Mapping the Human Brain with High Spatiotemporal Resolution

Electrophysiological recording and stimulation are the gold standard for interrogating the nervous system for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Recording the human brain activity with microelectrode arrays enable broadband and high spatiotemporal resolution but are conventionally limited to a small cortical coverage. However, large cortical coverage together with the high spatiotemporal resolution are needed to advance our understanding of diseased and normal brain function to be able to develop effective therapies.<br/>This talk will cover the challenges and latest developments in brain mapping and discuss the clinical translation of UCSD’s multi-thousand channel platinum nanorod surface and depth microelectrode arrays to map the human brain activity. We will discuss considerations in the electrode-tissue interface for recording and stimulation and demonstrate mapping of functional units (cortical columns) across species including humans. Examples of large-scale microelectrode mapping of motor, language, and epileptogenic discharges from the human brain will be presented along with a perspective on future directions. Lastly, we will present the display of cortical activity directly from the surface of the human brain with the newly developed Brain-intracranial electroencephalography-microdisplay (Brain-iEEG-microdisplay).