Applied Neuroscience with Human Intracranial Electrophysiology
Here you will find information about our most recent studies. Contact us if you are a practitioner or researcher interested in collaborating with us.
Music in Epilepsy
Abstract: Participants are presented with short 8-minute clips of music from various genres ( i.e. classical, country, rock, etc.) with an attention task (modified sustained attention to response task) nested within each trial. Participants receive approximately 8 music stimuli and 1 control stimulus (pink noise) twice over the course of one to two testing sessions ( 90 mins each). Additionally, participants are asked to answer questions about their hearing, music preferences/training, and certain demographic information (age, handedness, and language proficiency).
Researcher: Anastasia Kanishcheva
Bio: Anastasia is a Certified Clinical Research Coordinator at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (Neurology)
Language Mapping Using High Gamma Activity
Abstract: In this study, we explore the feasibility of using high-gamma activities triggered during multiple language tasks to identify the brain areas involved in language processes and determine their roles in speech generation. High-gamma activities recorded passively during a language task without any electrical stimulation could potentially localize the areas involved in language processes, which may help narrow down the areas that need to be investigated further with cortical stimulation and reduce the occurrence of after-discharges or stimulation-induced seizures.
Researcher: Yenchin Song
Bio: Yinchen possesses a broad background in biomedical engineering, with specific training and expertise in clinical neurophysiology, neuro-imaging, bio-signal/image processing, and medical instrumentation. Their research encompasses functional brain mapping, neurophysiology, neuromodulation, and neurovascular coupling in epilepsy and brain tumors.
During Yinchen's PhD program, they played a major role as the trainee on one NIH-funded grant. At present, they are actively involved in multiple federally-funded research projects at Dartmouth, where they have made significant contributions to the design of experiments, instrumentation, and data analysis.
Expectation Effects On Emotions
Abstract: Ben is investigating the interplay of expectation and neural activity in the formation and modulation of cognitive processes. How does the brain integrate information about expectations when creating emotional responses? iEEG can provide unique insight into the timing and location of these processes. Participants see a series of images and be asked to rate how much they like each picture. They will also be told how others responded to the same images. Using this task, we hope to learn more about how emotions and value judgements are related to one another within the brain.
Researcher: Benjamin Graul
Bio: Ben is a Cognitive Neuroscience PhD student in the Psychological and Brain Sciences Department of Dartmouth College, where he has received the Presidential Graduate Fellowship to support his research. Prior to joining the CANlab at Dartmouth, Ben managed the Yorgason Addiction Lab and investigated the role of striatal dopamine in habit-forming drug usage. He simultaneously worked as a Research Assistant in the Brain Imaging and Behavior Lab, where he focused on multisite data harmonization protocols to allow effective collection and analysis of large datasets. His training and published research in both human neuroimaging and electrophysiology provide an excellent foundation to collect and analyze intracranial electroencephalography data.
Neuromodulation of affective valence in humans by amygdala stimulation
Abstract: We are investigating the effects of amygdala stimulation on affective judgments and memory of emotionally charged images.
Researcher: Zack Leads
Bio: Zach began working on intracranial electrophysiology research in 2019 while completing an undergraduate degree in Neuroscience at Colgate University. In 2020, he started full time at Dartmouth Health as a research assistant in the Neurology department. He has been involved in task design, programming, and implementation for intracranial studies with epilepsy patients. Currently, in addition to his research, Zach performs clinical neurophysiological monitoring on patients undergoing surgery.
People and Places
Abstract: Neuroimaging studies have identified face-selective and place-selective regions in the human brain. However, much needs to be understood about how these regions work and how, for example, we are able to remember familiar faces and places almost effortlessly. Understanding these mechanisms is of clinical (e.g., Alzheimer's disease) and cognitive importance. In our task, you will be asked to recall familiar faces (e.g., your high-school professor) and places (e.g., your favorite restaurant) as vividly as possible.
Researcher: Camilo Castelblanco Riveros
Bio: Camilo received his B.S.c degree in 2021 in biopsychology and biochemistry, summa cum laude. His undergraduate research focused on nanochemistry (carbon dots synthesis) and neuroscience (visual working memory). Camilo then worked as a research assistant under Dr. Tony Wilson investigating neural dynamics of chronic cannabis users and patients with Alzheimer's using magnetoencephalography. Product of this work Camilo has 2 research publications, 3 in preparation, and has presented at multiple conferences.
Currently, Camilo is an integrative neuroscience 2nd year PhD student at Dartmouth. He works under the guidance of Neurologist Kristopher Bujarski and professor Caroline Robertson.