FSBI FCMN FMBA of Russia Federal Center for Brain and Neurotechnologies

History

2023: Passive cortical mapping started in Russia to keep it working after operations

Russian scientists conducted the first neurosurgical operations using passive mapping of the speech zones of the brain (without electrical stimulation). This was reported in February 2023 at the Federal Center for Brain and Neurotechnologies (FCMN) of the FMBA of the Russian Federation.

It is noted that neurosurgical operations require a clear determination of the position of the speech zones of the brain, which allows patients to preserve speech in the postoperative period. The mapping procedure can be carried out in an active mode - by stimulating the brain with minimal electrical influences. However, a convulsive attack becomes a frequent and natural complication in such cases.

Scientists of the Neurocampus of the Russian National Research Medical University named after N.I. Pirogov together with neurophysiologist Nina Chishchina from the department of functional diagnostics of diseases of the nervous system of the Federal Medical Hospital of the FMBA of Russia, as well as with neurosurgeons Ilya Senko and Ilya Grigoriev successfully applied the passive mapping method for two patients: with pharmacoresistant epilepsy and with a tumor of the left insular lobe of the brain. During the operation, patterns of electrical activity of the examined area before, during and after speech pronunciation were read using a corticographic electrode grid.

By interpreting these temporal patterns using mathematical methods of analyzing multichannel signals, the scientists established which electrodes were involved in activating various speech articulation functions, and thus mapped the speech cortex without causing a seizure. This approach significantly expands the applicability of intraoperative functional mapping procedures and opens up wide possibilities for preserving the postoperative functionality of the brain even in the most severe cases.^[1]

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