LFP recordings

Externalization of deep brain stimulation (DBS) electrodes, placed in these regions, provides the unique opportunity to record subcortical activity in humans. We record local field potentials (LFPs) with intracranial electrodes placed in the subthalamic nucleus (STN) and the nucleus accumbens (NAc).

These intracranial recordings are obtained both during resting-state conditions and during the performance of carefully designed cognitive and emotional tasks, allowing us to characterize the functional dynamics of subcortical circuits under different behavioral demands. We also record LFP activity simultaneously with high-density (128-channel) scalp EEG and peripheral measures — including eye-tracking, galvanic skin response (GSR), electrocardiography (EKG), and electromyography (EMG) — during cognitive and emotional task performance in patients undergoing functional surgery.

This multimodal recording approach enables us to investigate the interplay between subcortical and cortical oscillatory activity, as well as its relationship with autonomic and behavioral responses, providing a comprehensive window into the neural mechanisms underlying motor, cognitive, and emotional processing in the human brain