A new brain-computer interface (BCI) startup named Precision Neuroscience set a global record by implanting 4,096 probes into a human brain.
It is a significant advancement in neural engineering and surpasses the previous record of 2,048 wires held by Neuralink.
(Photo: Getty Images/ PATRICK T. FALLON)
Using High-Resolution Cortical Mapping to Change Neurosurgery
The Layer 7 Cortical Interface from Precision Neuroscience was used in a clinical process at Mount Sinai Health System in New York in April 2024, when the discovery was made. This thin-film microelectrode array covered an area of the patient's brain about 8 square centimeters and had four groups of 1,024 electrodes each.
More electrodes make it possible to collect more accurate data from the brain, which helps us learn more about neurological diseases and devise better ways to treat them.
The Layer 7 Cortical link is a massive breakthrough in brain-computer link technology. The device is invasive but can be turned off because it can be extended by adding electrodes without hurting brain tissue.
Benjamin Rapoport, co-founder and chief science officer of Precision Neuroscience, spoke about how their method might be used to collect a plethora of information from the cortex. This could further our understanding of the brain. Teaching at Mount Sinai and helping to develop Neuralink, Rapoport thinks this technology can completely change the way neurosurgery is done.
Part of the procedure involved surgical removal of a benign brain tumor. Then, using the array of electrodes, significant regions of the brain that regulate movement and sensations were mapped out.
Because this high-resolution cortical mapping provides neurosurgeons with comprehensive information, they can provide more precise and efficient therapies. Mount Sinai neurosurgery chair Joshua Bederson discussed the potential of this technology to improve patient outcomes by expediting and improving the accuracy of treatments.
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Brain-Computer Interfaces: The Way of the Future
Precision Neuroscience is working with the Perelman School of Medicine at Penn Medicine and the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute at West Virginia University to test how well its implants work. These tests aim to have a commercial device ready by next year that will help paralyzed people speak and move again.
The Layer 7 Cortical Interface can pick up electrical patterns at the micron level, which gives us important new information about how the brain works. This is like the switch from regular TV to HDTV.
Precision Neuroscience was founded in 2021 by three people who had worked for Neuralink before. In the years since then, the company has made considerable strides in the technology it has created.
Several new ideas and successful clinical studies drive the brain-computer interfaces (BCI) market. When Precision Neuroscience finally makes its product by 2025, it will be a big step forward in patient care and medical research.
In addition to being used in medical treatment, BCIs can help people think and learn better. Precision Neuroscience's big step forward shows how brain-computer connections could change everything. It opens the door to a future where neurological diseases can be handled very successfully, and people's abilities can be raised in ways that were previously unimaginable.
RELATED ARTICLE: First Neuralink Brain Implant Patient Can Play Games, Use Apps Despite Data Capture Reduction
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