Epilepsy Intractable
Conditions
Keywords
Epilepsy, Decision-making, Memory, Depth Electrode, Face processing
Brief summary
The purpose of this study is to examine how the brain processes faces, which are some of the most important stimuli that we view, process, and make decisions about as we go through daily life. This project examines the dynamics of where and when in the brain information conveyed by faces is represented, how such information is modulated by context and goals, and how such information is used to make decisions about faces.
Detailed description
Despite the importance of faces for decision making, little is known about the neural mechanisms of how information conveyed by faces is extracted and used to inform decisions we make. The goal of this research is to develop a circuit-level understanding of face processing. As part of this study, investigators will conduct experiments that utilize the rare opportunity to record in-vivo from human single neurons simultaneously in multiple brain areas in patients undergoing treatment for drug resistant epilepsy. Researchers will investigate three overarching hypotheses on the neural substrate of face processing. Aim 1: To determine the fast temporal dynamics of face processing. Aim 2: To modulate face-related neural activity with Contextual Information. Aim 3: To test the causal relevance of face-related neural activity. The expected outcomes of this work are a characterization of how neural representations of faces are formed, how they enable making decisions about faces, and how the face-related neural activity is modulated by context. Participants in this study are patients undergoing invasive monitoring for suspected focal epilepsy with depth electrodes. Subjects will conduct a variety of cognitive tests on a computer placed in front of them during their hospital stay. Participating hospitals in this study are Cedars-Sinai and Stanford Hospital.
Interventions
Devices listed are components of a single intervention that includes: Record patient responses (Cedrus RB-844), record neuronal activity (Neurolynx) from electrodes (Adtech Behnke-Fried), apply intermittent electrical stimulation (Blackrock Cerestim)
Sponsors
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Stanford University
California Institute of Technology
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Intractable epilepsy, undergoing invasive monitoring * Age ≥18 * Full Scale Intelligence Quotient \> 70 * Ability to comprehend and perform simple behavioral tasks by pressing buttons on laptop computer in response to questions.
Exclusion criteria
* Determination by clinicians and investigators that a patient is unable to complete the behavioral tasks required for the protocol due to either cognitive limits, psychological limits, or pain.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Neuronal population activity | 5 years | Proportion of experiment sessions in which representations of decision-related aspects of faces emerged in subjects that successfully performed the task |
| Contextual modulation | 5 years | Percentage of neurons that carry face-related information whose activity was modulated by context. |
| Effect of electrical stimulation | 5 years | Proportion of experiment sessions in which electrical stimulation modulated face-based decision making. |
Countries
United States
Contacts
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORUeli Rutishauser, PhD
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORAdam Mamelak, MD
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORJosef Parvizi, MD, PhD
Stanford University
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORRalph Adolphs, PhD
California Institute of Technology
Outcome results
None listed