Is IEEG-Based Cognitive Neuroscience Research Clinically Relevant? Examination of Three “Neuromemes”

Abstract

Much progress has been made in the field of cognitive neuroscience thanks to intracerebral EEG (iEEG) research, largely due to the possibility of directly recording brain activity with unsurpassed spatial and temporal precision while patients perform cognitive tasks. However, do these patients gain anything from the time and effort they devote to this endeavour? In this chapter, we focus on three neuromemes, the "eloquent cortex", "localisationism" and the "nociferous cortex" to provide possible answers to this question. We discuss the value of these neuromemes and show that clinical care of epilepsy and iEEG-based cognitive neuroscience are consubstantial in the sense that iEEG during epilepsy assessment provides an understanding of physiological processes of the healthy brain; but also, that cognitive iEEG research in epileptic patients has a direct impact on semiology and curative neurosurgery. Last, we highlight how recent cognitive iEEG research provides insights into interictal complaints and could improve identification of the epileptogenic zone.