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On August 3, the Neural Regulation and Brain-Computer Interface Research Center of Fudan University (hereinafter referred to as the "Brain-Computer Center") was officially unveiled.

According to Fudan University, the Fudan University Neuroregulation and Brain-Computer Interface Research Center will be committed to serving the country's major cross-integration strategic needs in the field of neuroregulation and brain-computer interface in the future, and creating an innovation engine for new quality productivity in the exploration of neuroregulation and brain-computer interface principles, disruptive technological breakthroughs and medical and health applications.

The inauguration ceremony of the Fudan University Neuromodulation and Brain-Computer Interface Research Center. Photo courtesy of Fudan University

Three major research directions, jointly built by eight units

Let the deaf restore their hearing, let the blind restore their sight, let paralyzed patients walk independently, let patients with depression regain happiness, let disabled patients control robotic arms through imagination... From sensory repair to motion control, brain-computer interface technology may make human beings' once unattainable dreams come true.

As a revolutionary way of human-computer interaction, brain-computer interface technology bypasses traditional peripheral nerves and muscles, and directly builds a new communication and control channel between the human brain and the outside world, providing the possibility for the treatment of brain diseases and the effective restoration of motor functions and communication abilities lost by people due to illness or trauma. In recent years, it has been widely used in medical treatment, rehabilitation, nursing and other fields.

According to Fudan University, Fudan University has actively promoted the strategic layout in the field of brain-computer interface in recent years. At present, the most feasible research and application scenario of brain-computer interface is serious medical treatment. At the beginning of its establishment, the Brain-Computer Center established three major directions: neural regulation mechanism and theoretical research, brain-computer interaction neural regulation technology research and development, and neural regulation clinical transformation research, which fully integrated the three links of basic research, technical breakthroughs and transformation applications.

The Brain-Computer Center is supported by the Institute of Brain-Inspired Intelligence Science and Technology, and is jointly built by eight units including the Institute of Brain Science Translational Research, the Institute of Brain Science, the School of Big Data, the National Key Laboratory of Integrated Chips and Systems, the Affiliated Huashan Hospital, the Affiliated Children's Hospital, and the Affiliated Cancer Hospital.

At the same time, the Brain-Computer Center brings together interdisciplinary teams integrating science, engineering, and medicine, including data science, information science, interactive chips, system integration, and clinical applications. It will give full play to the advantages of interdisciplinary cross-disciplinary efforts, strengthen cooperation in basic research, clinical medicine, and engineering technology, and build an interdisciplinary research team.

"Originally, many scholars have carried out brain-computer interface related research in their own basic research fields. After the establishment of the Brain-Computer Center, it will bring more convenient opportunities for cross-disciplinary cooperation and inspire more sparks. It will bring together experts and scholars from various fields such as materials science, medicine, psychology, and brain science. By building platforms, organizing academic conferences, or setting up cross-disciplinary scholarships, we will jointly explore the most cutting-edge research and work together to undertake major national research tasks." said Wang Shouyan, director of the Neural Regulation and Brain-Computer Interface Research Center of Fudan University and vice president of the Institute of Brain-Inspired Intelligence Science and Technology.

What are researchers at the Brain-Computer Center doing?

Wang Shouyan introduced the four stages of brain-computer interface from 1.0 to 4.0 to the reporter of The Paper. 1.0 is the brain-reading stage, which is to decode brain information, such as interpreting the inner consciousness in the human brain; 2.0 is the brain-writing stage, which transmits external information to the brain, such as cochlear implants and brain electrical stimulation; 3.0 is the interaction stage, that is, the human brain and the machine interact, and the brain function can be precisely regulated while real-time monitoring of brain signals. In the future, it may reach the 4.0 brain-intelligence fusion stage, which will achieve intelligent interaction between higher-level brain cognitive functions such as decision-making, emotion, and consciousness and machines and the environment at a level beyond brain signals.

The team led by Zhang Jiayi, a researcher at the Fudan Institute of Brain Science, focuses on studying the use of nanowire artificial photoreceptors to restore visual function. This research is representative of the "brain writing stage" of brain-computer interface 2.0.

