EEG distributed source imaging with a realistic finite-element head model

We have investigated electroencephalography (EEG) distributed source imaging with a realistic finite-element (FE) head model. The performance of different FE imaging methods was evaluated and compared in two- (2-D) and three-dimensional (3-D) simulation studies. The results demonstrate the feasibility of EEG distributed source imaging with FE head models using FE inverse methods. We also show that incorporating prior knowledge of sources significantly improves the inverse solutions. As an application of the EEG imaging methods, the sources of voluntary movement-related evoked potentials of the human brain were imaged. The reconstructed EEG sources show good spatial correlation with the functional magnetic imaging resonance (fMRI)-mapped motor activity in the brain, thus validating the FE inverse methods and adding temporal information to the fMRI-mapped regions of the brain.