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The BRAIN Center

Research team

The BRAIN Center is an Arizona State University and University of Houston partnership.

Arizona State University and the University of Houston have a unique concentration of Principal Investigators (PI) who have the resources and expertise to design, develop, and test innovative neurotechnologies that can effectively transform the lives of physically and cognitively impaired individuals.

Our combined expertise covers the spectrum of mental, neural and physical disabilities across the human lifespan, from peripheral nerve implants and cortical arrays to assistive robotics, EEG, and other noninvasive solutions. Our collective research ranges in populations from pediatrics to the elderly, and technologies from peripheral nerve implants to deep brain stimulators and biosensors.

We include faculty working on the neural basis and engineering solutions for reach-and-grasp, standing, walking, and joint action, and we have ongoing activities in multiple scales of investigation (from single cells to system approaches), and capabilities in both human and non-human models.

Leveraging our expertise in neural engineering, clinical testing, mechatronics, and robotics, we will build a Center focused on cooperating with industrial partners, clinical partners, and federal agencies to accelerate the development, application, evaluation, and deployment of innovative neural technologies. We will focus on reducing the cost/benefit ratio of neural technologies broadly aimed at all levels of neural function and control, from homeostasis to consciousness. We will take a multi-scale, multi-modal, and multi-disciplinary approach to understanding all aspects of human neural function, and in using neurotechnologies in the treatment of human pathology.

To do this, we will partner with industry leaders in and clinical users of neurotechnology to:

Speed the rate at which new technologies are developed and empirically validated

Develop standards and test technologies in human and non-human models using a multi-scale approach, ranging from single neurons to organismal systems

Bring a range of methods for the characterization of technologies, employing novel biosensors and quantitative analyses of systems and behaviors

Evaluate the impact of specific technologies on quality of life

Maintain a conscious focus on reducing the cost/benefit ratio of neural technologies

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