Single Neurons Responses During Visual Recognition in Epileptic Patients

Study of Cerebral Mechanisms of Visual Recognition With Single-unit Recordings of Intra-cerebral Neurons in Epileptic Patients

The purpose is to evaluate specific capacities of face detection of individual neurons by comparison with their capacity of object detection in medial temporal lobe and ventral temporal cortex in epileptic patients.

Secondary purpose is to evaluate specific capacities of detection of known faces of individual neurons by comparison with their capacity of detection of unknown faces in medial temporal lobe and ventral temporal cortex in epileptic patients.

In this interventional study, patients explored with mixed intracerebral electrodes (micro and macro-contacts) will be presented sets of images (objects, unknown faces, famous faces). Spikes and Multi-Unit-Activity will be recorded and analyzed and compared between conditions.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patient with temporal or occipito-temporal drug-resistant partial epilepsy, symptomatic, needing surgical treatment
• Patient having signed informed consent
• Patient affiliated to social security
• Patient having undergone preliminary medical examination

Exclusion Criteria:

• Persons under legal protection or incapable to consent
• Persons deprived of liberty by juridical or administrative decision
• Patient with severe visual disorders of neurological or ophthalmological origin
• Patients with infection risk according to doctor or surgeon
• Women without effective contraception
• Pregnant or breast-feeding women