Infrared neural stimulation in human cerebral cortex

• Published in: Brain stimulation Vol. 16; no. 2; pp. 418 - 430
• Main Authors: Pan, Li, Ping, An, Schriver, Kenneth E., Roe, Anna Wang, Zhu, Junming, Xu, Kedi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.03.2023; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Brain; Brain Mapping - methods; Cerebral Cortex; Cortical connections; Electric Stimulation - methods; Humans; Infrared neural stimulation; Neurons - physiology; Optical imaging; Thermal damage; Cortical connections; Optical imaging; Cerebral cortex; Infrared neural stimulation; Thermal damage
• ISSN: 1935-861X; 1876-4754
• DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2023.01.1678

Modulation of brain circuits by electrical stimulation has led to exciting and powerful therapies for diseases such as Parkinson's. Because human brain organization is based in mesoscale (millimeter-scale) functional nodes, having a method that can selectively target such nodes could enable more precise, functionally specific stimulation therapies. Infrared Neural Stimulation (INS) is an emerging stimulation technology that stimulates neural tissue via delivery of tiny heat pulses. In nonhuman primates, this optical method provides focal intensity-dependent stimulation of the brain without tissue damage. However, whether INS application to the human central nervous system (CNS) is similarly effective is unknown. To examine the effectiveness of INS on human cerebral cortex in intraoperative setting and to evaluate INS damage threshholds. Five epileptic subjects undergoing standard lobectomy for epilepsy consented to this study. Cortical response to INS was assessed by intrinsic signal optical imaging (OI, a method that detects changes in tissue reflectance due to neuronal activity). A custom integrated INS and OI system was developed specifically for short-duration INS and OI acquisition during surgical procedures. Single pulse trains of INS with intensities from 0.2 to 0.8 J/cm2 were delivered to the somatosensory cortex and responses were recorded via optical imaging. Following tissue resection, histological analysis was conducted to evaluate damage threshholds. As assessed by OI, and similar to results in monkeys, INS induced responses in human cortex were highly focal (millimeter sized) and led to relative suppression of nearby cortical sites. Intensity dependence was observed at both stimulated and functionally connected sites. Histological analysis of INS-stimulated human cortical tissue provided damage threshold estimates. This is the first study demonstrating application of INS to human CNS and shows feasibility for stimulating single cortical nodes and associated sites and provided INS damage threshold estimates for cortical tissue. Our results suggest that INS is a promising tool for stimulation of functionally selective mesoscale circuits in the human brain, and may lead to advances in the future of precision medicine. •First intra-operative infrared neural stimulation (INS) of cerebral cortex.•Intensity-dependent activation of neural response revealed by optical imaging.•Focal, submillimeter-scale activation of cortical nodes and connected nodes.•Thermal damage threshold determined by histological evaluation of tissue.