Papers

Valle, G., Oswalt, D., Gaunt, R. A., Roelfsema, P., Greenspon, C. M., Fernandez, E. Abstract The restoration of sensory function following injury or disease represents a critical challenge in neuroengineering. Sensory neuroprostheses, particularly those targeting the primary visual (V1) and somatosensory (S1) cortices, promise to bypass damaged afferent pathways and reintroduce sensory percepts through direct cortical stimulation. Building on foundational insights from non-hu

Orlemann, C., De Santis, L.M., Neering, P., Boehler, C., Sharma, K., Aarts, A., Holzhammer, T., van Daal, R.J.J., Ruther, P., Asplund, M., Kooijmans, R.N., Roelfsema, P.R. Abstract One of the biggest challenges for neurotechnology is the design of devices that are tolerated well by brain tissue, without sacrificing functionality and implantability. This study examined which design choices mitigate tissue damage and improve longevity by varying probe features implanted in the

Grani, F., Soto-Sánchez, C., Rodil, A., López-Peco, R., González, P., Fernández, E. Abstract Blindness is one of the most impactful disabilities in human lives. Cortical prostheses could one day restore functional vision in some blind subjects, but their success will depend on integrating advanced technologies to realize the therapeutic benefits they promise. Most previous studies in humans used electrodes only for stimulation, which has made it challenging to precisely contr

Valle, G. Abstract Somatosensory feedback is an essential feature of neural prostheses that aim to restore natural hand dexterity after neurological injuries. This Comment discusses the potential and challenges of electrically stimulating sensory neurons, highlighting the need for highly selective neurotechnology and biomimetic-encoding algorithms for effective brain–machine interfacing. Read More at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s44287-025-00218-x

Germer, C., Farina, D., Baker, S. N., Del Vecchio, A. Abstract Objective. The identification of individual neuronal activity from multielectrode arrays poses significant challenges, including handling data from numerous electrodes, resolving overlapping action potentials and tracking activity across long recordings. This study introduces NeuroNella, an automated algorithm developed to address these challenges. Approach. NeuroNella employs blind source separation to leverage t

Sîmpetru, R. C., Braun, D. I., Simon, A. U., März, M., Cnejevici, V., Souza de Oliveira, D., Weber, N., Walter, J., Franke, J., Höglinger, D., Prahm, C., Ponfick, M., Del Vecchio, A. Abstract Restoring motor function in individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCIs), strokes, or amputations is a crucial challenge. Recent studies show that spared motor neurons can still be voluntarily controlled using surface electromyography (EMG), even without visible movement. To harness thes

Valle, G., Alamri, A. H., Downey, J. E., Lienkämper, R., Jordan, P. M., Sobinov, A. R., Endsley, L. J., Prasad, D., Boninger, M. L., Collinger, J. L., Warnke, P. C., Hatsopoulos, N. G., Miller, L. E., Gaunt, R. A., Greenspon, C. M., Bensmaia, S. J. Abstract Intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) of somatosensory cortex evokes tactile sensations whose properties can be systematically manipulated by varying stimulation parameters. However, ICMS currently provides an imperfect s

Greenspon, C. M., Valle, G., Shelchkova, N. D., Hobbs, T. G., Verbaarschot, C., Callier, T., Berger-Wolf, E. I., Okorokova, E. V., Hutchison, B. C., Dogruoz, E., Sobinov, A. R., Jordan, P. M., Weiss, J. M., Fitzgerald, E. E., Prasad, E., Van Driesche, A., He, Q., Liu, F., Kirsch, R. F., Miller, J. P., Lee, R. C., Satzer, D., Gonzalez-Martinez, J., Warnke, P. C., Bensmaia, S. J. Abstract Tactile feedback from brain-controlled bionic hands can be partially restored via intracor

Bashford, L., Rosenthal, I. A., Kellis, S., Bjånes, D., Pejsa, K., Brunton, B. W., Andersen, R. A. Abstact Objective. A crucial goal in brain–machine interfacing is the long-term stability of neural decoding performance, ideally without regular retraining. Long-term stability has only been previously demonstrated in non-human primate experiments and only in primary sensorimotor cortices. Here we extend previous methods to determine long-term stability in humans by identifying

Oliveira, D. S., Ponfick, M., I Braun, D., Osswald, M., Sierotowicz, M., Chatterjee, S., Weber, D., Eskofier, B., Castellini, C., Farina, D., Kinfe, T. M., Del Vecchio, A. Abstract Paralysis of the muscles controlling the hand dramatically limits the quality of life for individuals living with spinal cord injury (SCI). Here, with a non-invasive neural interface, we demonstrate that eight motor complete SCI individuals (C5-C6) are still able to task-modulate in real-time the a