Sunday, June 2, 2024

Translation of neurotechnologies - Nature.com - Translation

Abstract

Neurotechnologies combine engineering methods and neuroscientific knowledge to design devices that interface the brain with the outside world. Since the early 2000s, inspiring and encouraging neurotechnology examples have been the subject of high-profile scientific articles and made headlines in popular media. However, although neurotechnologies have the potential to improve people’s lives in ways that cannot be achieved by other solutions such as pharmaceuticals, only a few of them have established themselves as clinical solutions. In this Review, we provide a systematic, state-of-the-art assessment of the opportunities and shortcomings of neurotechnology’s engineering and scientific components, and highlight the requirements to overcome translational barriers. Finally, we present a comprehensive framework to aid the clinical and commercial translation of neurotechnologies.

Key points

  • Neurotechnologies provide new diagnostic and treatment solutions in ways that cannot be achieved by other strategies such as pharmaceuticals, therefore potentially addressing the unmet needs of a large number of patients.

  • Despite important scientific and technical breakthroughs, as well as impressive demonstrations, only a few neurotechnologies have firmly established themselves as clinical solutions.

  • Developing successful neurotechnologies requires addressing technical, clinical and commercial requirements to overcome translational barriers.

  • Rigorously assessing and validating potential benefits, incorporating and advancing neuroscientific knowledge, optimizing technology innovation, and focusing on the user and on the right problem can assist the development of new solutions.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Timeline.
Fig. 2: Hardware interactions with the brain at different scales, and corresponding hardware.
Fig. 3: Benefit, costs, market penetration and patient benefit.
Fig. 4: Neurotechnology platforms.

Similar content being viewed by others

Recent advances in neurotechnologies with broad potential for neuroscience research

Navigating the FDA regulatory landscape

Precision electronic medicine in the brain

References

  1. Wolpaw, J. & Wolpaw, E. (eds.) Brain–Computer Interfaces: Principles and Practice (Oxford Univ. Press, 2012).

  2. Stieglitz, T. Of man and mice: translational research in neurotechnology. Neuron 105, 12–15 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Borton, D. A., Dawes, H. E., Worrell, G. A., Starr, P. A. & Denison, T. J. Developing collaborative platforms to advance neurotechnology and its translation. Neuron 108, 286–301 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Famm, K., Litt, B., Tracey, K. J., Boyden, E. S. & Slaoui, M. Drug discovery: a jump-start for electroceuticals. Nature 496, 159–161 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Mountcastle, V. B. Modality and topographic properties of single neurons of cat’s somatic sensory cortex. J. Neurophysiol. 20, 408–434 (1957).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Hubel, D. H. & Wiesel, T. N. Receptive fields, binocular interaction and functional architecture in the cat’s visual cortex. J. Physiol. 160, 106 (1962).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Georgopoulos, A. P., Schwartz, A. B. & Kettner, R. E. Neuronal population coding of movement direction. Science 233, 1416–1419 (1986).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Jun, J. J. et al. Fully integrated silicon probes for high-density recording of neural activity. Nature 551, 232–236 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Jones, K. E., Campbell, P. K. & Normann, R. A. A glass/silicon composite intracortical electrode array. Ann. Biomed. Eng. 20, 423–437 (1992).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Shain, W. et al. Controlling cellular reactive responses around neural prosthetic devices using peripheral and local intervention strategies. IEEE Trans. Neural Syst. Rehabil. Eng. 11, 186–188 (2003).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Ritaccio, A. L., Brunner, P. & Schalk, G. Electrical stimulation mapping of the brain: basic principles and emerging alternatives. J. Clin. Neurophysiol. 35, 86 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Kubanek, J., Miller, K. J., Ojemann, J. G., Wolpaw, J. R. & Schalk, G. Decoding flexion of individual fingers using electrocorticographic signals in humans. J. Neural Eng. 6, 066001 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Miller, K. et al. Spectral changes in cortical surface potentials during motor movement. J. Neurosci. 27, 2424–2432 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Schalk, G. et al. Decoding two-dimensional movement trajectories using electrocorticographic signals in humans. J. Neural Eng. 4, 264–275 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Berger, H. Über das Electroenkephalogramm des Menschen. Arch. Psychiat. Nervenkr. 87, 527–570 (1929).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Buzsáki, G. & Draguhn, A. Neuronal oscillations in cortical networks. Science 304, 1926–1929 (2004).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Haegens, S., Nácher, V., Luna, R., Romo, R. & Jensen, O. α-Oscillations in the monkey sensorimotor network influence discrimination performance by rhythmical inhibition of neuronal spiking. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 108, 19377–19382 (2011).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Coon, W. G. et al. Oscillatory phase modulates the timing of neuronal activations and resulting behavior. NeuroImage 133, 294–301 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Moheimanian, L., Paraskevopoulou, S. E., Adamek, M., Schalk, G. & Brunner, P. Modulation in cortical excitability disrupts information transfer in perceptual-level stimulus processing. NeuroImage 243, 118498 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Miller, K. J., Sorensen, L. B., Ojemann, J. G. & den Nijs, M. Power-law scaling in the brain surface electric potential. PLoS Comput. Biol. 5, e1000609 (2009).

