The development of neuroscience imaging equipment in Finland is at an international, cutting-edge level of expertise. At Aalto University, software development work for EEG, a device for measuring electrical activity in the brain, is underway for the to develop and expand new features. There is a steady demand for high-quality equipment manufactured in Finland, and the company Bittium, based in Oulu, exports equipment made in Finland across the globe.
The MEG, a magnetoencephalography device related to the EEG, was originally developed at the Helsinki University of Technology; this equipment was commercialized with the establishment of the company MEGIN, which is headquartered in Helsinki. The MEG equipment is in use at Aalto University, Meilahti Hospital, and the University of Jyväskylä.
Navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) involves the use of a TMS device during brain surgery, which enables the surgeon to avoid those areas of the brain where damage can lead to paralysis or speech impairments. These areas can be located by stimulating muscle movements or speech and identifying their control regions. The equipment is manufactured by the Finnish company Nexstim, and it is used in all Finnish university hospitals and in some private hospitals or medical institutions. Magnetic stimulation can, among other things, be used to treat severe depression; in the current treatment recommendations, it is presently the strongest treatment recommendation following drug therapy. Next-generation devices for TMS are being developed at Aalto University.
The development of MRI (magnetic resonance imaging equipment) for brain and other tissue research as well as clinical neurological studies are ongoing in Finland. Another major imaging technology is PET, i.e., positron emission tomography, which is used in the university hospitals of Turku and Kuopio. There are several pieces of research equipment at the PET centers in Turku and Kuopio that can be used to study the metabolism of the human brain using radioactive tracers.