Direct Intracranial Stimulation and Simultaneous fMRI Using Implanted Electrodes

Stephen Jones¹, Rafi Avitsian¹, Pallab K. Bhattacharyya¹, Juan Bulacio¹, Rei Enatsu¹, Jorge A. Gonzalez-Martinez¹, Dileep Nair¹, Imad Najm¹, Michael Phillips¹, Myron Zhang¹

We present the first study of simultaneous fMRI during direct electrical stimulation in the human brain of epilepsy patients. Spatial activation patterns and strengths in fMRI maps are compared to responses from electrical recordings from intracranial electrodes placed throughout the brain. We found significant positive correlation between strength of fMRI activation and electrical activity. Potential clinical applications include using electrically stimulated fMRI to plan for epilepsy surgery.