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  21. Manning, J. R., Jacobs, J., Fried, I. & Kahana, M. J. Broadband shifts in local field potential power spectra are correlated with single-neuron spiking in humans. J. Neurosci. 29, 13613–13620 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Ray, S. & Maunsell, J. Different origins of gamma rhythm and high-gamma activity in macaque visual cortex. PLoS Biol. 9, e1000610 (2011).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Whittingstall, K. & Logothetis, N. K. Frequency-band coupling in surface EEG reflects spiking activity in monkey visual cortex. Neuron 64, 281–289 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Gardner, A. B., Worrell, G. A., Marsh, E., Dlugos, D. & Litt, B. Human and automated detection of high-frequency oscillations in clinical intracranial EEG recordings. Clin. Neurophysiol. 118, 1134–1143 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Crowther, L. J. et al. A quantitative method for evaluating cortical responses to electrical stimulation. J. Neurosci. Methods 311, 67–75 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Miller, K. J. et al. Canonical response parameterization: quantifying the structure of responses to single-pulse intracranial electrical brain stimulation. PLoS Comput. Biol. 19(5), e1011105 (2023).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Butson, C. R. & McIntyre, C. C. Current steering to control the volume of tissue activated during deep brain stimulation. Brain Stimul. 1, 7–15 (2008).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Blakely, T., Miller, K. J., Zanos, S. P., Rao, R. P. & Ojemann, J. G. Robust, long-term control of an electrocorticographic brain–computer interface with fixed parameters. Neurosurg. Focus. 27, E13 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Chao, Z. C., Nagasaka, Y. & Fujii, N. Long-term asynchronous decoding of arm motion using electrocorticographic signals in monkeys. Front. Neuroeng. https://ift.tt/9pmb2Dk (2010).

  30. Schalk, G. Can electrocorticography (ECoG) support robust and powerful brain-computer interfaces? Front. Neuroeng. 3, 9 (2010).

    Google Scholar 

  31. Leuthardt, E. C., Schalk, G., Wolpaw, J. R., Ojemann, J. G. & Moran, D. W. A brain-computer interface using electrocorticographic signals in humans. J. Neural Eng. 1, 63–71 (2004).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Schalk, G. et al. Two-dimensional movement control using electrocorticographic signals in humans. J. Neural Eng. 5, 75 (2008).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Vansteensel, M. J. et al. Fully implanted brain–computer interface in a locked-in patient with ALS. N. Engl. J. Med. 375, 2060–2066 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Herff, C. et al. Brain-to-text: decoding spoken phrases from phone representations in the brain. Front. Neurosci. 9, 217 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Moses, D. A. et al. Neuroprosthesis for decoding speech in a paralyzed person with anarthria. N. Engl. J. Med. 385, 217–227 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Heck, C. N. et al. Two-year seizure reduction in adults with medically intractable partial onset epilepsy treated with responsive neurostimulation: final results of the RNS system pivotal trial. Epilepsia 55, 432–441 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Edwardson, M., Lucas, T., Carey, J. & Fetz, E. New modalities of brain stimulation for stroke rehabilitation. Exp. Brain Res. 224, 335–358 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. de Hemptinne, C. et al. Exaggerated phase-amplitude coupling in the primary motor cortex in Parkinson disease. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 110, 4780–4785 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Opri, E. et al. Chronic embedded cortico-thalamic closed-loop deep brain stimulation for the treatment of essential tremor. Sci. Transl. Med. 12, eaay7680 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Scangos, K. W. et al. Closed-loop neuromodulation in an individual with treatment-resistant depression. Nat. Med. 27, 1696–1700 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  41. Kubanek, J. Neuromodulation with transcranial focused ultrasound. Neurosurg. Focus 44, E14 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  42. Philip, N. S. & Arulpragasam, A. R. Reaching for the unreachable: low intensity focused ultrasound for non-invasive deep brain stimulation. Neuropsychopharmacology 48, 251–252 (2022).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  43. Mirzakhalili, E., Barra, B., Capogrosso, M. & Lempka, S. F. Biophysics of temporal interference stimulation. Cell Syst. 11, 557–572 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  44. Acerbo, E. et al. Focal non-invasive deep-brain stimulation with temporal interference for the suppression of epileptic biomarkers. Front. Neurosci. 16, 945221 (2022).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  45. Macé, E. et al. Functional ultrasound imaging of the brain. Nat. Methods 8, 662–664 (2011).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  46. Li, C.-L. The inhibitory effect of stimulation of a thalamic nucleus on neuronal activity in the motor cortex. J. Physiol. 133, 40–53 (1956).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  47. Pfurtscheller, G. et al. The hybrid BCI. Front. Neurosci. https://ift.tt/DZsE8wh (2010).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  48. Müller-Putz, G. et al. Towards noninvasive hybrid brain–computer interfaces: framework, practice, clinical application, and beyond. Proc. IEEE 103, 926–943 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  49. Ross, S. D. et al. Systematic review of the literature regarding the diagnosis of sleep apnea. Evid. Rep. Technol. Assess. https://ift.tt/AbiDEHB (1998).

