The K-Zone: Electrical Impedance Tomography
Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) was the subject of my PhD research.
EIT (also called `applied potential tomography')
is a technique for
making tomographic images of the body using only the application and measurement of
small electrical currents.
The laboratory of which I was a member was involved in the
application of electrical impedance
tomography (EIT) to the imaging of brain activity. In 1992
we demonstrated for the first
time that EIT may be used for imaging certain pathological
brain processes
(e.g., epilepsy) that are beyond the capabilities of other
techniques.
This achievement was reported as a `breakthrough' by
the press at the time, but even now it would seem that
more work is required before it is ready to be used on
patients. My particular interest, however, was
the use of EIT for imaging neuronal action-potential
activity. If it could be done,
this would represent a genuine breakthrough in our
ability to study the brain.
Imaging this activity is likely to be extremely difficult,
and beyond the scope of any
well-established imaging technique. Although I did not
image action potentials during my PhD
studies, I was able, by means of computer simulations,
laboratory experiments and mathematical techniques,
to get an idea of the characteristics that a suitable EIT
system should have. Such a
system cannot be implemented using existing technology, but
may be possible in the future.
Although I am no longer involved in EIT research,
I retain an interest in the subject and keep in contact
with researchers still active in the field.
Abstracts and, in some cases, full texts of some of the research
papers I wrote in EIT can be found in the
publications section of
this site.
©1994-2006 Kevin Boone, all rights reserved