Oxford Engineering researchers contribute to roadmap for neural technology

Neurotechnology has made rapid advances in measuring, interpreting and modulating brain activity, but significant barriers remain between promising laboratory research and technologies that can be used reliably in patients.

A new roadmap, published in ‘Science Advances’, brings together early-career researchers from across the field to identify these barriers and examine the trade-offs between ideal technical performance and the constraints of real-world use. The authors draw on expertise spanning materials science, neural engineering, neuroscience, computation and clinical practice. The roadmap was led by researchers at the University of Cambridge, with contributions from researchers across the UK and beyond.

Former Senior Researcher Joseph Troughton is joint first author. He led the workstream on neural interfacing devices, focusing on electrodes and the interfaces between neural devices and biological tissue. He also led much of the illustration work for the paper, including its central illustration showing the future vision for closed-loop neuromodulation.

Two challenges Troughton highlights are the long-term stability of materials used in neural interfaces and the lack of manufacturing infrastructure needed to scale emerging technologies, particularly in the UK. Researchers at Oxford are working on both challenges, including through the Oxford Centre for Bioelectronic Medicine led by Professor Chris Proctor.

New materials and device architectures are enabling longer-term neural interfaces and higher-resolution recording, while advances in neural decoding and control algorithms are opening up new possibilities for closed-loop treatments. These approaches could have applications in conditions including chronic pain and psychiatric disorders, alongside existing work in neurodegenerative disease.

Joseph said:

'Neural engineering has huge potential to reduce suffering and increase patients’ quality of life through the development of closed-loop neuromodulation technology, but everyone involved needs a holistic view of these systems in order to make them succeed. For the people on the ground this means materials scientists and engineers being in the room when a neurosurgeon implants their device, while nationally and internationally this means strategic investment in the infrastructure to develop these technologies safely and efficiently.'

Read the paper: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aee8595