Cognitive brain mapping with intracranial electrodes

Surgical treatment of epilepsy requires the identification of eloquent brain regions in patient with electrodes implanted intracranially. This functional brain mapping procedure is often performed using so-called localizers protocols, which permit to identify brain networks involved in different cognitive function (e.g., language, memory or visual processing).
The aim of this internship is to contribute to the functional brain mapping performed at the Timone Hospital in Marseilles and analyzed in the Dynamic of Communication and Auditory Processes team (DCAP group) of the Institut de Neurosciences des Systemes (https://ins-amu.fr/). The internship will consist in participating to the development of localizer protocols for language function and to analyze intracranial data.

Knowledge in neurophysiology (e.g., evoked potential) and in signal analysis (e.g., spectral decomposition, ICA, machine leaning) as well as skills in programming (e.g., Matllab, Python) are highly recommended. The candidate should also be used to work in English and interested in understanding how cognitive processes are implemented in neural networks.

The Institut de Neurosciences des Systèmes (INS, UMR1106) is a multidisciplinary research institute of Inserm and Aix-Marseille University located on La Timone Campus in Marseille, France. INS members are comprised of academic faculty and clinicians of La Timone Hospital (APHM) institutions, as well as Inserm and CNRS researchers. The research program at INS is focused on understanding the complex dynamics of the brain and altogether, we capitalize on our symbiotic proficiencies by integrating experimental, theoretical and clinical approaches towards understanding brain function and dysfunction.
INS houses a wide range of state-of-the-art facilities of brain research, which includes the MEG facility, TMS-EEG with a Brain Navigation system, various electrophysiology laboratories, an epileptic patient unit, and The Virtual Brain platform. INS researchers perform research across species ranging from the rodent to the human brain to uncover the mechanisms underlying the functioning of the healthy brain and its disorders, notably epilepsy as the paradigmatic dynamic brain disease.