How thalamus stimulation changes sleep rhythms
Thalamocortical interactions and the effect of thalamic stimulation on sleep oscillations
See whether brief electrical pulses to a deep brain area called the thalamus can trigger or disrupt the sleep rhythms known as spindles in people with epilepsy.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts General Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11247979 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you take part, researchers will record brain activity while you sleep using electrodes already implanted to locate or treat seizures. In one group, brief pulses will be delivered to the thalamus and to other brain regions to compare how widely sleep spindles are produced. In a closed-loop setup, the team will detect spindles in real time and deliver stimulation to see when stimulation breaks or alters those rhythms. A second group with long-term thalamic stimulators will have sleep monitored at home to see how their therapeutic stimulation affects sleep.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults with medication-resistant epilepsy who have clinical depth electrodes implanted for monitoring or who already have a chronically implanted thalamic stimulator.
Not a fit: People without implanted brain electrodes or stimulators, or those without epilepsy, would not be eligible and would not directly benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Results could help tailor brain stimulation so it controls seizures without harming sleep or memory-related rhythms.
How similar studies have performed: Animal and cortical stimulation studies suggest brain stimulation can change sleep rhythms, but direct human studies of thalamic stimulation on spindles are largely new.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Massachusetts General Hospital — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zelmann, Rina — Massachusetts General Hospital
- Study coordinator: Zelmann, Rina
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.