  50. Smith, S. J. EEG in the diagnosis, classification, and management of patients with epilepsy. J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry 76, ii2–ii7 (2005).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  51. Blackhart, G. C., Minnix, J. A. & Kline, J. P. Can EEG asymmetry patterns predict future development of anxiety and depression? A preliminary study. Biol. Psychol. 72, 46–50 (2006).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  52. Thibodeau, R., Jorgensen, R. S. & Kim, S. Depression, anxiety, and resting frontal EEG asymmetry: a meta-analytic review. J. Abnorm. Psychol. 115, 715 (2006).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  53. Mohan, Y., Chee, S. S., Xin, D. K. P. & Foong, L. P. Artificial neural network for classification of depressive and normal in EEG. In 2016 IEEE EMBS Conference on Biomedical Engineering and Sciences (IECBES), 286–290 (IEEE, 2016).

  54. de Aguiar Neto, F. S. & Rosa, J. L. G. Depression biomarkers using non-invasive EEG: a review. Neurosci. Biobehav. Rev. 105, 83–93 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  55. Jiang, C., Li, Y., Tang, Y. & Guan, C. Enhancing EEG-based classification of depression patients using spatial information. IEEE Trans. Neural Syst. Rehabil. Eng. 29, 566–575 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  56. Nuwer, M. R., Hovda, D. A., Schrader, L. M. & Vespa, P. M. Routine and quantitative EEG in mild traumatic brain injury. Clin. Neurophysiol. 116, 2001–2025 (2005).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  57. Doan, D. N. T. et al. Predicting dementia with prefrontal electroencephalography and event-related potential. Front. Aging Neurosci. 13, 659817 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  58. Farwell, L. A. & Donchin, E. Talking off the top of your head: toward a mental prosthesis utilizing event-related brain potentials. Electroencephalogr. Clin. Neurophysiol. 70, 510–523 (1988).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  59. Sutter, E. E. The brain response interface: communication through visually-induced electrical brain responses. J. Microcomput. Appl. 15, 31–45 (1992).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  60. Pfurtscheller, G., Flotzinger, D. & Kalcher, J. Brain–computer interface — a new communication device for handicapped persons. J. Microcomput. Appl. 16, 293–299 (1993).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  61. Birbaumer, N. et al. A spelling device for the paralysed. Nature 398, 297–298 (1999).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  62. Wolpaw, J. R., Birbaumer, N., McFarland, D. J., Pfurtscheller, G. & Vaughan, T. M. Brain–computer interfaces for communication and control. Clin. Neurophysiol. 113, 767–791 (2002).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  63. Kübler, A. et al. Patients with ALS can use sensorimotor rhythms to operate a brain–computer interface. Neurology 64, 1775–1777 (2005).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  64. Sellers, E. W. & Donchin, E. A P300-based brain–computer interface: initial tests by ALS patients. Clin. Neurophysiol. 117, 538–548 (2006).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  65. Müller-Putz, G. R., Scherer, R., Brauneis, C. & Pfurtscheller, G. Steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP)-based communication: impact of harmonic frequency components. J. Neural Eng. 2, 123 (2005).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  66. Wolpaw, J. R. in Handbook of Clinical Neurology Vol. 110, 67–74 (Elsevier, 2013).

