Vongerichten, AN; (2015) Imaging Physiological and Pathological Activity in the Brain using Electric Impedance Tomography. Doctoral thesis , UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

Electric Impedance Tomography (EIT) is a promising medical imaging technique that reconstructs the internal conductivity of an object from boundary measurements. EIT is currently being used to monitor the lung during ventilation clinically. Amongst other suggested uses for imaging it can also be used to image neuronal function. There are different ways on how EIT can image neuronal function and two of these are tested in this thesis. The overall aim of our work was to advance imaging of physiological and pathological neuronal activity using EIT and assess its potential for future clinical use. In Chapter 1, a general introduction into brain imaging techniques and EIT is given. In Chapter 2, the effect of different anaesthetics on the neuronal signal was assessed to prepare for EIT recordings under anaesthesia. In Chapter 3, we assessed the validity of two biophysical models regarding the behaviour of the impedance in response to alterations in the carrier frequency experimentally. This allowed an assessment of the ideal carrier frequency to image physiological neuronal activity. In Chapter 4, the source of the fast neural signal in EIT is discussed further. In Chapter 5, the possibility of imaging physiological neuronal activity throughout the brain is tested and its limitations are discussed. In Chapter 6, the impedance response to epileptiform activity is characterized and the potential use of EIT in imaging epileptic foci in epilepsy patients is discussed. In Chapter 7, imaging of epileptic foci in subcortical structures is tested using two different ways of imaging with EIT.

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