Biomarkers of the interplay between brain networks and cardiac dynamics for the evaluation of non-invasive brain-computer interfaces

Project Information

NETCORE

Grant agreement ID: 101151118

DOI

10.3030/101151118

Project closed

EC signature date 13 March 2024

Start date 1 April 2024

End date 31 March 2026

Funded under

• Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)

Total cost

No data

EU contribution

€ 211 754,88

Coordinated by

INSTITUT DU CERVEAU ET DE LA MOELLE EPINIERE
France

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - NETCORE (Biomarkers of the interplay between brain networks and cardiac dynamics for the evaluation of non-invasive brain-computer interfaces)

Reporting period: 2024-04-01 to 2026-03-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Stroke remains one of the leading causes of long-term disability worldwide, frequently leaving patients with persistent motor impairments that reduce autonomy, quality of life, and socioeconomic participation. In this context, Brain–computer interface (BCI) technologies have emerged as a promising strategy to restore sensorimotor functions by enabling patients to interact with external devices through neural activity alone. However, despite substantial technological advances, current BCI interventions still face major translational barriers because their effectiveness varies considerably across individuals and over time. A key need is therefore the development of objective and reliable biomarkers capable of monitoring task engagement, rehabilitation progress, and learning dynamics, enabling truly personalized neurorehabilitation. NETCORE addresses this challenge by investigating biomarkers derived from the interplay between the brain and the heart, an emerging research area showing that multisystem interactions provide richer and more clinically informative insights than the study of isolated organs. By combining advanced biomedical signal processing, network science, physiologically informed neural modeling, and higher-order interaction analyses, the project will develop innovative methodologies to characterize brain–heart functional circuitry during motor imagery and BCI training. NETCORE will first establish these mechanisms in healthy participants before translating the approach to stroke patients, thereby creating a pathway toward clinically relevant biomarkers for adaptive rehabilitation. Beyond technological innovation, the project contributes to a broader shift in neuroscience and healthcare toward systems-level and personalized medicine approaches, aligning with European strategic priorities in digital health, neurotechnology, and patient-centered rehabilitation. The project also integrates perspectives from cognitive neuroscience and computational modeling, disciplines at the intersection of social sciences and biomedical research, to better understand how physiological and cognitive processes jointly shape rehabilitation outcomes. By establishing novel tools to quantify multisystem dynamics, NETCORE is expected to contribute to more effective and individualized BCI therapies, while opening new avenues for understanding the role of brain–heart interactions in neurological disorders and recovery.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The work performed within NETCORE focused on the development of an innovative methodological framework to characterize dynamic interactions between the brain and the heart in the context of motor imagery and neurorehabilitation. The project established a multidisciplinary approach combining biomedical signal processing, network science, and physiologically informed neural modeling to investigate how cardiac activity influences brain networks and how these interactions evolve during learning and rehabilitation. In WP1, methodological developments concentrated on extending previously developed generative models to integrate network-level information, enabling a more comprehensive characterization of brain–heart dynamics. The work included the identification of interaction patterns associated with different aspects of motor imagery. Additional methodological advances explored multilayer network representations, higher-order interdependencies, and mechanisms underlying brain network segregation and integration. In WP2, analyses focused on healthy participants performing motor imagery tasks during BCI training. Multimodal datasets including MRI, MEG, EEG, and ECG recordings were processed to reconstruct source-level brain activity and quantify relationships between brain–heart biomarkers and motor imagery learning performance. In WP3, the developed methodologies were adapted to stroke patients performing repeated motor imagery training sessions. Existing multimodal datasets from stroke participants were leveraged to investigate how brain–heart interactions relate to rehabilitation progress, neuroplasticity, and differences between successful and unsuccessful training sessions. Overall, the project achieved the establishment of a robust methodological and analytical pipeline for studying multisystem brain–heart dynamics in both healthy and brain-damaged individuals, laying the scientific foundation for future biomarker development in adaptive BCI-based rehabilitation.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

NETCORE advances beyond the current state of the art by introducing a systems-level framework to investigate brain–heart interactions in the context of motor imagery, neuroplasticity, and BCI-based rehabilitation. While traditional neurorehabilitation and BCI research mainly focus on isolated neural activity, the project integrates multimodal physiological signals, network science, and physiologically informed modeling to characterize dynamic interactions between the brain and cardiovascular systems. This approach has the potential to generate more sensitive and clinically relevant biomarkers capable of monitoring rehabilitation progress, learning dynamics, and treatment effectiveness in stroke patients. The methodological developments achieved within the project establish a novel analytical framework that could be extended to other neurological and neurodegenerative disorders. The project also fostered international collaborations and methodological exchanges, notably through secondment activities and participation in international scientific networks, thereby increasing visibility, employability, and leadership potential for future frontier research initiatives. The results generated by NETCORE provide a strong foundation for future translational developments, including larger-scale clinical validation studies, integration into adaptive BCI systems. Ensuring further uptake of these innovations will require continued interdisciplinary research, access to large longitudinal patient datasets, supportive computational and clinical infrastructures, and the development of standardized frameworks for multimodal physiological analysis in neurorehabilitation.