  67. Chen, X. et al. High-speed spelling with a noninvasive brain–computer interface. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 112, E6058–E6067 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  68. Soekadar, S. et al. Hybrid EEG/EOG-based brain/neural hand exoskeleton restores fully independent daily living activities after quadriplegia. Sci. Robot. 1, eaag3296 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  69. Chaudhary, U. et al. Spelling interface using intracortical signals in a completely locked-in patient enabled via auditory neurofeedback training. Nat. Commun. 13, 1236 (2022).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  70. Ang, K. K. et al. Brain–computer interface-based robotic end effector system for wrist and hand rehabilitation: results of a three-armed randomized controlled trial for chronic stroke. Front. Neuroeng. 7, 30 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  71. Soekadar, S. R., Birbaumer, N., Slutzky, M. W. & Cohen, L. G. Brain–machine interfaces in neurorehabilitation of stroke. Neurobiol. Dis. 83, 172–179 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  72. Bundy, D. T. et al. Contralesional brain–computer interface control of a powered exoskeleton for motor recovery in chronic stroke survivors. Stroke 48, 1908–1915 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  73. Cervera, M. A. et al. Brain-computer interfaces for post-stroke motor rehabilitation: a meta-analysis. Ann. Clin. Transl. Neurol. 5, 651–663 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  74. Musso, M. et al. Aphasia recovery by language training using a brain–computer interface: a proof-of-concept study. Brain Commun. 4, fcac008 (2022).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  75. Donati, A. R. et al. Long-term training with a brain–machine interface-based gait protocol induces partial neurological recovery in paraplegic patients. Sci. Rep. 6, 30383 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  76. Sonmez, A. I. et al. Accelerated TMS for depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychiatry Res. 273, 770–781 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  77. Trevizol, A. P. et al. Transcranial magnetic stimulation for obsessive-compulsive disorder: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis. J. ECT 32, 262–266 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  78. Cole, J. C., Bernacki, C. G., Helmer, A., Pinninti, N. & O’reardon, J. P. Efficacy of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in the treatment of schizophrenia: a review of the literature to date. Innov. Clin. Neurosci. 12, 12 (2015).

    Google Scholar 

  79. Cirillo, G. et al. Neurobiological after-effects of non-invasive brain stimulation. Brain Stimul. 10, 1–18 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  80. Mantegazza, M., Curia, G., Biagini, G., Ragsdale, D. S. & Avoli, M. Voltage-gated sodium channels as therapeutic targets in epilepsy and other neurological disorders. Lancet Neurol. 9, 413–424 (2010).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  81. Adaikkan, C. et al. Gamma entrainment binds higher-order brain regions and offers neuroprotection. Neuron 102, 929–943 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  82. Soula, M. et al. Forty-hertz light stimulation does not entrain native gamma oscillations in Alzheimer’s disease model mice. Nat. Neurosci. 26, 570–578 (2023).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  83. Nasr, K. et al. Breaking the boundaries of interacting with the human brain using adaptive closed-loop stimulation. Prog. Neurobiol. 226, 102311 (2022).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  84. Wolpaw, J. R. & Tennissen, A. M. Activity-dependent spinal cord plasticity in health and disease. Annu. Rev. Neurosci. 24, 807–843 (2001).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  85. Jackson, A., Mavoori, J. & Fetz, E. E. Long-term motor cortex plasticity induced by an electronic neural implant. Nature 444, 56–60 (2006).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  86. Haslacher, D. et al. In vivo phase-dependent enhancement and suppression of human brain oscillations by transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS). NeuroImage 275, 120187 (2023).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  87. Ngo, H.-V. V., Martinetz, T., Born, J. & Mölle, M. Auditory closed-loop stimulation of the sleep slow oscillation enhances memory. Neuron 78, 545–553 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  88. Santostasi, G. et al. Phase-locked loop for precisely timed acoustic stimulation during sleep. J. Neurosci. Methods 259, 101–114 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  89. Garcia-Molina, G. et al. Closed-loop system to enhance slow-wave activity. J. Neural Eng. 15, 066018 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  90. Lustenberger, C. et al. Auditory deep sleep stimulation in older adults at home: a randomized crossover trial. Commun. Med. 2, 30 (2022).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  91. Ehrlich, S. K., Agres, K. R., Guan, C. & Cheng, G. A closed-loop, music-based brain–computer interface for emotion mediation. PLoS ONE 14, e0213516 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  92. Clausen, J. et al. Help, hope, and hype: ethical dimensions of neuroprosthetics. Science 356, 1338–1339 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  93. Soekadar, S., Chandler, J., Ienca, M. & Bublitz, C. On the verge of the hybrid mind. Morals Mach. 1, 30–43 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  94. Fetz, E. E. & Finocchio, D. V. Operant conditioning of specific patterns of neural and muscular activity. Science 174, 431–435 (1971).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  95. Schalk, G., McFarland, D., Hinterberger, T., Birbaumer, N. & Wolpaw, J. BCI2000: a general-purpose brain–computer interface (BCI) system. IEEE Trans. Biomed. Eng. 51, 1034–1043 (2004).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  96. Schalk, G. & Mellinger, J. A Practical Guide to Brain–Computer Interfacing with BCI2000 (Springer, 2010).

