Modern Elekta Neuromag MEG devices include 102 sensor triplets containing one magnetometer and two planar gradiometers. 
Elekta Neuromag
Modern Elekta Neuromag MEG devices include 102 sensor triplets containing one magnetometer and two planar gradiometers. 
MEG devices
Choice of Magnetometers and Gradiometers after Signal Space Separation.BACKGROUND
 The first processing step is often a signal space separation (SSS), which provides a powerful noise reduction. 
signal space separation
The first processing step is often a signal space separation (SSS), which provides a powerful noise reduction.  First, we provide theoretical evidence that both gradiometers and magnetometers result from the backprojection of the same SSS components.  Then, we compare resting state and task-related sensor and source estimations from magnetometers and gradiometers in real MEG recordings before and after SSS.


 SSS introduced a strong increase in the similarity between source time series derived from magnetometers and gradiometers (r² = 0.3-0.8 before SSS and r² > 0.80 after SSS).  After SSS, resting state power spectrum and functional connectivity, as well as visual evoked responses, derived from both magnetometers and gradiometers were highly similar (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient > 0.8, r² > 0.8).


 After SSS, magnetometer and gradiometer data are estimated from a single set of SSS components (usually ≤ 80). 
SSS
Choice of Magnetometers and Gradiometers after Signal Space Separation.BACKGROUND
 A question commonly raised by researchers and reviewers relates to which data should be employed in analyses: (1) magnetometers only, (2) gradiometers only, (3) magnetometers and gradiometers together.  First, we provide theoretical evidence that both gradiometers and magnetometers result from the backprojection of the same SSS components.  Then, we compare resting state and task-related sensor and source estimations from magnetometers and gradiometers in real MEG recordings before and after SSS.


 SSS introduced a strong increase in the similarity between source time series derived from magnetometers and gradiometers (r² = 0.3-0.8 before SSS and r² > 0.80 after SSS).  After SSS, resting state power spectrum and functional connectivity, as well as visual evoked responses, derived from both magnetometers and gradiometers were highly similar (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient > 0.8, r² > 0.8).



Magnetometers
Choice of Magnetometers and Gradiometers after Signal Space Separation.BACKGROUND
 Modern Elekta Neuromag MEG devices include 102 sensor triplets containing one magnetometer and two planar gradiometers.  A question commonly raised by researchers and reviewers relates to which data should be employed in analyses: (1) magnetometers only, (2) gradiometers only, (3) magnetometers and gradiometers together.  First, we provide theoretical evidence that both gradiometers and magnetometers result from the backprojection of the same SSS components.  Then, we compare resting state and task-related sensor and source estimations from magnetometers and gradiometers in real MEG recordings before and after SSS.


 SSS introduced a strong increase in the similarity between source time series derived from magnetometers and gradiometers (r² = 0.3-0.8 before SSS and r² > 0.80 after SSS).  After SSS, resting state power spectrum and functional connectivity, as well as visual evoked responses, derived from both magnetometers and gradiometers were highly similar (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient > 0.8, r² > 0.8).



Gradiometers