Data fusion for solving inverse magneto- and electroencephalography problems in neuroimaging [Review]

Subject of study. This study investigates methods for fusing functional neuroimaging data and algorithms for their asymmetric processing to solve subsequent problems of magneto- and electroencephalography. Aim of study. The aim of this study is to generalize and systematize methods that combine the processing of neuroimaging data in the form of an analytical review, providing the ability to improve the solving of magneto- and electroencephalography problems using data obtained from functional near-infrared spectroscopy and functional magnetic-resonance imaging. Method. A theoretical analysis of equations describing the inverse problem of magneto-electroencephalography is conducted, along with a review of literature containing examples of the use of multimodal data in solving the inverse problem of magneto- and electroencephalography. Main results. Methods using a priori information about brain activity when solving the inverse problem of magneto- and electroencephalography are determined. The necessity of using an asymmetric approach to multimodal data processing to reduce the error in estimating the spatial distribution of brain activity is demonstrated. Practical significance. The results of this study may be useful in the design of multimodal neuroimaging systems, as well as in their applications.