  97. Renard, Y. et al. OpenViBE: an open-source software platform to design, test, and use brain–computer interfaces in real and virtual environments. Presence 19, 35–53 (2010).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  98. Brunner, P. & Schalk, G. in Brain–Computer Interfaces Handbook: Technological and Theoretical Advances (eds Nam, C. S. et al.) 323–336 (CRC, 2018).

  99. Schalk, G. et al. Toward a fully implantable ecosystem for adaptive neuromodulation in humans: preliminary experience with the CorTec BrainInterchange device in a canine model. Front. Neurosci. 16, 932782 (2022).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  100. Dornhege, G. et al. Combined optimization of spatial and temporal filters for improving brain-computer interfacing. IEEE Trans. Biomed. Eng. 53, 2274–2281 (2006).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  101. McFarland, D., Anderson, C., Muller, K.-R., Schlogl, A. & Krusienski, D. BCI meeting 2005 — workshop on BCI signal processing: feature extraction and translation. IEEE Trans. Neural Syst. Rehabil. Eng. 14, 135–138 (2006).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  102. Gilja, V. et al. Clinical translation of a high-performance neural prosthesis. Nat. Med. 21, 1142–1145 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  103. Ang, K. K., Chin, Z. Y., Zhang, H. & Guan, C. Filter bank common spatial pattern (FBCSP) in brain–computer interface. In 2008 IEEE International Joint Conference on Neural Networks (IEEE World Congress on Computational Intelligence) 2390–2397 (IEEE, 2008).

