Cerebral microdialysis combined with single-neuron and electroencephalographic recording in neurosurgical patients. Technical note.

Monitoring physiological changes in the brain parenchyma has important applications in the care of neurosurgical patients. A technique is described for measuring extracellular neurochemicals by cerebral microdialysis with simultaneous recording of electroencephalographic (EEG) and single-unit (neuron) activity in selected targets in the human brain. Forty-two patients with medically intractable epilepsy underwent stereotactically guided implantation of a total of 423 intracranial depth electrodes to delineate potentially resectable seizure foci. The electrodes had platinum alloy contacts for EEG recordings and four to nine 40-microm microwires for recording single-unit neuron activity. Eighty-six electrodes also included microdialysis probes introduced via the electrode lumens. During monitoring on the neurosurgical ward, electrophysiological recording and cerebral microdialysis sampling were performed during seizures, cognitive tasks, and sleep-waking cycles. The technique described here could be used in developing novel approaches for evaluation and treatment in a variety of neurological conditions such as head injury, subarachnoid hemorrhage, epilepsy, and movement disorders.