OPM-MEG for understanding neurocognitive impairment and neurodevelopmental disorder in young children

When a young child undergoes brain surgery, other invasive brain treatment like radiotherapy; or experiences brain damage for example following a stroke, the brain can adapt. This adaptation (called plasticity) occurs readily in young children's brains, but there is still wide variability in how well a child goes on to develop. As improvements in medicine mean that children's brain diseases are diagnosed earlier, and more survive following invasive treatments, there is an increased need to predict which children will struggle to recover, with the aim of improving their longer-term educational and social outcomes.

Our work is focussed on identifying, and helping, the children who are most at risk of failing to fulfil their potential following diagnosis or treatment for brain disease such as epilepsy or brain tumours, damage, or from neurodevelopmental disorders like ADHD. To do this, we need to measure brain activity in young children, at the age when many diagnoses and treatments are taking place: below the age of 7.

We use a brain imaging technique called magnetoencephalography (MEG) which allows us to measure changes in neural activity through a cap or helmet lined with sensors. MEG allows us to map healthy brain networks, and identify when brain activity is abnormal. Standard MEG systems are designed for use with adults and don't provide good quality, usable data in children below age 7, because the helmet is too big and the child has to stay very still during the recording. The new generation of MEG systems, called OPM-MEG systems, completely avoid these problems.

Our requested OPM-MEG system has an adjustable cap which holds the lightweight sensors directly against the child's head, allowing them to move freely and recording strong signals from the brain. With a cap specially designed for our target age range, this device will be transformational in terms of allowing us to measure changes in brain function over time in our patients.

Our 5-year research plan is supported by a trained Clinical Scientist post, jointly paid for by, and appointed to Aston University and Birmingham Children's Hospital. We will use data from our OPM-MEG system alongside information about brain structure (e.g., from MRI scans), clinical information, and measures of the child's social and educational development.

One work package is focussed on children who undergo brain surgery or brain radiotherapy, drug treatment for brain disease, or who suffer a stroke and undergo neuro-rehabilitation therapy. We will explore the changes in brain networks that occur from before to after treatment, to identify measures that can help us predict which children are more likely to suffer long term developmental effects, for example in memory or intelligence.

The other work package focusses on children who are at risk (e.g., through genetics or environment) of poor intellectual outcomes. We will explore how developmental changes in network connectivity can underpin particular symptoms of developmental disabilities; determine how reliably brain measures can predict symptoms of ADHD; and use our MEG data to help very early detection of early onset dementia in a genetic disorder.

Because our planned research is a partnership between scientists, clinicians, and technical staff from both Aston University and Birmingham Children's Hospital, we have the opportunity to feed our findings directly back into clinical care where appropriate, with the overall aim of improving children's lives.