In this episode, Dr. Rina Zelmann & Dr. Pariya Salami discuss the field of neuromodulation for epilepsy management & treatment. Dr. Zelmann & Dr. Salami, both instructors in Neurology in the Mass General Brigham Department of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, discuss their research on responsive neurostimulation (RNS), a closed-loop system designed to detect and respond to seizures. In our conversation, we examine why the thalamus is a central target for neurostimulation and explore the applications of these devices outside clinical practice, specifically in understanding sleep and consciousness.