"Brain-Computer Interfaces to probe the limits of cortical computations"
Event Date:
September 18th 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Thursday, September 18, 2025,
at 12 PM (EDT) in BRB 105
Aaron Batista, PhD Professor, Bioengineering,
University of Pittsburgh,
Pittsburgh, PA
"Brain-Computer Interfaces to probe the limits of cortical computations"
Host: Dr. Britton Sauerbrei
Abstract: The main function of a Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) is to restore motor function to individuals with paralysis. As such, they provide users with a novel effector that they must learn, and occasionally struggle, to control. What computational principles govern whether a BCI is easy or difficult for a user to control? The answer to this question can reveal the extent, and limits, of the flexibility of neural activity in the motor cortex. Using a BCI we can gain new insight into longstanding issues such as neural population dynamics, the formation and storage of motor memories, and corticocortical communication.
Publication: Oby, E. R., et al. (2025). Dynamical constraints on neural population activity. Nature Neuroscience, 28(2), 383–393.
Thursday, September 18, 2025
at 12 PM (EDT) in BRB 105
Free and open to the public. Livestream via Zoom will be available for those who cannot attend in person. Sign in via or create a free Zoom account at Always use the most .
