Assessment and calibration of a low-frequency system for electrical impedance tomography (EIT), optimized for use in imaging brain function in ambulant human subjects.

An EIT system has been produced that has been optimized for imaging impedance changes with scalp electrodes during brain activity in ambulant subjects. It can record from 225 Hz to 65 kHz, has a small headbox on a lead 10 m long, and has software programmable electrode selection. In calibration experiments in a small cylindrical tank filled with potassium chloride solution and samples of cucumber, noise was less than 1% with averaging, and acceptable images were produced at frequencies down to 1800 Hz. This suggests that EIT can be performed at low frequencies, which are likely to give larger signals during brain activity. Future work will include trials in humans and improvement of the current source and isolation.