Wireless Programmable Recording and Stimulation of Deep Brain Activity in Freely Moving Humans

• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.08.021
• Publication Date: 2020-09-17T14:44:26Z
• Authors: Uros Topalovic; Zahra M. Aghajan; Diane Villaroman; Sonja Hiller; Leonardo Christov...; Tyler J. Wishard; Matthias Stangl; Nicholas R. Hasulak; Cory S. Inman; Tony A. Fields; Vikram R. Rao; Dawn Eliashiv; Itzhak Fried; Nanthia Suthana
• Keywords: neuroimaging methods; 1.1 Normal biological development and functioning; Deep Brain Stimulation; Bioengineering; mobile EEG; eye tracking; intracranial EEG; Wearable Electronic Devices; Computer-Assisted; Underpinning research; Psychology; Humans; Telemetry; human; Assistive Technology; screening and diagnosis; Neurology & Neurosurgery; Augmented Reality; Rehabilitation; Neurosciences; Virtual Reality; Brain; Electroencephalography; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; augmented reality; Brain Disorders; 4.1 Discovery and preclinical testing of markers and technologies; 3. Good health; Detection; wearables; Mental Health; Networking and Information Technology R&D (NITRD); Signal Processing; Neurological; intracranial electrical stimulation; virtual reality; Mental health; Cognitive Sciences; Psychomotor Performance; Software

Uncovering the neural mechanisms underlying human natural ambulatory behavior is a major challenge for neuroscience. Current commercially available implantable devices that allow for recording and stimulation of deep brain activity in humans can provide invaluable intrinsic brain signals but are not inherently designed for research and thus lack flexible control and integration with wearable sensors. We developed a mobile deep brain recording and stimulation (Mo-DBRS) platform that enables wireless and programmable intracranial electroencephalographic recording and electrical stimulation integrated and synchronized with virtual reality/augmented reality (VR/AR) and wearables capable of external measurements (e.g., motion capture, heart rate, skin conductance, respiration, eye tracking, and scalp EEG). When used in freely moving humans with implanted neural devices, this platform is adaptable to ecologically valid environments conducive to elucidating the neural mechanisms underlying naturalistic behaviors and to the development of viable therapies for neurologic and psychiatric disorders.