Resistor mesh model of a spherical head: part 2: a review of applications to cortical mapping

Abstract

A resistor mesh model (RMM) has been validated with reference to the analytical model by consideration of a set of four dipoles close to the cortex. The application of the RMM to scalp potential interpolation was detailed in Part 1. Using the RMM and the same four dipoles, the different methods of cortical mapping were compared and have shown the potentiality of this RMM for obtaining current and potential cortical distributions. The lead-field matrices are well-adapted tools, but the use of a square matrix of high dimension does not permit the inverse solution to be improved in the presence of noise, as a regularisation technique is necessary with noisy data. With the RMM, the transfer matrix and the cortical imaging technique proved to be easy to implement. Further development of the RMM will include application to more realistic head models with more accurate conductivities.