From dual system to network: Research team from Chemnitz, Santiago de Chile, and Magdeburg presents a new perspective on how the brain controls actions — and how this understanding could benefit the development of neuro-inspired AI.

Researchers at the German Primate Center (DPZ) – Leibniz Institute for Primate Research in Göttingen have discovered that the brain reorganizes itself extensively across several brain regions when it learns to perform movements in a virtual environment with the help of a brain-computer interface. The scientists were thus able to show how the brain adapts when controlling motor prostheses. The findings not only help to advance the development of brain-computer interfaces, but also improve our understanding of the fundamental neural processes underlying motor learning (PLOS Biology).

A team at the Technical University of Munich’s TUM University Hospital has implanted a brain-computer interface in a patient paralyzed from the neck down. The five-hour procedure was the first of its kind performed in Europe. The device enables research that could one day help restore independence and improve quality of life for patients. In particular, the scientists hope to enable the 25-year-old patient to control his smartphone and a robotic arm using only his thoughts.