Brain-computer interfaces: New therapies also for anxiety and depression

Modern medicine already makes it possible to "give back" some of the mobility and communication skills to paralyzed people, using so-called brain-computer interfaces that can be used to control prosthetics, exoskeletons, or spelling machines.

One of the leading researchers in this field is Surjo R. Soekadar, who in 2018 was appointed Germany's first professor of clinical neurotechnology at the Charité in Berlin – with financial support from the Einstein Foundation , which has been supporting cutting-edge research in Berlin since 2009. Now, according to the foundation, Soekadar is to receive funding as an Einstein Professor for the second time.

Surjo R. Soekadar, born in Wiesbaden in 1977, studied medicine and held various positions as a physician and researcher. At the Charité, where he heads the research department of Translation and Neurotechnology, he is working on highly sensitive diamond-based quantum sensors , applied to the surface of the head, which allow paralyzed people to control an artificial hand more precisely. The new funding as an Einstein Professor—up to 500,000 euros over two years in addition to his regular professorship—is intended to provide a further boost to his research.

New platform in Berlin aims to promote innovation

Back in 2011, during a research stay in the USA, Soekadar was the first to succeed in making neuromagnetic brain activity during electrical brain stimulation "measurable in the millisecond range." This novel method is intended to improve the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders, beyond the promotion of motor and communication skills.

Certain brain functions are also impaired in stroke, depression, addiction, anxiety disorders, and chronic pain. These include attention, memory, and emotional control. Using state-of-the-art brain-computer interfaces, physicians hope to be able to read brain activity in real time and improve impaired functions using electrical and magnetic stimulation.

To advance such innovations, Soekadar aims to establish a "NeuroTech Open Innovation Hub" in Berlin, a platform for startups, industry partners, and international talent. Soekadar himself states: "Our goal is to make new therapies available quickly and establish Berlin as a globally leading location for neurotechnology and its transfer."