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Background
Compumedics NeuroScan, formerly known as NeuroScan, Inc., was established
in 1988 to pursue the development and sales of advanced computer software
and apparatus to assist in understanding the electrophysiological
functioning of the brain. The company has expanded its focus to now
provide products for the new topic of “multimodal neuroimaging,”
encompassing elecrophysiological technology (EEG and Evoked Potentials),
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI, both functional and anatomical), positron
emission tomography (PET), magnetoencephalography (MEG) and computer
tomography (CT). The company’s mission is to provide neuroimaging for
medical research.
The
Polhemus Motion Capture Solution
In 1992, NeuroScan received a contract from the National Institute of
Neurological Disorders and Strokes (a division of the National Institute
of Health) to build the first commercial 128 channel EEG/EP system. As
part of this new system, NeuroScan made the decision to incorporate into
the product exact electrode placement on the head to provide the highest
quality and most accurate recording available.
After researching
products on the market that would aid them in building this high accuracy
component, NeuroScan selected the Polhemus ISOTRAK® solution, a 3D motion
tracking and digitizing system. Later, with the introduction of the
Polhemus FASTRAK®, a system offering higher speed and accuracy, NeuroScan
decided to upgrade to incorporate the highest accuracy system on the
market.
The
Polhemus Advantage
Using Polhemus technology, NeuroScan was able to be the first in the
industry to perform a three dimensional image of a subject’s head and
define the exact location of electrodes placed on the subject.
“For the first time we
can quickly take EEG data and overlay it on a MR image for an exact
definition of where electrical activity is coming.” said Stephen Sands,
Chief Scientist. “Before using Polhemus’ solutions, this was a long and
difficult process to accurately calculate this activity.”
For example, the Polhemus
data can be read by its new Current Reconstruction and Imaging (CURRY)
software. CURRY is a powerful package which allows users to combine the
results of EEG/MEG measurements with image modalities such as MRI and CT.
The result is a realistic 3-D view of brain electrical activity.
“MRI takes a snapshot of
the brain at every second, giving a read out of the structure of the
brain,” said Sands. “While EEG works in milliseconds, which allows one to
view the brain as it is actually functioning; by combining the two, you
have a more accurate understanding of the brain’s activity. Using Polhemus
within our products, we are taking several steps forward in better
understanding how the brain works.”
FASTRAK is an
award-winning 3-D motion tracking and digitizing system that offers high
speed, high accuracy, and low latency using one to four receivers for
medical, animation, simulation and motion capture applications. Because
accuracy was critical to NeuroScan’s needs, the FASTRAK was an ideal
solution.
“No one was doing 3-D
imaging before us,” stated Sands. “With FASTRAK, we believe we have the
highest accuracy solution, bar none. Accuracy is imperative to the success
of our products and is particularly important when understanding the
brain.”
Summary
NeuroScan has achieved great success using Polhemus’ solutions. Today,
NeuroScan’s products are used by over 1500 leading universities and
research institutes around the world.
“We look forward to
working with Polhemus’ products,” said Sands. “We have been very happy
with not only the products themselves, but also with the technical support
as well. We will continue to work closely with Polhemus in our future
endeavors.”
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+ 54 11 4583-2988
15 4071-4006
