Intravenous recording of intracranial, broadband EEG

The most direct evaluation of human brain activity has been obtained from intracranial electrodes placed either on the surface of the brain or inserted into the brain to record from deep brain structures. Currently, the placement of intracranial electrodes implies transcranial surgery, either through a burr hole or a craniotomy, but the high degree of invasiveness and potential for morbidity of such major surgical procedures limits the applicability of intracranial recording. The vascular system provides a natural avenue to reach many brain regions that currently are reached by transcranial approaches, along with deep brain structures that cannot be reached via a transcranial approach without significant risk. To determine the applicability of intravascular approaches to high-frequency intracranial monitoring, a catheter containing multiple macro- and micro-electrodes was placed into the superior sagittal sinus of anesthetized pigs in parallel with clinical, subdural electrode grids to record epileptiform activity induced by direct, cortical injection of penicillin and to record responses to electrical stimulation. Intravascular electrodes recorded epileptiform spikes with similar magnitudes and waveshapes to those obtained by surface electrodes, both for macroelectrodes and microelectrodes, including the spatiotemporal evolution of epileptiform activity, suggesting that intravascular electrodes might provide localizing information regarding seizure foci. Sinusoidal electrical stimulation showed that intravascular electrodes provide sufficient broadband fidelity to record high-frequency, physiological events that may also prove useful in localizing seizure onset zones. As intravascular techniques have transformed cardiology, so intravascular neurophysiology may transform intracranial monitoring, in general, and the treatment of epilepsy, in particular.