What question did this study set out to answer?

Assess the feasibility of magnetoencephalography (MEG) in evaluating cognitive changes in carotid endarterectomy patients post-surgery.

March 8, 2026Open Access

Feasibility of MEG in assessing task-related oscillatory markers and evaluating cognitive changes in recently symptomatic carotid endarterectomy patients: A pilot study

Q: What does this research mean for the field?

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) can detect changes in cortical alpha oscillations, and neuropsychological tests indicate improved motor dexterity and working memory up to 12 months following carotid endarterectomy. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.NOVEL_FINDING. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

Key Result

MEG detected changes in cortical alpha oscillations and neuropsychological tests showed improved motor dexterity and working memory up to 12 months after carotid endarterectomy.

Key Points

Assess the feasibility of magnetoencephalography (MEG) in evaluating cognitive changes in carotid endarterectomy patients post-surgery.
Analyzed five recently symptomatic carotid endarterectomy patients.
Conducted head MRI, neuropsychological examinations, and MEG at three time points: pre-surgery and twice post-surgery.
Examined changes in task-related brain oscillations during simple attention tasks.
Observed changes in cortical alpha oscillation from before surgery to 12 months post-surgery.
Noted improvements in motor dexterity and working memory in postoperative evaluations.
Suggests that MEG may effectively assess CEA-related brain changes.

Structured PICO

Is magnetoencephalography (MEG) feasible for assessing task-related oscillatory markers and cognitive changes in recently symptomatic carotid endarterectomy patients?

Population

5 recently symptomatic carotid endarterectomy (CEA) patients

Intervention

Magnetoencephalography (MEG), head MRI, and neuropsychological examinations performed prior to surgery and repeated twice postoperatively

Outcome

Feasibility of using MEG to follow associated brain changes during the first postoperative yearsurrogate

MEG is a feasible tool to evaluate brain function and cognitive changes following carotid endarterectomy, showing potential improvements in motor dexterity and working memory at 12 months.

Main Result

Absolute Event Rate: 0% vs 0%

Abstract

Revascularization ensures oxygen supply to the brain in patients with significant carotid atherosclerosis. The current indication for carotid endarterectomy (CEA) is stroke risk reduction, but it may also impact cognitive functions and their neural basis. Findings on cognitive outcomes after CEA are inconsistent, and the changes in task-related brain electrophysiology are unknown. In this pilot study, we studied the feasibility of using magnetoencephalography (MEG) to follow the associated brain changes during the first postoperative year in five recently symptomatic CEA patients. Head magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), neuropsychological examinations (NPE), and MEG were performed prior to surgery and repeated twice postoperatively. The stimulus-induced modulation of cortical alpha oscillation changed from pre- to 12 months postoperative recording in simple attention tasks. Neuropsychological examination pointed to improvement in postoperative motor dexterity and working memory. Our tentative results suggest that MEG may provide a useful means to evaluate CEA-related changes in the brain. Additional analyses in larger samples with age-matched controls are required to confirm the link between the changes in brain function and possible improvement in cognitive function in these patients. Increased understanding of the consequences of CEA on brain function and cognition is important both to clinicians and patients.