| Investigator Names |  University of Pennsylvania
|
Joshua Jacobs, Columbia University Joshua Aronson, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Robert Gross, Emory University Hospital Andreas Schulze-Bonhage, University Medical Center Freiburg Michael Sperling, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Bradley Lega, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center |
| Institutions | University of Pennsylvania Columbia University Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Emory University Hospital University Medical Center Freiburg Thomas Jefferson University Hospital University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center |
|
| Grant support: | NIH BRAIN, U01 NS 113198 | |
| Performance period | 9/15/2019 – 6/30/2024 | |
Goal:
- Using direct electrical stimulation to disentangle causal versus correlative biomarkers of verbal and spatial episodic memory
- Understanding neuronal mechanisms underlying biomarkers of verbal and spatial episodic memory with single-neuron recordings
- Developing and testing a predictive model of human brain dynamics in the presence of electrical stimulation
Study population and setting:
We study phamacoresistant epilepsy patients scheduled for a clinically indicated neurosurgical procedure to monitor seizure-generating foci with intraparenchymal electrodes. We administer computerized verbal and spatial memory tasks during inpatient intracranial EEG monitoring to identify the neural correlates of successful memory encoding, memory retrieval and reinstatement of previously encoded memories. On some experimental sessions we also apply low-intensity, computer-controlled, electrical stimulation of targeted regions within the memory network. Stimulating on some trials and not others, via a computerized algorithm, allows us to have a double-blinded control for the effects of stimulation on physiology and behavior. These are basic experimental studies in humans aimed at understanding how electrical stimulation modifies brain circuits implicated in memory function.
Inclusion criteria:
- Expected to undergo intracranial implantation and postoperative electroencephalographic monitoring as part of a standard clinical procedure for the treatment of pharmacologically resistant epilepsy
- Age 18 or older
Exclusion criteria
- Any physical or cognitive disability or illness that would limit their ability to perform cognitive tasks.
- Any medical condition that would, in the investigator’s opinion, limit the subject’s participation in the study.
- Unable or unwilling to provide informed consent
- MRI contraindications
Data generated:
Intracranial electrophysiological recordings along with time-aligned stimulation and behavioral event data in free recall and spatial navigation experiments. These datasets are publicly available upon request through the lab’s portal or through OpenNeuro (see Resources).
Resources:
- https://memory.psych.upenn.edu/Main_Page (lab website main page)
- https://memory.psych.upenn.edu/Data (experimental data access)
- PAL1 (paired associates learning task) dataset: https://openneuro.org/datasets/ds005059
- pyFR (uncategorized free recall task): https://openneuro.org/datasets/ds004865
- FR1 (uncategorized free recall task): https://openneuro.org/datasets/ds004789
- CatFR1 (categorized free recall task): https://openneuro.org/datasets/ds004809
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