Title:  Insights into Human Cognition from Intracranial Recording

 Intracranial EEG recording (iEEG) in humans provides a unique window into the neurophysiology of goal-directed behavior.  IEEG records both local cortical activity (electrocorticography; ECoG) and activity from deeper structures such as the hippocampus (stereoencephalography; SEEG). Classic neurological dogma posited that humans did not generate neural oscillations above 50 Hz. However, findings over the last fifteen years from multiple laboratories report robust neural activity up to 250 Hz in the human brain (70-250 Hz, high frequency activity; HFA) with superb spatial (mm) and temporal (msec) resolution providing an index of local neural activity. Lower frequency oscillations coupled with HFA  provide electrophysiological metrics to study the neural networks supporting human cognition. I will review work using iEEG examining the role of prefrontal cortex in attention, language, memory, decision-making and sleep and the role of HFA in the development of a speech neuroprosthesis for patients with disabling speech disorders.

Dr. Knight is a Professor at University of California Berkeley.

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