OMiSO: Adaptive optimization of state-dependent brain stimulation to shape neural population states

Abstract: The coordinated activity of neural populations underlies myriad brain functions. Manipulating this activity using brain stimulation techniques has great potential for scientific and clinical applications, as it provides a tool to causally influence brain function. The state of the brain affects how neural populations respond to incoming sensory stimuli. Thus, taking into account pre-stimulation neural population activity may be crucial to achieve a desired causal manipulation using stimulation. In this work, we propose Online MicroStimulation Optimization (OMiSO), a brain stimulation framework that leverages brain state information to find stimulation parameters that can drive neural population activity toward specified states. OMiSO includes two key advances: i) it leverages the pre-stimulation brain state to choose optimal stimulation parameters, and ii) it adaptively refines the choice of those parameters by considering newly-observed stimulation responses. We tested OMiSO by applying intracortical electrical microstimulation in a monkey and found that it outperformed competing methods that do not incorporate these advances. Taken together, OMiSO provides greater accuracy in achieving specified activity states, thereby advancing neuromodulation technologies for understanding the brain and for treating brain disorders.