Electrophysiology of multisite direct electrical stimulation in the human brain

In 20 human participants with stereo-EEG, synchronized dual-site direct electrical stimulation recruits a larger effective network than single-site stimulation, with mostly linear superposition plus distinct nonlinear effects.

• Why it matters: Distributed brain networks underlie cognition and neurological disorders, but it is unclear how concurrent stimulation at multiple nodes combines to shape network responses for therapy.
• What they did: The study used synchronized dual-site and three-site direct electrical stimulation delivered through stereo-EEG implants, analyzing electrophysiological responses and testing whether they follow linear superposition.
• The result: Linear superposition accounted for most responses, while saturation-like sublinear effects appeared near stimulation sites and supralinear effects emerged in network-connected sites during the late response component.

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