Kleen Lab at UCSF
We use computational neuroscience, machine learning/AI, and signal processing to understand neural activity in the human brain related to cognition and epilepsy
Investigating Data From the Source
Recording directly from human brain tissue gives us a unique and precious window into understanding both normal and abnormal neural activity.
Deciphering neural code
We use signal processing techniques and machine learning to understand human brain activity... and we LOVE to talk about the brain! ;)
Neural Activity Flow
We investigate how brain waves move through space and time, across the entire brain or important brain structures like the hippocampus
Visualizing Seizures in the Brain
We develop new #dataviz (data visualization) approaches to help doctors understand how seizures spread through the brain of individual patients
Location
We are located at the Parnassus Campus of UCSF Medical Center, a global leader in clinical care and cutting edge research based in the heart of our incredible city, San Francisco.

Overview

The Kleen Lab is based in the Division of Epilepsy, and Department of Neurology, at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). Jon Kleen MD PhD is the principal investigator and a neurologist, epileptologist, and neuroscientist.

  • We study the neural mechanisms of memory neurophysiology, particularly hippocampal circuits and semantic knowledge processing, and create open-source software tools for localizing and tracking seizures directly in brain tissue. 
  • Our translational research program primarily utilizes human intracranial recordings as a data source.
  • We apply neural signal processing, recent advances in AI/machine learning, and/or data visualization approaches for our investigations. 
  • We strive to make new discoveries about memory and cognition in humans, and how neurological diseases disrupt these crucial functions. 

Central Initiatives:

Neurophysiology of human memory

Cognitive impairment due to neurological disease

Neural activity flow in space and time

We feel very fortunate to collaborate closely with leaders in human neurophysiology, bioengineering, computer science, and more at UCSF and other institutions. Together, we are advancing the understanding of neural processes that support the incredible cognitive abilities that define us as human beings, and developing new approaches to rescue them from disease.

Giants game, 2025

Lab hike to Lands End in San Francisco, 2025

Check out our PROJECTS page to learn more about select Kleen Lab initiatives, including:​

Seizure heatmap visualization (OPSCEA, or "Ictal Cinema")

Visual Semantic Association Task (ViSAT)

Hippocampal microgrids (traveling waves)

...and other investigations

 

Looking for signal processing resources featured in the AES Signal Processing Investigator Workshop? 
"Extracting Neural Signals from Noise in Electrophysiological Data: Tools and Traps"

Workshop Contributors: Jon Kleen, Jeremy Barry, Tom Donoghue, Dora Hermes, Andrea Navas-Olive
All resources mentioned in this workshop and more can be found here, all open-source: AESsignalworkshop.github.io

 

 

 

 

Kleen Lab

Here's the MATLAB code for this logo