Magnetic fields of the brain analysed by a multiple dipole approach using factor analysis.

Sudden spatial changes in consecutive dipole localisations suggest that often a single-moving-dipole algorithm is inadequate. This is particularly important in the case of widespread activity in the brain, where one extremum may be extinguished by another. One example of widespread activity is the alpha rhythm. The application of factor analysis may give information about the presence of different active sources. The alpha rhythm showed two to three significant factors. This suggests that the apparent movement suggested by single-dipole localisation may be caused by the superposition of the fields of two spatially and temporally distinct sources. Field maps which are very similar to a dipole pattern may be caused by a superposition of the fields of several sources.