.  20892-5680

3ddipole, or how to show hotspots in the brain

Let's say you have some cool frontal activation, but a simple 2d screen-shot like the one shown below on the left isn't what you want. What you want is to have a nice 3d floating brain showing your activation, like the window shown on the right:

The way to do that is through here: 3ddipole