Brain-computer interfaces become reality: the latest insights from 5 brain scientists

The brain is complex and mysterious, and studying the brain is considered one of the ultimate explorations of mankind. As the most complex field of scientific exploration, brain research is both fascinating and daunting.

Will brain-computer interface technology lead to human degeneration? Once brain-computer interface technology is applied, will human free will be manipulated by others? How to overcome our inherent subjectivity by using the human brain to study the human brain? Can brain-computer interface unleash the unlimited potential of human beings?

These questions may seem unrealistic and far-fetched, but they are not. The scenes in science fiction novels and movies 10 years ago have now become reality through science and technology. For example, we have proven that brain-computer interface technology can restore people's motor skills, and patients with brain damage can communicate simply through thoughts. In recent years, there have been frequent new developments in brain-computer interface technology, but there is still a gap in the public's perception of brain-computer interfaces. What are the current bottlenecks in this complex research field? How far has the research on brain-computer interface technology reached? What new technologies have emerged?

On September 16, the Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute (TCCI) hosted the "Neurotechnology for the Public" International Forum. Five internationally renowned scientists from China, the United States, Germany, the Netherlands and Singapore shared the most cutting-edge neurotechnology and discussed in depth the application progress of these technologies in the fields of clinical, psychological and rehabilitation. The most confusing questions of the general public will be answered in the forum. Let us go deep into it and see what latest progress in brain-computer interfaces these "strongest brains" who study the brain have brought.

Tracing back to the origin: The dream of human beings to decode the brain has come true

As early as the 1930s, after German psychiatrist Hans Berger discovered the electroencephalogram (EEG), scientists began to think about the meaning of these brain waves. Since then, people have made many attempts. For example, under the monitoring of the EEG, let the subjects imagine letters and spell them into sentences, or even imagine sentences directly, let the computer decode them, and let the patients communicate with the outside world directly through "thoughts". These "science fiction" in the past are now gradually becoming a reality.

At present, invasive neurotechnology (such as deep brain electrodes) is mainly used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease and epilepsy in clinical practice. Although they are accurate and effective, they also face challenges such as policy supervision, high prices, and unclear principles. In contrast, non-invasive technologies (such as polysomnography systems) are easier to obtain approval, but their accuracy is poor.

(Professor Gerwin Schalk introduces research on decoding human language through the application of neural technology)

At the forum, Professor Gerwin Schalk, Director of the Tianqiao Institute for Brain Science Applied Neurotechnology Frontier Lab (TCCI Frontier Lab), vividly explained the work of brain scientists: "It's like putting a microphone outside a stadium. It's hard to hear the sound inside the stadium. But if we put a lot of microphones outside the stadium, we can collect more information. This is what we are doing now."

Although the application of neurotechnology has developed rapidly over the past century, there are few successful cases that are truly applicable to patients and the general public. There is still a long way to go from laboratory research to final application, which requires the integration and co-construction of multiple disciplines. The brain-computer interface research system developed by Professor Schalk's team has achieved remarkable results. Traditional electrical stimulation to detect brain functional areas may take several hours, but the system developed by Professor Schalk's team only takes a few minutes. Today, this system has been widely used around the world. Looking to the future, Professor Schalk hopes to continue to study brain-computer interface technology suitable for large-scale Chinese populations at the Tianqiao Brain Science Institute (TCCI), such as conducting in-depth research on the brain areas that are affected by the Chinese language.

Although the field of brain science is complex, it has been moving forward in a spiral. As a top brain scientist, Professor Schalk believes that the exploration of brain science needs to be pragmatic, rather than just staying on beautiful concepts and designs. The scientific community must make continuous and systematic efforts to solve practical problems. In-depth exploration of the field of brain science can allow us to understand the brain from a new dimension.

Metabrain: Using digital technology to simulate the human brain

If we go deeper into the brain, apply digital technology to restore the dynamic state of the brain, and build a digital brain, we can understand and explore the brain in a vivid way. For example, in a disease state, the brain will undergo a series of changes. If we can build a corresponding digital brain to restore the dynamic development and evolution of the disease, it may help us better understand its mechanism, accurately predict and develop more precise treatment plans.

(Professor Hong Bo introduced the concept of meta-brain and the composition of meta-brain dynamic system)

At the forum, Professor Hong Bo from the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Tsinghua University shared the emerging concept of "Meta Brain" and the related work done by his team in this field. "It may be difficult for you to imagine that countless beautiful mathematical formulas can explain the working mechanism of the human brain." At the meeting, Professor Hong Bo introduced that the concept of Meta Brain is to use brain-computer interface technology to build a dynamic digital model of the brain to help improve the understanding of the brain's functional operation, reproduce physiological and pathological processes, and ultimately achieve the purpose of application.

The opportunity for the rapid development of meta-brain is to take advantage of the development of cutting-edge technologies, including neuroimaging, electroencephalography and computer technology, all of which are helping to deepen the research on meta-brain. Professor Hong Bo introduced the work done by many scientists on digital reconstruction of the brain, such as static meta-brain, dynamic excitation meta-brain, and even dynamic epileptic brain. These bits and pieces of brain digital reconstruction work are laying a solid foundation for building the future digital brain for diseases and digital twin brains.

In the process of continuous development of brain-computer interface technology, one of the biggest controversies is the ethical risks. There are many ethical discussions in the field of brain science, and supporters and opponents each have their own valid positions. As a senior scientist in the field of brain science, Professor Hong Bo proposed a solution. Professor Hong Bo believes that at present, brain-computer interface is still in the research stage, and all research experiments must be approved by the subjects with informed consent, so the ethical risks are temporarily small. In the future, if brain-computer interface technology is widely used, the risk of human brain or consciousness being lurking, detected, or even remotely invaded will increase, which may cause serious social problems. Perhaps in the future, we can learn some ethical treatment methods for the application of brain-computer interface technology from the ethical risks of gene editing.

