Cortical Physiology Laboratory - Sydney S. Cash, MD, PhD

We combine microelectrode and macroelectrode recording and computing techniques to study brain activity, mechanisms for brain machine interface, and the neurophysiology of epilepsy.

Our Collaborators

  • MIT
  • Brown University
  • University of Rochester
  • New York University
  • University of California, San Diego
  • BIDMC
  • BWH
  • Children's Hospital Boston

    • The research in the Cortical Physiology Laboratory is, broadly speaking, dedicated to trying to understand normal and abnormal brain activity, particularly oscillations, using multi-modal and multi-scalar approaches with long term goals of improving therapies for patients with epilepsy.

    We are combining novel microelectrode approaches with both invasive and non-invasive techniques such as electroencephalography and magnetoencephalography to record directly from both human and animal cortex and subcortical structures.

    This lab is affiliated with the following research and clinical programs

    • MassGeneral Hospital for Children/Research
    • Department of Neurology
    • Mass General Hospital Epilepsy Service
    • Neurosurgery

    Biography

    Principal Investigator

    Sydney S. Cash, MD, PhD
    Instructor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School
    Neurology, Epilepsy Service, Massachusetts General Hospital

    Research Interests: Oscillations, epilepsy, seizures, microelectrodes, neuroprosthetics, MEG, EEG, neurotechnology, cortical function, inverse solution, forward solution, multi-modal, multi-scalar, sleep

    Research Techniques: Microelectrode recordings in humans and in vivo animal models, MEG, EEG, signal processing and computational/modeling techniques

    Diseases Studied: Epilepsy

    Research Scientists

    • Atul Maheshwari, MD
    • Nima Dehghani - Post Doctoral Candidate
    • Brandon Westover, MD, PhD
    • Jay Pathmanathan, MD, PhD
    • James Bartscher, MD

    Research Assistants & Technicians

    • Andrew Dykstra - Graduate Student
    • Alex Chan - Graduate Student
    • Corey Keller, B.S. - Lab Technician
    • Justine Cormier, B.A. - Lab Technician
    • Caroline Raclin
    • Corey Keller, B.S. - Lab Technician

    Our Collaborators

  • MIT
  • Brown University
  • University of Rochester
  • New York University
  • University of California, San Diego
  • BIDMC
  • BWH
  • Children's Hospital Boston

    • All of these projects are built on a foundation of combined microelectrode, macroelectrode and non-invasive recording techniques that span information from the level of single action potentials to aggregate activity of millions of neurons. Intensive signal processing and computational techniques are employed to analyze these data sets. Collaborative activities involving neural modeling are aimed at relating these multi-scalar data.

    Neurophysiology of Epilepsy

    One group within the lab studies the neurophysiology of epilepsy; trying to understand how seizures start and stop and how they might be predicted and terminated.These questions overlap with investigations into the mechanisms of sleep, normal language, auditory and other cognitive processing.

    Brain Machine Interface Research

    Another focus of the group is on mechanisms through which recording and therapeutic systems can be interfaced with the nervous system – a form of brain machine interface research.

    Ultimately, all of these projects aim toward the creation of both invasive and non-invasive mechanisms for restoring damaged neuronal function.

    Clinical Research

    The Epilepsy Service maintains an active research program, and some patients will have the opportunity to enroll in research or clinical trials. For information about ongoing studies and the ability to participate, please contact Justine Cormier at 617-726-5904 or jecormier@partners.org.

    Collaboration

    The following researchers collaborate on Cortical Physiology Laboratory projects

    • Dr. Eric Halgren at the MultiModal Imaging Laboratory of UCSD
    • Dr. Thomas Thesen at NYU Epilepsy Center
    • Dr. Emery Brown of the Neurostatistics Group here at MGH/MIT
    • Dr. Istvan Ulbert in Hungary
    • Dr. Mark Kramer and Uri Eden at BU
    • Dr. Gaute Einevoll in Norway

    Post-Doctoral position is available starting June 1, 2009 for 3 years. The position involves working with an in vivo rodent model of epilepsy and optogenetics in which we use light to try and control and stop seizure activity.

    Lab Technician/Lab Manager position open starting June 1, 2009. The responsibilities of this person include routine lab management as well as recording and analysis of physiological data acquired from patients with epilepsy undergoing long term EEG monitoring.