  104. Lotte, F. & Guan, C. Regularizing common spatial patterns to improve BCI designs: unified theory and new algorithms. IEEE Trans. Biomed. Eng. 58, 355–362 (2011).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  105. Wei, Q., Wang, Y., Gao, X. & Gao, S. Amplitude and phase coupling measures for feature extraction in an EEG-based brain–computer interface. J. Neural Eng. 4, 120 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  106. Lotte, F. et al. A review of classification algorithms for EEG-based brain–computer interfaces: a 10 year update. J. Neural Eng. 15, 031005 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  107. Aru, J. et al. Untangling cross-frequency coupling in neuroscience. Curr. Opin. Neurobiol. 31, 51–61 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  108. Schalk, G. A general framework for dynamic cortical function: the function-through-biased-oscillations (FBO) hypothesis. Front. Hum. Neurosci. 9, 352 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  109. Krusienski, D. J., Schalk, G., McFarland, D. J. & Wolpaw, J. R. A mu-rhythm matched filter for continuous control of a brain–computer interface. IEEE Trans. Biomed. Eng. 54, 273–280 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  110. Schalk, G., Marple, J., Knight, R. T. & Coon, W. G. Instantaneous voltage as an alternative to power- and phase-based interpretation of oscillatory brain activity. Neuroimage 157, 545–554 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  111. Homer, M., Nurmikko, A., Donoghue, J. & Hochberg, L. Sensors and decoding for intracortical brain computer interfaces. Annu. Rev. Biomed. Eng. 15, 383–405 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  112. Zhang, K., Robinson, N., Lee, S.-W. & Guan, C. Adaptive transfer learning for EEG motor imagery classification with deep convolutional neural network. Neural Netw. 136, 1–10 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  113. Kwon, O.-Y., Lee, M.-H., Guan, C. & Lee, S.-W. Subject-independent brain–computer interfaces based on deep convolutional neural networks. IEEE Trans. Neural Netw. Learn. Syst. 31, 3839–3852 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  114. Delorme, A., Sejnowski, T. & Makeig, S. Enhanced detection of artifacts in EEG data using higher-order statistics and independent component analysis. NeuroImage 34, 1443–1449 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  115. Islam, M. K., Rastegarnia, A. & Yang, Z. Methods for artifact detection and removal from scalp EEG: a review. Neurophysiol. Clin. 46, 287–305 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  116. Chang, C.-Y., Hsu, S.-H., Pion-Tonachini, L. & Jung, T.-P. Evaluation of artifact subspace reconstruction for automatic artifact components removal in multi-channel EEG recordings. IEEE Trans. Biomed. Eng. 67, 1114–1121 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  117. Winkler, I., Haufe, S. & Tangermann, M. Automatic classification of artifactual ICA-components for artifact removal in EEG signals. Behav. Brain Funct. 7, 1–15 (2011).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  118. Mullen, T. R. et al. Real-time neuroimaging and cognitive monitoring using wearable dry EEG. IEEE Trans. Biomed. Eng. 62, 2553–2567 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  119. Blum, S., Jacobsen, N. S., Bleichner, M. G. & Debener, S. A Riemannian modification of artifact subspace reconstruction for EEG artifact handling. Front. Hum. Neurosci. 13, 141 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  120. Schreyögg, J., Bäumler, M. & Busse, R. Balancing adoption and affordability of medical devices in Europe. Health Policy 92, 218–224 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  121. Hall, B. H. & Khan, B. Adoption of New Technology. https://ift.tt/eQBitLx (2003).

  122. Kilgore, K. L. et al. An implanted upper-extremity neuroprosthesis using myoelectric control. J. Hand Surg. 33, 539–550 (2008).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  123. Haugland, M. et al. A preliminary non-randomised study to evaluate the safety and performance of the ActiGait implanted drop-foot stimulator in established hemiplegia. In Getting FES into Clinical Practice, Proc. IFESS-FESnet 2004 (eds Wood, D. & Taylor, J.) 153–155 (2004).

  124. Luo, Y. H.-L. & Da Cruz, L. The Argus® II retinal prosthesis system. Prog. Retin. Eye Res. 50, 89–107 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  125. Bergstein, B. Paralyzed again. MIT Technol. Rev. (9 April 2015).

  126. Strickland, E. & Harris, M. What happens when a bionic body part becomes obsolete? Blind people with Second Sight’s retinal implants found out. IEEE Spectr. 59, 24–31 (2022).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  127. Drew, L. Abandoned: the human cost of neurotechnology failure. Nature https://ift.tt/AIliGXM (2022).

  128. Kramer, D. B., Xu, S. & Kesselheim, A. S. How does medical device regulation perform in the United States and the European Union? A systematic review. PLoS Med. 9, e1001276 (2012).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  129. Shiroiwa, T. et al. International survey on willingness-to-pay (WTP) for one additional QALY gained: what is the threshold of cost effectiveness? Heal. Econ. 19, 422–437 (2010).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  130. Benabid, A.-L., Pollak, P., Louveau, A., Henry, S. & De Rougemont, J. Combined (thalamotomy and stimulation) stereotactic surgery of the VIM thalamic nucleus for bilateral Parkinson disease. Stereotact. Funct. Neurosurg. 50, 344–346 (1987).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  131. Kestenbaum M, L. E. & Ford, B. Estimating the proportion of essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease patients undergoing deep brain stimulation surgery: five-year data from Columbia University Medical Center (2009–2014). Mov. Disord. Clin. Pract. 4, 384–378 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  132. Morgante, L. et al. How many Parkinsonian patients are suitable candidates for deep brain stimulation of subthalamic nucleus? Results of a questionnaire. Park. Relat. Disord. 13, 528–531 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  133. Nassiri, A. M., Sorkin, D. L. & Carlson, M. L. Current estimates of cochlear implant utilization in the United States. Otol. Neurotol. 43, e558–e562 (2022).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  134. Smilowska, K. et al. Cost-effectiveness of device-aided therapies in Parkinson’s disease: a structured review. J. Park. Dis. 11, 475–489 (2021).