Brain-computer interface + psychology: rebuilding the bridge of communication between minds

Currently, 20% of the world's population suffers from neurological disorders, half of which are related to mental health, affecting nearly 1 billion people. The main treatments for this are medication and psychotherapy, but patients often need long-term treatment to produce results. Brain-computer interfaces have great potential in the treatment of mental health.

For example, the application of brain-computer interface technology in clinical locked-in syndrome. According to Professor Nick Ramsey of the University Medical Center in Utrecht, the Netherlands, locked-in syndrome can occur in the late stages of diseases such as motor neuron disease, stroke, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The patient is conscious, but only the eyelids can move, making it difficult to communicate with the outside world, which is very painful. In order to improve the quality of life of such patients, Professor Ramsey's team has conducted many years of research.

(Professor Nick Ramsey introduces the case of locked-in syndrome patients who benefited from brain-computer interface technology)

Professor Ramsey's team created a home brain-computer interface device for patients with locked-in syndrome that can help them communicate with the outside world independently. Previously, they had applied this system to a 58-year-old patient with advanced locked-in syndrome. Through the decoding software algorithm, the patient was able to input about two letters per minute after repeated practice, with an accuracy rate of nearly 90%. The relevant case was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2016. Now, more than six years have passed, and the patient is still using the device, using it for up to 20 hours a day. The device has become the patient's only channel for communication with the outside world.

In addition, Professor Ramsey also introduced several other technological research advances that can help patients communicate directly with the outside world, such as decoding language by detecting the movement of human vocal organs (such as the throat, mandible, tongue, etc.); directly decoding the sentences that patients want to express through brain-computer interfaces and presenting them on the screen. These new advances in brain-computer interfaces have boosted the confidence of many researchers and patients in the field of brain science and brought hope to everyone. In addition to the treatment of mental illness, brain-computer interfaces have always attracted much attention in clinical rehabilitation treatment.

Brain-computer interface + rehabilitation: helping patients regain confidence in life

The integration of brain-computer interface and neuromodulation technology can not only help us discover the important connection between concussion, brain function and behavior, but also greatly improve the patient's motor function. Brain-computer interface technology is a very effective clinical rehabilitation tool.

(Professor Soekadar shows a case of a person with movement disorders recovering after receiving brain-computer interface technology)

The combination of non-invasive brain-computer interface and exoskeleton developed by Professor Soekadar's team at the Berlin University Medical Center can decode the brain's motor commands and apply targeted stimulation, so that patients with movement disorders caused by severe spinal cord injuries can regain some self-care skills, such as grasping, eating, drinking water and other daily activities. In actual applications, some patients with movement disorders can complete some self-care activities through this technology, which greatly improves the quality of life of patients. Although the current invasive brain-computer interface technology still has many challenges such as infection and bleeding, lack of permanent use permission, the need for surgery and high prices, the clinical application value of brain-computer interface + exoskeleton is huge. More and more clinical trials are verifying the prospects of brain-computer interfaces in rehabilitation training.

(Professor Soekadar talks about the prospects for breakthroughs in next-generation brain-computer interface technology)

Professor Soekadar believes that the second generation of brain-computer interface technology will be able to integrate working memory, emotional regulation, and motor-sensory interaction into the system to achieve adaptive brain function stimulation and stabilize and improve brain function. In addition to rehabilitation training research, the team's brain-computer interface research is also moving towards the direction of rebuilding mental health and realizing the integration of emotional regulation and motor rehabilitation in the future.

Professor Guan Cuntai of the School of Computer Science and Engineering at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, believes that the theoretical basis for brain-computer interfaces to be used for functional recovery is neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity refers to the ability of the brain to continuously reshape the connections between neurons after being damaged. The recovery of neurological diseases is to achieve partial functional recovery by purposefully stimulating the brain.

(Professor Guan Cuntai introduced the research results of new non-invasive brain-computer interface technology based on deep learning and other algorithms)

Professor Guan Cuntai uses brain-computer interface technology to conduct targeted motor rehabilitation training for stroke patients. Professor Guan Cuntai also proposed that in addition to motor rehabilitation, brain-computer interface can help post-stroke patients with mental and psychological rehabilitation. In the research of Professor Guan Cuntai's team, the new non-invasive brain-computer interface technology based on deep learning and other algorithms can increase the accuracy of stroke patients' understanding from 68.6% of traditional brain-computer interface technology to nearly 90%.

The team has studied brain-computer interface rehabilitation technology in children with ADHD, cognitive decline in the elderly, social anxiety and generalized anxiety and found that subjects can get real-time feedback when completing designated tasks, thereby achieving results such as improving attention, strengthening cognition and alleviating anxiety through multiple quantitative feedback and training. The results of these experiments continue to inspire researchers in the field of brain science and also bring the gospel of improved quality of life to patients.

In this forum, we saw the most cutting-edge technology research and the latest implementation of brain-computer interface. Brain scientists have brought the brain-computer interface technology in cutting-edge laboratories from theory to clinic, bringing hope to many patients with poor quality of life, and opening a window for the general public to look into the future brain. The exploration of brain diseases and the research of brain science are bringing us closer to the "black hole" world deep in the brain. Although the process is difficult and the road is long, brain science research is accumulating potential energy and moving towards the future step by step.