Microelectrodes in Epilepsy

Microelectrodes in Epilepsy

The purpose of this study is to test microelectrodes in intracranial monitoring to see if they will provide novel information on the epileptic potential of the implanted brain tissue. A secondary objective is to investigate the activity of single neurons during specific cognitive tasks.

The standard-of-care for medically refractory epilepsy is resective brain surgery. In certain patients, precise localization of the epileptic focus is done using intracranial EEG (iEEG) recording. In this type of EEG recording, electrodes are placed on the brain surface or inserted into the brain through an opening in the skull. In addition to standard electrode recording, this study will use ultra thin microelectrodes. Microelectrodes are only several micrometers thick and are useful because they are able to record the activity of single neurons in isolation. Such recordings have tremendous clinical potential in epilepsy surgery and tremendous research potential in cognitive neuroscience.

Inclusion Criteria:

• 18-65 year old
• male or female
• right or left handed
• IQ>70
• medically refractory focal epilepsy requiring intracranial EEG for pre-surgical evaluation deemed medically necessary
• no contraindications to intracranial electrode study
• able and willing to participate in research

Exclusion Criteria:

• does not meet the inclusion criteria