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To study cerebral cortical function in equilibrium, cortical oxyhemoglobin saturation rate was measured during Caloric test for five volunteers. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) measuring backscattered reflection is a non-invasive, good method to study human cortical activation. Over both temporal areas, the oxyhemoglobin saturation rate changed during the irrigation to the auricle, the irrigation to the ear meatus, and during nystagmus. Caloric test induced various cortical activation; e.g., the sensation in irrigating iced water, vestibulo-autonomic response, vestibulo-ocular response, anticipation to the stimuli and so on.

Dipole source localization corresponding to interictal spikes were estimated using EEG dipole tracing with a realistic three-shell head model in three patients with cryptogenic gelastic epilepsy. The dipole sources in two patients, whose gelastic seizures were accompanied by a subjective feeling of mirth, were estimated in the right or left medio-basal temporal regions. In the other patient, with gelastic seizures without a sense of mirth, the dipole sources were localized in the right frontal region corresponding to the anterior cingulate. The results suggest that the neural activities in hippocampal regions are involved with the generation of gelastic seizures with a sense of mirth and those in the cingulate might be associated with the motor act of laughter.