SimMEEG (Simulated Magneto-ElectroEncephaloGraphy) is an open-source software for simulating electromagnetic brain signals, magnetoencephalography (MEG) and electroencephalography (EEG). SimMEEG’s graphical user interface allows novice and expert users to input basic signal parameters (e.g., multiple frequencies, amplitudes, durations, phase interactions, and phase-amplitude couplings) in order to simulate signals that approximate real event-related brain activity. A major objective for developing this software was to create a tool to simulate interacting brain signals that could be used to verify functional connectivity analyses, specifically measures of phase-locking value (PLV), phase-lag index (PLI), and phase-amplitude coupling (PAC). SimMEEG simulates brain activity with various parameters that users can easily define; such as multiple frequencies, event-related changes in amplitude, synchronizations (i.e., PLV and PLI), and PAC. SimMEEG’s latest version has more complex source modeling procedures and measures of analysis performance and errors. SimMEEG allows users to compare their neuroimaging analysis results directly to ground truths. This builds confidence in the researchers’ and readers’ minds with respect to the validity and reliability of applying certain neuroimaging analysis methods on real human EEG and MEG data. SimMEEG also comes with a Monte-Carlo simulation module that allows users to randomize specific signal parameters to generate an infinite number of simulated EEG and MEG datasets. At the same time, SimMEEG can performs sophisticated source modeling and functional connectivity analyses on these datasets. Simply set the desired parameters, click run Monte-Carlo, and return later to see the data and analyses completed with the results compared to ground truth. How long later … depends on how many datasets were requested to be simulated. Check out the website for a brief introductory video and links to freely download the SimMEEG: https://audiospeech.ubc.ca/research/brane/brane-lab-software/
SimMEEG Publication: Herdman, A.T. (2021) SimMEEG software for simulating event-related MEG and EEG data with underlying functional connectivity. Journal of Neuroscience Methods. Volume 350, 109017 (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneumeth.2020.109017)