    Undergraduate, graduate students and post-doctoral candidates who are interested in the laboratories’ work are invited to contact Dr. Cash directly.

    Recent Lab Papers

    1. Bianchi, M. T., B. M. Alexander and S. S. Cash (2008). "Incorporating Uncertainty Into Medical Decision Making: An Approach to Unexpected Test Results." Med Decis Making. Epub ahead of print.

    2. Bianchi, M. T., J. Pathmanathan and S. S. Cash (2008). "From ion channels to complex networks: Magic bullet versus magic shotgun approaches to anticonvulsant pharmacotherapy." Med Hypotheses.72(3): 297-305.

    3. Costello, D. J., D. C. Shields, S. S. Cash, E. N. Eskandar, G. R. Cosgrove and A. J. Cole (2008). "Consideration of epilepsy surgery in adults should be independent of age." Clin Neurol Neurosurg. Epub ahead of print

    4. Keller, C. J., S. S. Cash, S. Narayanan, C. Wang, R. Kuzniecky, C. Carlson, O. Devinsky, T. Thesen, W. Doyle, A. Sassaroli, D. A. Boas, I. Ulbert and E. Halgren (2009). "Intracranial microprobe for evaluating neuro-hemodynamic coupling in unanesthetized human neocortex." Journal of Neuroscience Methods. in press

    5. Mueen, A., Keogh, E., Zhu, Q., Cash, S.S., Westover, B. "Exact Discovery of Time Series Motifs." (2009) Proceedings of the SIAM International Conference on Data Mining (SDM 2009). in press.

    6. Gow, D., C. Keller, N. Meng, E. Eskandar and S. S. Cash (2009). "Posterior superior temporal coordination of the ventral speech processing stream: A Granger analysis of intracranial EEG data." Brain and Language Accepted Pending Revision.

    7. Cash, S. S., E. Halgren, N. Dehghani, A. O. Rossetti, E. B. Bromfield, T. Thesen, C. Wang, O. Devinsky, R. Kuzniecky, W. Doyle, J. R. Madsen, L. Eross, P. Halasz, G. Karmos and I. Ulbert (2009). "The Human K-Complex Represents an Isolated Cortical Down State." Science Accepted Pending Revision.

    8. Bianchi, M., Klein, J., Caviness, V., Cash, SS. Synchronizing Bench and Bedside: Networks and Oscillations in Clinical Neurology. (2009) SubmittedRecent Lab Abstracts Presented at Conferences1. Cash, S. S., N. Meng, C. Melinosky, I. Ulbert, O. Devinsky, W. Doyle, A. Mehta, C. Wang, E. Bromfield, J. Madsen and E. Halgren (2006). Spatio-temporal Evolution of Focal Seizures in Humans Recorded with Macroelectrodes and Laminar Microelectrodes. Society for Neuroscience.

    2. Cash, S. S., N. Meng, C. Melinosky, I. Ulbert, O. Devinsky, W. Doyle, A. Mehta, C. Wang, E. Bromfield, J. Madsen and E. Halgren (2006). Macroelectrode and Microelectrode Recordings Show Complex Spatiotemporal Evolution of Focal Seizures in Human Epilepsy. American Epilepsy Society.

    3. Cash, S. S., N. Meng, C. Melinosky, I. Ulbert, O. Devinsky, W. Doyle, A. Mehta, C. Wang, E. Bromfield, J. Madsen and E. Halgren (2006). Using Macroelectrodes and Laminar Microelectrodes to Understand the Spatio-Temporal Evolution of Focal Seizures in Humans. Gordon Conference on Mechanisms Of Epilepsy & Neuronal Synchronization, Colby College Waterville, ME.

    4. Halgren, E., Cash, S.S. , N. Dehghani, A. Rossetti, R. Csercsa, D. Fabo, A. Magony, L. Eros, G. Karmos, P. Halasz, J. Madsen and I. Ulbert (2006). Laminar Analysis of Evoked and Spontaneous K-complexes in Humans. Society for Neuroscience.

    5. Cash, S. S., N. Meng, C. Melinosky, I. Ulbert, O. Devinsky, W. Doyle, A. Mehta, C. Wang, E. Bromfield, J. Madsen and E. Halgren (2007). Intracortical Microelectrode Recordings of Seizures in Patients with Focal Epilepsy. Curing Epilepsy 2007 - NIH.

