Brain II

Collective brain activity shows very intriguing phenomena. Many experimental results, both in-vivo and in-vitro, support the idea that the brain cortex operates near a critical point, and, at the same time, works as a reservoir of multiple precise collective oscillatory spatio-temporal patterns, with both cue-induced and spontaneous reactivation of precise dynamical phase-locked periodic patterns of spikes

Intracranial EEG studies using stereotactic EEG (SEEG) have shown that during seizures, epileptic activity spreads across several anatomical regions from the seizure onset zone towards remote brain areas. This appears like patient-specific time-varying networks that has to be extracted and characterised. Functional Connectivity (FC) analysis of SEEG signals recorded during seizures enables to describe the statistical relations between all pairs of recorded signals. However, extracting meaningful information from those large datasets is time-consuming and requires high expertise.

The mechanisms behind the interplay between brain structure, function and cognition are, fundamentally, still unknown. On one hand, there is evidence that damages to brain structure affect its function and, as a consequence, cognitive processes. On the other hand, there is also convincing evidence that altered cognitive processes can influence the structure of the human brain.

Sleep is an important part of human existence. During sleep the body functions restore and recharge. The sleep process is a complex multi-dimensional cycle that reflects the developmental changes in mental and physical health, along with the day-to-day state fluctuations. However, sleep disturbances, and insomnia in particular, affect a large part of the human population and their quality of life, work productivity and individual’s performance. Insomnia is characterised by the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep and/or waking too early and being unable to fall back asleep.