𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫, 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬, 𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 “𝐰𝐡𝐲” 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 “𝐡𝐨𝐰.” 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 “𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝” 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐁𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬: 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 Imagine your body has thousands of “locks” (called receptors), but we don’t have the “keys” (called ligands) to […]

 Let’s break down the definitions of G proteins in general, and then the specific Gi/o protein family. 1. The High-Level Overview: What are G Proteins? G proteins, or guanine nucleotide-binding proteins, are a family of molecular switches that transmit signals from the outside of a cell to its interior. They are crucial components of a major signaling pathway used by […]

𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐨-𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 Oligodendrocyte precursor cell (OPC) differentiation and remyelination are highly relevant to neuro-electric musculature devices because they are crucial for maintaining and repairing the neural pathways that these devices interact with. OPC differentiation creates new oligodendrocytes, which form myelin sheaths that insulate axons, allowing for faster and more efficient nerve signal […]

Oligodendrocyte precursor cell (OPC) differentiation and remyelination are highly relevant to neuro-electric musculature devices because they are crucial for maintaining and repairing the neural pathways that these devices interact with. OPC differentiation creates new oligodendrocytes, which form myelin sheaths that insulate axons, allowing for faster and more efficient nerve signal transmission. Remyelination, a process where […]

Oligodendrocyte precursor differentiation and remyelination describes the biological process by which the central nervous system (CNS) repairs damage to the protective myelin sheath that surrounds nerve fibers (axons).  This process is critical for restoring efficient nerve signal transmission and preventing permanent axonal degeneration in demyelinating conditions like multiple sclerosis (MS) and spinal cord injuries (SCI).  The Process […]

The Regulatory Pathway for High-Risk Neuro-Electric Devices: From Preclinical to Post-Market The regulatory pathway for a Class III neuro-electric device, such as an implantable BCI, is a rigorous, evidence-driven process overseen by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The journey typically begins with extensive preclinical testing, which must establish a reasonable assurance of safety. This […]

The Signal Acquisition Frontier: ECoG, Utah Arrays, and Neuropixels in BCI The fidelity of a BCI is fundamentally constrained by its signal acquisition method. Electrocorticography, which places electrode grids on the surface of the dura mater, provides a middle-ground resolution, capturing local field potentials and high-frequency broadband activity from small populations of neurons. ECoG offers […]

Decoding Neural Intent: From Cortical Firing Patterns to BCI Commands The fundamental challenge in motor Brain-Computer Interfaces is accurately decoding movement intention from neural signals. Invasive BCIs often rely on recordings from microelectrode arrays implanted in the primary motor cortex, which capture the firing rates of populations of neurons. Each neuron exhibits a tuning property, […]

Astrocytic TNF-α and the Homeostatic Control of Synaptic Scaling Homeostatic plasticity operates on a slower timescale than Hebbian plasticity to stabilize neuronal firing rates across a network. Synaptic scaling is a key homeostatic mechanism that globally adjusts synaptic strength in a multiplicative manner, and glial-derived Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha is a critical mediator of this process. […]