About the Laboratory

The past decade has been hallmarked by an increased interest in the study of direct communication between the brain and external devices, including the brain of another person. The most popular and affordable type of brain-computer interface uses multichannel EEG signals that non-invasively record neuronal activity. Despite the large number of studies, nobody has succeeded to date in achieving natural control of external devices solely on the basis of non-invasively detected brain signals. Experiments on animals have shown that, using deep electrodes to record the activity of a large number of individual neurons, we can create brain-controlled devices that reproduce natural motor actions, including the capture and shift of objects and walking on two legs. Such invasive BCI can also, over time, decode the planning of movements. Use of such deep grid electrodes in humans is limited by the risk of clinical complications and low signal quality. A reasonable compromise here is to use epidural or subdural electrode grids that significantly increase the throughput of direct brain-computer communication. In addition, there are fewer associated risks. Not only do grid electrodes enable transmission of information from the brain to the device (or another brain), they also enable transmission in the opposite direction.  This facilitates, for example, the formation of somatosensory feedback, which is necessary to improve the naturalness of an intelligent prosthesis. It also makes it easier to establish direct contact with the other brain.

Research conducted by the international laboratory of bioelectric interfaces focuses on developing information technology for bidirectional communications with the human brain. It combines the electrocorticographic (ECoG) interface and modern multidimensional data analysis methods with somatosensory feedback provided by direct electrical stimulation or sensory substitution. The laboratory collaborates with the Polenov Neurosurgery Institute and the university clinic at the Evdokimov Moscow Institute of Medicine and Dentistry.

The combination of paradigms and algorithms of immediate bi-directional informational contact with the human brain with continuously developing material manufacturing technology will stimulate the development of socially significant neurorehabilitation technology. Furthermore, it will enhance the quality of medical services provided to patients with neurological disorders.