SUMMARY A major goal of the BRAIN initiative is to develop neural imaging technologies enabling whole-brain imaging of specific molecular signals such as neuronal calcium.
ABSTRACT Optical imaging holds tremendous promise in our endeavor to understand brain functions. The major challenges for optical brain imaging are depth and speed. Due to optical aberrations and tissue scattering, the penetration depth and imaging speed of optical microscopy in the brains (e.g., mouse) is limited.
PROJECT SUMMARY Tourette syndrome (TS) is a continuous lifelong condition that is highly prevalent, socially disabling, and in some severe cases, physically injurious. DBS has emerged as a promising treatment option for addressing uncontrollable tics in medically resistant and severe cases of TS frequently involving self-injurious behavior. We have undertaken a major informatics initiative by establishing the International TS DBS Registry and Database, a multi-country consortium that has captured long term outcomes of 277 TS DBS patients representing 50-75% of all TS DBS cases worldwide.
Project Summary: High frequency oscillations (HFOs) of intracranial EEG (iEEG) have the potential to identify the surgical resection area/seizure onset zone (SOZ) in patients with drug resistant epilepsy. However, multiple reports indicate that HFOs can be generated not only by epileptic cerebral tissue but also by non-epileptic sites often including eloquent regions such as motor, visual and language cortices.
ABSTRACT We propose to develop novel neurorecording devices using sequential thin-film transistors that are capable of recording and stimulating brain activity with thousands of channels using only 8 wires and to demonstrate broadband recordings with large area coverage in fully awake, chronically implanted mice performing a decision task.
Abstract Brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) are one of the key motivating applications for the BRAIN Initiative’s drive to develop innovative technologies for large-scale recording of neural activity, benefiting not only BMI, but many other neuroscience studies.
Project Summary To further our understanding of the function of neural circuits, there is a need for new tools that can collect simultaneous measurements from large populations of neurons involved in a common neural computation and provide precise functional modulation. Optical imaging in awake animals expressing calcium or voltage indicators provides real-time functional and spatial information from individual neurons within local neural circuits.
ABSTRACT To understand how the brain functions in health, and how sensory, motor, and cognitive functions are affected in disease, it is crucial to be able to record the activities of large numbers of individual neurons in real time. In the past two decades, calcium imaging in neuronal cell bodies has provided a conveniently qualitative view of neuronal activity, allowing action potential firing in specific neuron types or in various brain regions to be correlated with sensory input, decision-making, or internal representations of emotional or physiological parameters.
ABSTRACT The goal of this project is to significantly advance the field of acute and semichronic epilepsy monitoring using novel, high-resolution electrocorticography (ECoG) record/stimulate grids (4096/256 channels, respectively) and stereoelectroencephalography (sEEG) depth electrodes (120/8 micro/macro) with full wireless data and power transfer. This project builds on our previous success in conducting the first-ever human trials for acute mapping of eloquent brain tissue with multi-thousand channel microelectrode grids.
Project Summary To advance the development of next-generation personalized therapies for long-term seizure freedom, we urgently need technologies that improve seizure diagnostics while reducing risks associated with invasive neurosurgical procedures. Among the more than 1,000,000 Americans with uncontrolled focal epilepsy, many have poorly localized seizure foci. These individuals face the highest rates of ‘failure’ (i.e., ongoing seizures) after epilepsy surgery. That failure reflects the biology of their epilepsy as well as the overlap of seizure foci with essential cortical areas.
