Contactless measurements of retinal activity using optically pumped magnetometers

• Main Authors: Britta U. Westner, James I. Lubell, Mads Jensen, Sigbjørn Hokland, Sarang S. Dalal
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2021-11-01
• Series: NeuroImage
• Subjects: OPM; Retina; Magnetoretinogram; Electroretinogram; Vision
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811921008016

Optically pumped magnetometers (OPMs) have been adopted for the measurement of brain activity. Without the need to be cooled to cryogenic temperatures, an array of these sensors can be placed more flexibly, which allows for the recording of neuronal structures other than neocortex. Here we use eight OPM sensors to record human retinal activity following flash stimulation. We compare this magnetoretinographic (MRG) activity to the simultaneously recorded electroretinogram of the eight participants. The MRG shows the familiar flash-evoked potentials (a-wave and b-wave) and shares a highly significant amount of information with the electroretinogram (both in a simultaneous and separate measurement). We conclude that OPM sensors have the potential to become a contactless alternative to fiber electrodes for the measurement of retinal activity. Such a contactless solution can benefit both clinical and neuroscientific settings.