The study will evaluate whether sensory flicker can modulate neural activity of deep brain regions in humans, and whether it can have relevant effects on behavior. Moreover, it will compare those effects to the gold-standard method of modulating brain circuits, direct electrical stimulation of the brain (the same mechanism as deep brain stimulation), using a powerful within-subjects design.
Clinical trials have explored the modulation of brain circuits to treat several brain disorders, including Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's Disease (AD), depression, and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). However, current means to non-invasively modulate brain activity are limited. The study will evaluate whether sensory flicker can modulate neural activity of deep brain regions in humans, and whether it can have relevant effects on behavior. Moreover, it will compare those effects to the gold-standard method of modulating brain circuits, direct electrical stimulation of the brain (the same mechanism as deep brain stimulation), using a powerful within-subjects design.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
23
A customized version of the DAVID device will be used to expose participants to sensory flicker. The device consists of opaque glasses containing LEDs to present flickering light, as well as earbuds or headphones to present flickering sound.
The Blackrock CereStim is a fully programmable neurostimulator. The current pulses generated by the Blackrock CereStim are intended to stimulate neurons in proximity to a set of electrodes.
Emory University Hospital
Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Fold-change in Oscillatory Activity (Power Spectral Density) in Response to Exposure to Sensory Flicker: Comparing Mean Power Spectral Density at the Frequency of Flicker Being Presented Between Flicker and Baseline Periods
The power spectral density of the LFP will be measured across stimulus frequencies and modalities of sensory flicker stimuli in visual areas, auditory areas, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex. To evaluate the effects of sensory flicker on brain activity in various brain regions, researchers compared the average increase in oscillatory neural activity of given recorded brain regions during sensory stimulation, among the total number of recording locations that showed a significant response to sensory stimulation compared to baseline. In participants in whom a condition was repeated across multiple experimental sessions. If a location showed a significant response in multiple sessions, the data point that showed the highest level of response was kept. The average fold-change increase in oscillatory activity, 25th and 75th percentiles, within a region of interest is reported.
Time frame: During experiment session (up to 2 hours) during hospital admission (up to 2 weeks)
Effect of Sensory Flicker on the Rate of Interictal Epileptiform Discharges (IEDs) Which Represent Pathological Activity Often Observed in Epilepsy
The change of of the sensory flicker effect will be evaluated by the comparison of the whole-brain rate of IEDs between sensory flicker stimulation and baseline (no stimulation).
Time frame: During experiment session (up to 2 hours) during hospital admission (up to 2 weeks)
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