Zhang Jiayi told reporters that for the blind or low-vision group, about 40% of incurable blinding diseases are related to the degeneration and apoptosis of retinal photoreceptors. Because of the problem with photosensitivity, the retina cannot generate photosensitivity signals, and it is impossible to form vision in the visual center. Currently, her team is using artificial retinas to analyze the encoding and decoding mechanism of artificial visual signals in the visual center, so as to develop a technical path that can restore artificial vision with higher resolution.

Zhang Jiayi's team developed an artificial retina to restore sight to a totally blind patient. Image from the WeChat public account of "Fudan University"

"In the early stage, we used titanium oxide nanowires, a relatively good and efficient optoelectronic material, to solve the two major problems of photoelectric conversion efficiency and selective stimulation and realize the function of artificial retina. In the future, we will continue to cooperate with the materials science and clinical teams to achieve higher-resolution visual function reconstruction and brain-computer information interaction." Zhang Jiayi said.

Qiu Yanqun, deputy chief physician of the Department of Hand Surgery at Huashan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, and his team are focusing on the research of using medical nerve transposition to achieve simultaneous control of both limbs by one side of the brain, allowing the affected limb to gain better motor control and helping paralyzed patients to better coordinate their hands and brains for hemiplegia caused by stroke and cerebral palsy.

"The cross-transposition of the left and right C7 nerves can help patients improve their limb motor ability by 20-30 points, but patients with poor foundation still have much room for improvement. Therefore, we have made improvements on the original basis, combining the C7 surgery with brain-computer interface and neural regulation technology, hoping to achieve an 'additive' effect. For example, the new brain-computer interface exoskeleton can read the brain's intentions from the arm. After the nerve transposition surgery, the nerve and muscle signals are recorded, extracted and purified, assisted by wearable exoskeletons, etc., allowing patients to achieve more flexible limb movements and even reach the level of self-care." Qiu Yanqun introduced that at present, the world's first personalized bionic prosthetic assistive device combined with C7 transposition surgery has had initial clinical application.

"Crossover of left and right C7 nerve roots". Image from the WeChat public account of "Fudan University"

In Qiu Yanqun's view, as a surgeon, after joining the Fudan University Neuromodulation and Brain-Computer Interface Research Center, he has gained better opportunities to combine medicine and engineering. "We start from the clinic, conduct basic knowledge research, and then transform it into the clinic, helping scientific research to form a spiral upward."

How can we truly have effective dialogue across disciplines?

According to Wang Shouyan, the establishment of Fudan Neuromodulation and Brain-Computer Interface Research Center was not achieved overnight. The idea has been brewing since 2017, during which many Fudan professors have been committed to academic exploration and exchanges. This year, brain-computer interface has entered a period of rapid development, and the establishment of a research center is the general trend.

After joining the Fudan University Neuroregulation and Brain-Computer Interface Research Center, Song Enming, a young researcher at the Institute of Optoelectronics, will continue to focus on research in the field of flexible invasive brain-computer interfaces, in order to achieve breakthroughs in materials from a hardware perspective and overcome the problems faced by traditional brain-computer interfaces, such as system morphological rigidity and low signal-to-noise ratio of signal amplification.

"The future trend of brain-computer interfaces requires improving the biocompatibility of brain-computer interfaces, and at the same time, it needs to overlap with artificial intelligence, brain-like intelligence, neurosurgery, etc." Song Enming told reporters that his team has discovered that large-scale active silicon-based CMOS transistors can achieve high-density EEG amplification imaging, and will subsequently rely on the center's platform to actively carry out multidisciplinary cross-disciplinary cooperation.

When cross-disciplinary research becomes the norm, how can we break down the walls and barriers between different disciplines and truly achieve effective dialogue? In Wang Shouyan's view, common scientific pursuits and interests may be the key to cross-disciplinary research and barrier-free communication.

"For example, Fudan University and Beijing Tiantan Hospital are currently collaborating on the controlled treatment of vegetative patients with impaired consciousness. How do we assess whether a patient is conscious? This requires the use of EEG signals to monitor and regulate the patient's level of consciousness. Neuroengineering researchers are good at decoding EEG signals and closed-loop algorithms, while doctors are good at implanting electrodes to solve clinical problems. If both parties work together to solve problems and maintain a high degree of tolerance for each other, they will be able to achieve the effect of 1+1>2," said Wang Shouyan.