NatMEG driver's license course

Learn the basics of doing a MEG experiment at the NatMEG facility.

To do MEG measurements on your own at the NatMEG facility, you need to take our driver's license training. We arrange courses regularly, but also on request if there are enough attendees interested.

The course is aimed at researchers at all stages who are interested in or plan to run a MEG study. It is mandatory for all who will use the NatMEG facility, including PI, PhD students, and assistants helping during data collection – as long as they will have to work in the lab. Researchers who are either attached to an ongoing project or starting a new project at NatMEG will be given priority when signing up.

Future NatMEG driver's license dates

There are currently no planned driver's license courses, due to the COVID19 situation. On-site training will instead be arranged on a projet-to-project basis as needed and in accordance with the guidelines issued by KI for laboratory training. For questions send an email to megdriverslicense@natmeg.se.

The goal of the driver's license course

The driver's license course has three main components. The first is to get theoretical knowledge of MEG, and a basic understanding of what MEG is and what you can measure using MEG. The second part is hands-on training in the MEG lab that will get you acquainted with the MEG lab, and giving you the fundamentals in making your own MEG recordings at the NatMEG facility.

The course will not cover how to analyze MEG data, nor issues regarding specific research questions. The goal of the NatMEG Driver's License Course it to learn the basics of MEG instrumentation and the skills to do quality measurements at the NatMEG facility.

MEG driver's license overview

Part 1: Theoretical background

Homework in preparation for the on-site course. No later than one day before the on-site training, you should go through the following video lectures. When you do this, please make notes, in particular about things appearing unclear to you. Expect a short test on-site during Part 2.

You find the video lectures for the NatMEG Driver's License Corse here:

Introduction to MEG, theory, and practice (by Lauri Parkkonen).
MEG data preprocessing by MaxFilter (by Liisa Heller).
Electrodes and HPIs placement (by Fanny Lachat).

Please complete part 1 before you come to NatMEG for the driver's license course.

Part 2: On-site training

Part 2 is the whole day (10:00-16:00) course, where you get to train the workflow of running a typical MEG experiment in our lab. We go through all the steps following a research participant from 'hello' to 'goodbye' preparing and performing recordings in the lab.

The day is divided into two parts. In the morning, we start with a brief overview of the MEG facility to learn to navigate in the lab and get an overview of equipment, including hands-on exercises in setting up and preparing for running an experiment.

After the lunch break, we continue with the hands-on exercises. First, how to prepare subjects with EOG, ECG, and HPI coils before recording MEG and learn to assure adequate quality of preparation before recording begins. Then we will do one or two MEG recordings from start to end. Finally, we will demonstrate running MaxFilter and upload data to the server.

How to register?

If you are interested in taking the course, send an email to natmeg@ki.se, Please include your name, email, affiliation, and a short message about why you wish to take the course.

The NatMEG driver's license course is free of charge. There is a limited amount of seats available for the course. Researchers who are either attached to an ongoing project or starting up a new project at NatMEG will be given priority when signing up.