Using magnetoencephalography to track the propagation of 40 Hz invisible spectral flicker

Brain stimulation with novel 40 Hz invisible spectral flicker (ISF) has been proposed as a therapy for Alzheimer’s disease, with leading hypotheses suggesting local promotion of glymphatic clearance of amyloid as the mechanism of action. Neural signals in the gamma range and their spatial propagation over the brain can be tracked using magnetoencephalography (MEG) with high temporal and good spatial detail. However, stimulation with 40 Hz ISF requires specialised hardware which causes electromagnetic interference (EMI) with MEG equipment.

MEG measures the tiny magnetic fields of the brain, which are easily distorted by external magnetic fields. Using MEG to track the propagation of 40 Hz ISF requires multiple modifications to the experimental setup. These include, at least 1) an experimental design that promotes modulation of the neural signal, but not the artifact, 2) removal of all electronics not strictly necessary for light production from the stimulators, and 3) signal processing for 40 Hz EMI artifact suppression.

Here, we present an MEG study on the cortical propagation of 40 Hz ISF. In two experiments, we investigate the modulation that visual and non-visual cognitive tasks have on the power and propagation of cortical activity induced by 40 Hz ISF.

With the chosen experimental setup and design, the 40 Hz EMI artifact could not be entirely disentangled from the neural signal of interest, thus rendering inference on the spatial propagation of the 40 Hz signal impossible. Further improvements need to be implemented in a follow-up experimental design. We present potential solutions to allow for future investigation of 40 Hz ISF with MEG.