Holographic visualization for stereotactic neurosurgery research

Invasive brain neuromodulation therapies are continuously evolving to address a range of neurologic and psychiatric disorders [1]. These clinical efforts rely on the strategic placement of depth electrodes in the brain to interface with the neural circuitry. However, defining the target position and trajectory in the brain for an electrode is an inherently complex 3D problem that requires the integration of wide-ranging datasets on the anatomy of the patient [2]. In addition, recent research trends have embraced the use of 3D reconstructions of axonal pathways in the analysis of brain network activity [3]. As such, there is a growing need for interactive software tools that can fuse the medical imaging datasets and computational modeling results in a way that helps to facilitate the generation of novel clinical insights [4]. Our response to this technical challenge in Stereotactic NeuroSurgery research was the creation of a holographic visualization platform we call HoloSNS.

HoloSNS evolved over more than 7 years of development and testing at the CWRU Interactive Commons. We presented the first example of group-based holographic visualization and interaction with patient-specific brain imaging datasets at the 2016 Microsoft Build Conference (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4isrqqTlQA). Those early efforts established methods for loading MRI data, 3D brain volumes, and axonal pathway models into augmented reality headsets. We then went on to develop strategies to interactively control complex datatypes within the holographic scene. Those methods enabled us to perform scientific research on the axonal connections of the human brain [5]. More recently, HoloSNS was employed in prospective patient-specific stereotactic neurosurgical planning as part of an experimental clinical trial that used a combination of deep brain stimulation (DBS) and stereo-electroencephalography (SEEG) electrodes to study depression [6]. The purpose of this report is to provide a brief description of the HoloSNS platform, as well as access to example software apps for DBS (HoloDBS) or SEEG (HoloSEEG) research.