Advances in brain-computer interfaces
Two investigations published in Nature Medicine confirm that neurotechnology is no longer science fiction. A man with severe amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) managed to communicate from home thanks to an implantable chip, used for two years. The study, led by Sergey Stavisky and David Brandman (University of California, Davis), is the first to demonstrate that these devices can be operated outside the laboratory.
“It is an important step forward, although it remains to be seen whether it can be generalized,” said Luca Berdondini, a researcher at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Genoa.
In the second study, coordinated by the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne (EPFL) and the University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV), 40 Parkinson’s patients improved their gait. A chip combined with artificial intelligence interprets brain activity in real time and adjusts electrical stimulation autonomously. The technique, used for 30 years, is now becoming much more adaptable.
The challenge of bringing technology to the clinic
Both cases reflect a global career. Berdondini warns that “Europe risks falling behind the United States and China” due to regulatory barriers. Although European research has advanced, the transition from trials to clinical application needs to be accelerated, respecting ethics.
The arrival of Elon Musk’s Neuralink accelerated the pace. “These results are a stimulus for companies, because they show that the path is viable,” concluded the researcher. The challenge now is to bring these findings to more people and ensure that technological competition does not leave Europe behind.
