Research Areas
Epilepsy Neuroprosthetics
A growing body of research indicates that controlling seizure activity can be achieved through direct or indirect (vagal nerve) brain stimulation. Physiologically, seizure activity involves the transient, simultaneous hypersynchronous activation of a large population of neurons in one focal area or throughout the brain, depending on the type of epilepsy. Uncontrolled epilepsy poses a significant burden to society due to associated healthcare costs and chronic under-unemployment of otherwise physically and mentally competent individuals. The advancement of new antiepileptic therapies with novel, rational mechanisms of action into clinical testing is an essential process toward the creation of new treatments for drug refractory disease and/or therapies with fewer side effects. The addition of such new treatments will greatly improve the lives of the many patients and yield considerable social benefits.
Our approach to the design of epilepsy neuroprosthetics is two-fold:
1. Design microelectrode techniques and signal analysis tools in animal models of temporal lobe epilepsy.
2. Translate novel therapies into the clinical environment.
Our laboratories are investigating temporal lobe epilepsy to develop new treatments for the human condition. We are seeking to advance the knowledge and technologies needed to produce more effective therapeutic stimulation paradigms needed for treating epilepsy. The goal is to define the safety and efficacy of microstimulation across multiple neurophysiologic scales that are simultaneously recorded: single neuron, multiunit activity, and local fields. Our recent studies have shown that abnormal neuromodulation in pyramidal cells, interneurons, and population spikes occur in advance of impending seizures in the animal model.
See the publications section for full details on the images below.
Figure 1. Seizure from a behaving animal implanted with chronic microwire arrays.
Figure 2. A) Localization of microwire electrodes in an animal model of temporal lobe epilepsy using high-field MR imaging. B) Image of tissue within the hippocampus. White arrow shows electrode tract into the CA3 pyramidal layer. Upper and lower blade of DG is also shown.
Figure 3. Peri-Event Time Histograms for Interneurons, Pyramidal Cells, and Interictal Spikes 1.5 hr Prior to Seizure Onset in an awake behaving animal. Average firing rates binned into 10 s bins. Seizure onset (SZ) is marked by thick arrow, and peak activity is indicated by small arrow.
