Replay of Learned Neural Firing Sequences during Rest in Human Motor Cortex
Jean-Baptiste Eichenlaub,
Beata Jarosiewicz,
Jad Saab,
Brian Franco,
Jessica Kelemen,
Eric Halgren,
Leigh R. Hochberg,
Sydney S. Cash
Affiliations
Jean-Baptiste Eichenlaub
Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Corresponding author
Beata Jarosiewicz
Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA; Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA; VA RR&D Center for Neurorestoration and Neurotechnology, Rehabilitation R&D Service, Department of VA Medical Center, Providence, RI, USA; Corresponding author
Jad Saab
Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA; VA RR&D Center for Neurorestoration and Neurotechnology, Rehabilitation R&D Service, Department of VA Medical Center, Providence, RI, USA; School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
Brian Franco
Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
Jessica Kelemen
Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
Eric Halgren
Departments of Radiology and Neuroscience, Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
Leigh R. Hochberg
Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA; VA RR&D Center for Neurorestoration and Neurotechnology, Rehabilitation R&D Service, Department of VA Medical Center, Providence, RI, USA; School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
Sydney S. Cash
Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
Summary: The offline “replay” of neural firing patterns underlying waking experience, previously observed in non-human animals, is thought to be a mechanism for memory consolidation. Here, we test for replay in the human brain by recording spiking activity from the motor cortex of two participants who had intracortical microelectrode arrays placed chronically as part of a brain-computer interface pilot clinical trial. Participants took a nap before and after playing a neurally controlled sequence-copying game that consists of many repetitions of one “repeated” sequence sparsely interleaved with varying “control” sequences. Both participants performed repeated sequences more accurately than control sequences, consistent with learning. We compare the firing rate patterns that caused the cursor movements when performing each sequence to firing rate patterns throughout both rest periods. Correlations with repeated sequences increase more from pre- to post-task rest than do correlations with control sequences, providing direct evidence of learning-related replay in the human brain.
