The Human Intracerebral EEG Platform: A Cloud-Based Trusted Research Environment for Collaborative SEEG Research in Epilepsy and Neuroscience.

INTRODUCTION

Lack of standardised methodologies and secure processing environments for intracerebral EEG (iEEG) data creates critical barriers to international collaboration and reproducibility in clinical neuroscience. Within the framework of the Human Brain Project and EBRAINS, we have developed a specific platform, the Human Intracerebral EEG Platform (HIP), to address this challenge.

METHODS

The specifications considered to develop the HIP included: (1) secure access to sensitive datasets; (2) standardised data organisation following the BIDS for iEEG (BIDS-iEEG) to ensure interoperability; (3) controlled access via a secure web-based interface; (4) provision of software needed to analyse iEEG; (5) a structured governance model enabling institutional participation through formal data sharing agreements; and (6) alignment with FAIR principles.

RESULTS

HIP was implemented as a cloud-based Trusted Research Environment (TRE), with a first operational release in 2023. It provides private spaces for each participating institution and researchers, as well as collaborative spaces to share data. The HIP operates many software packages, including 3DSlicer, Brainstorm, HiBoP, etc., and CiCLONE, a tool specifically designed to coregister and visualise electrodes and recording leads on MRI and brain atlas. So far, the HIP hosts 34 institutions and 10 ongoing projects, including that on heartbeat potentials that show promising findings toward a better understanding of central autonomic dysfunction in persons with epilepsy.

CONCLUSIONS

The HIP addresses key barriers to large-scale iEEG research by combining secure governance, standardised data management, and collaborative analysis within a dedicated TRE, facilitating reproducible multi-centre research.