Periodic Reporting for period 3 - NGBMI (Building Next-Generation Brain/Neural-Machine Interfaces For Restoration of Brain Functions)
Berichtszeitraum: 2021-11-01 bis 2023-04-30
Recent advancements in sensor technology and computational capacities resulted in the development of brain/neural-machine interfaces (B/NMIs) that translate electric, magnetic or metabolic brain activity into control signals of external devices, robots or machines. Such systems could greatly contribute to improved quality of life, e.g. in severe paralysis when used for restoration of movement or communication. Importantly, it was shown that repeated use of such motor B/NMI can trigger neuroplasticity facilitating motor recovery, even after decades of chronic paralysis, e.g. due to stroke or spinal cord injury. In contrast to chronic paralysis, however, many neuropsychiatric disorders involve other brain functions, e.g. affective and cognitive control or working memory, for which the underlying neural substrates are broadly unknown and thus cannot be targeted effectively with a B/NMI so far. This limits applicability of B/NMI systems in the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders. A possible solution to identify these neural substrates is to apply brain stimulation, e.g. transcranial electric or magnetic stimulation (TES/TMS), while assessing changes in brain function and physiology. However, such paradigm was regarded unfeasible due to stimulation artifacts.
The NGBMI project will overcome these limitations and establish a neurotechnological system that will allow for identifying the individual substrates of various brain functions as well as targeting these substrates with personalized adaptive, closed-loop brain stimulation and feedback.