Beyond Feasibility - Bridging the Gap in Neuroelectronic Interfaces

Neuroelectronic interfaces bridge the central nervous system to the outside world and hold great potential for functional restoration in persons with paralysis, other forms of motor dysfunction, or limb loss. Such rehabilitative applications are commonly referred to as brain machine (or brain computer) interfaces. With a variety of signal transducing systems and processing algorithms, extracted neural signals were shown to be useful to drive external devices such as limb prostheses or computers. A number of types of recording electrode devices have been developed to access different forms of neural information through varying levels of invasiveness. However, many researchers believe that recording devices that penetrate into specific regions of the brain will provide the most useful control signals for complex BMI applications. Despite the potential that penetrating intracortical microelectrodes have shown, widespread implementation is impeded by the inability to consistently record high quality neural signals over clinically relevant time frames.

The last years showed both an increasing interest into the cellular reasons and pathological causes for this slow-down in bridging the translational gap on one side and a new range of materials and methods appearing from the developmental pipelines like Graphene and Nanomaterials on the other side. Therefore, our inaugural Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Neuroelectronic Interfaces will challenge the international field to turn back to the drawing board of basic materials research armed with emerging fundamental neurosciences knowledge, and bring together a multi-disciplinary team of leading experts in cellular neuroscience, brain pathology, neuro-technology and materials science in order to discuss and eventually solve or discard the obstacles on the quest for a chronically useful and reliable neural interface.