Closed loop enhancement and neural decoding of human cognitive control

Abstract

Cognitive control is the ability to withhold a default, prepotent response in favor of a more adaptive choice. Control deficits are common across mental disorders, including depression, anxiety, and addiction. Thus, a method for improving cognitive control could be broadly useful in disorders with few effective treatments. Here, we demonstrate closed-loop enhancement of cognitive control by direct brain stimulation in humans. We stimulated internal capsule/striatum in participants undergoing intracranial epilepsy monitoring as they performed a cognitive control task. Stimulation enhanced performance, with the strongest effects from dorsal capsule/striatum stimulation.We then developed a framework to detect control lapses and stimulate in response. This closed-loop approach was more effective than open-loop stimulation. Participants who self-reported difficulties with self-control reported that stimulation made them more able to shift attention away from internal distress. Finally, we decoded cognitive control directly from activity on a small number of electrodes, using features compatible with existing closed-loop brain implants. Our findings suggest a new approach to treating severe mental disorders, by directly remediating underlying cognitive deficits.

CLoSES: A platform for closed-loop intracranial stimulation in humans

“…An encoder/decoder model based on multiband log power input features was used to estimate hidden cognitive state( Yousefi et al, 2019a ). Details on MSIT and corresponding model can be found else where ( Basu et al, 2020 ). During MSIT CLoSES-SEM was configured in the following way: Theta, Alpha, and High Gamma multiband filter of pre-determined bipolar channels were implemented; aggregate logarithmic spectral power in the three frequency bands were calculated over a time window of 2 s following image onset; a neural decoder model was used to estimate a hidden flexibility state using the calculated log power; if estimated mean state value exceeded a pre-determined threshold a short train of 130 Hz stimulation was triggered on the following trial (following image onset).…”

“…We tested CLoSES-SEM for 10, 20 and 50 channels for power calculation (30, 60, and 150 features) and for 5, 10 and 20 channels for coherence (10, 45, and 190 pairs). This is more channels and features than would be used in practice in an implantable system, as usually 5–10 channels are selected and only a subset of features is used in the models ( Widge et al, 2017 , Basu et al, 2020 ).…”

Deep brain stimulation for psychiatric disorders: From focal brain targets to cognitive networks

“…Automatic programming of DBS for tremor (in response to automatic tremor detection through a wristwatch) has already been demonstrated, paving the way for similar approaches in cognition ( Malekmohammadi et al 2016 ). Recent work from our group has demonstrated this real-time detection and enhancement specifically for cognitive control ( Basu et al 2020 ). That specific executive function is, however, only one “ingredient” in the complex “recipes” of cognitive and emotional dysfunctions that produce treatment-resistant MDD and OCD.…”

Region-Level Functional and Effective Network Analysis of Human Brain During Cognitive Task Engagement

“…The MSIT has been shown to evoke connectivity changes related to cognitive impairment in major depressive disorder (MDD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and schizophrenia [ 30 – 32 ]. Its sensitivity to electrical stimulation makes it a good candidate to study cognitive control [ 10 ], [ 11 ]. In an MSIT trial (see Fig.…”

“…fMRI is an indirect measure of neural activity and recorded at a low temporal resolution, which is not ideal for capturing cognitive functions that involve finer temporal dynamics. A better approach would be direct decoding of cognitive control and control lapses from electrical brain recordings [ 11 ].…”