    6. Gopal, A. A., N. Meng, C. Melinosky, A. J. Cole, O. Devinsky, W. Doyle, E. Eskandar, J. Madsen, T. Thesen, I. Ulbert, E. Halgren and S. S. Cash (2007). Preictal increases in multi-unit firing in patients with intractable focal epilepsy. American Epilepsy Society.

    7. Sahin, N. T., S. Pinker, S. S. Cash, N. Meng, E. Papavassiliou, D. L. Schomer and E. Halgren (2007). Inflecting Nouns and Verbs May Be More Similar than Different: Evidence from fMRI and Intracranial Electrophysiology. Human Brain Mapping, Chicago, IL.

    8. Sahin, N. T., S. Pinker, S. S. Cash, T. Thesen, C. Wang, O. Devinsky, R. Kuzniecky, W. Doyle and E. Halgren (2007). Communication Between Broca's and Wernicke's Areas Detected with Intracranial Electrophysiology in Awake Humans. Human Brain Mapping, Chicago, IL.

    9. Bartscher, J. F., I. Ulbert, O. Devinsky, W. Doyle, E. Bromfield, J. Madsen, E. Halgren and S. S. Cash (2008). Power Spectra of Local Field Potentials in Different Layers of Human Cortex. Society for Neuroscience, Washington, D.C.

    10. Chan, A. M., S. S. Cash, J. M. Baker, E. Eskandar, O. Devinsky, W. Doyle, R. Kuzniecky, T. Thesen, C. Wang, K. Marinkovic and E. Halgren (2008). Deconding Semantic Category from MEG and Intracranial EEG in Humans. Society for Neuroscience, Washington, D.C.

    11. Cormier, J., S. S. Cash, E. W. Sellers, T. Jennings, L. M. Townsend, A. DiPietro, T. M. Vaughan, J. R. Wolpaw and L. R. Hochberg (2008). Feasibility of a P300-based brain-computer interface in an acute care setting. Society for Neuroscience.

    12. Dykstra, A. R., E. Halgren, J. R. Melcher, E. Eskandar and S. S. Cash (2008). Preliminary Intracranial Evidence for Oscillatory Entrainment as a Mechanism for Auditory Streaming. Society for Neuroscience, Washington, D.C.

    13. Keller, C., S. S. Cash, S. Narayanan, C. Wang, R. Kuzniecky, C. Carlson, O. Devinsky, T. Thesen, W. Doyle, A. Sassaroli, D. A. Boas, E. Halgren and I. Ulbert (2008). Intracranial microprobe for evaluating neuro-hemodynamic coupling in unanesthetized human neocortex. Society for Neuroscience, Washington, D.C.

    14. Stamoulis, C., R. A. Betensky and S. S. Cash (2008). Seizure Localization and Estimation of Local Temporal and Spatial Neuronal Dynamics During the Ictal Period. American Epilepsy Society, Seattle, WA.

    15. Zettel, M., S. S. Cash, E. B. Brown and A. Majewska (2008). Intracardiac injection of MDA-MB-231BR cells in Nu/Nu mice as a model of breast tumor metastasis to the brain. Society for Neuroscience.

    16. Zettel, M., S. S. Cash, E. B. Brown and A. Majewska (2008). The influence of neuronal activity on breast tumor metastasis to the brain. DOD Era of Hope Meeting.

    17. Mueen, A., E. Keogh, Q. Zhu, S. S. Cash and B. Westover (2009). Exact Discovery of Time Series Motifs. Proceedings of the SIAM International Conference on Data Mining, SDM 2009, Reno Nevada USA.

    18. Dehghani, N., Halgren, E., Cash, S.S. (2009). Possible Differential Sensitivity to the Matrix vs. Core Thalamocortical Systems by MEG vs. EEG. Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience. Conference Abstract: Computational and Systems Neuroscience.

    Cortical Physiology Laboratory – Sydney S. Cash

    Wang Ambulatory Care Center
    Sydney S. Cash, MD, Neurology, WACC 730
    Mass General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street
    Boston, MA 02114

    Phone: 617-726-3311
    Fax: 617-726-9250

    Public Transportation Access: yes
    Disabled Access: no
    E-mail: scash@partners.org

    TDD: 617-724-8800

    • Partners Healthcare
    • Harvard Medical School
    • Massachusetts General Physicians Organization
    • MassGeneral Hospital for Children
    • Proto

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