Research

Research Setup

Our lab studies brain signals in two species (humans and non-human primates) and at four “levels” of recordings: spikes, local field potential (LFP), electrocorticogram (ECoG) and electroencephalogram (EEG), as shown below.

Different recording scales in humans and non-human primates

1. Microelectrode recordings from monkeys: This allows us to record activity of single neurons using microelectrode arrays. We also get a second “level” called local field potential (LFP), which represents the local activity of a few thousand neurons, by low-pass filtering the signal.
2. EEG from humans: Complex behaviours such as attention are studied at a coarse “network” level using EEG, in which electrodes are placed on the scalp.
3. EEG from monkeys: We have modified our recording system that is used for microelectrode recordings to simultaneously record EEG from monkeys as well.
4. Electrocorticogram (ECoG) from monkeys: ECoG is obtained from macro-electrodes placed directly on the brain, and is typically recorded from humans undergoing epilepsy treatment. We have collaborated with companies that make microelectrodes (Blackrock Microsystems) and ECoG arrays (Ad-Tech Medical Instrumentation) to design a hybrid electrode grid that includes both. We are therefore able to simultaneously record from four scales in monkeys (spikes, LFP, ECoG and EEG).

Summary of Projects

Project Details