1. A negligibly-intrusive method for monitoring brain activity in a cerebral cortex, the method comprising: displacing part of an anatomical layer adjacent the cerebral cortex with an integrated circuit having an optics layer including an emitter and an array of detectors, for directing electromagnetic radiation into the cerebral cortex, detecting a response of the cerebral cortex to the electromagnetic radiation and using the detected response to assimilate neural data, and wherein detecting a response of the cerebral cortex includes detecting a response indicative of epilepsy during an intraoperative procedure, and using the detected response to assimilate neural data includes using the detected response to identify a condition of epilepsy during the intraoperative procedure.