    Google Scholar 

  135. Cheng, L.-J., Soon, S. S., Wu, D. B.-C., Ju, H. & Ng, K. Cost-effectiveness analysis of bilateral cochlear implants for children with severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss in both ears in Singapore. PLoS ONE 14, e0220439 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  136. Montes, F. et al. Cochlear implants versus hearing aids in a middle-income country: costs, productivity, and quality of life. Otol. Neurotol. 38, e26–e33 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  137. Qiu, J. et al. Cost-effectiveness of pediatric cochlear implantation in rural China. Otol. Neurotol. 38, e75 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  138. Tolstoy, L. Anna Karenina (The Russian Messenger, 1878).

  139. Diamond, J. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies 20th anniversary edn (W. W. Norton & Company, 2017).

  140. Brooks, F. P. & Bullet, N. S. Essence and accidents of software engineering. IEEE Comput. 20, 10–19 (1987).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  141. Fetz, E. E. Real-time control of a robotic arm by neuronal ensembles. Nat. Neurosci. 2, 583–584 (1999).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  142. Chapin, J. K. Neural prosthetic devices for quadriplegia. Curr. Opin. Neurol. 13, 671–675 (2000).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  143. Nicolelis, M. A. Actions from thoughts. Nature 409, 403–407 (2001).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  144. Donoghue, J. P. Connecting cortex to machines: recent advances in brain interfaces. Nat. Neurosci. 5, 1085–1088 (2002).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  145. Lyle, R. C. A performance test for assessment of upper limb function in physical rehabilitation treatment and research. Int. J. Rehabil. Res. 4, 483–492 (1981).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  146. Buhmann, C. et al. Adverse events in deep brain stimulation: a retrospective long-term analysis of neurological, psychiatric and other occurrences. PLoS ONE 12, e0178984 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  147. Follett, K. A. et al. Pallidal versus subthalamic deep-brain stimulation for Parkinson’s disease. N. Engl. J. Med. 362, 2077–2091 (2010).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  148. Figee, M. et al. Deep brain stimulation for depression. Neurotherapeutics 19, 1229–1245 (2022).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  149. Levy, R. M. The need for mechanism-based medicine in neuromodulation. Neuromodulation 15, 273–279 (2012).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  150. Abou-Al-Shaar, H., Brock, A. A., Kundu, B., Englot, D. J. & Rolston, J. D. Increased nationwide use of stereoencephalography for intracranial epilepsy electroencephalography recordings. J. Clin. Neurosci. 53, 132–134 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  151. Li, G. et al. Optimal referencing for stereo-electroencephalographic (SEEG) recordings. NeuroImage 183, 327–335 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  152. Coon, W. & Schalk, G. A method to establish the spatiotemporal evolution of task-related cortical activity from electrocorticographic signals in single trials. J. Neurosci. Methods 271, 76–85 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  153. Morrell, M. Responsive cortical stimulation for the treatment of medically intractable partial epilepsy. Neurology 77, 1295–1304 (2011).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  154. Rouse, A. G. et al. A chronic generalized bi-directional brain–machine interface. J. Neural Eng. 8, 036018 (2011).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  155. Gilron, R. et al. Long-term wireless streaming of neural recordings for circuit discovery and adaptive stimulation in individuals with Parkinson’s disease. Nat. Biotechnol. 39, 1078–1085 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  156. Stanslaski, S. et al. A chronically implantable neural coprocessor for investigating the treatment of neurological disorders. IEEE Trans. Biomed. Circuits Syst. 12, 1230–1245 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  157. Jimenez-Shahed, J. Device profile of the percept PC deep-brain stimulation system for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease and related disorders. Expert. Rev. Med. Devices 18, 319–332 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  158. Kohler, F. et al. Closed-loop interaction with the cerebral cortex: a review of wireless implant technology. Brain Comput. Interfaces 4, 146–154 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  159. Oxley, T. J. et al. Minimally invasive endovascular stent-electrode array for high-fidelity, chronic recordings of cortical neural activity. Nat. Biotechnol. 34, 320–327 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  160. Musk, E. et al. An integrated brain–machine interface platform with thousands of channels. J. Med. Internet Res. 21, e16194 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  161. Peckham, P. H. & Kilgore, K. L. Challenges and opportunities in restoring function after paralysis. IEEE Trans. Biomed. Eng. 60, 602–609 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  162. Chen, X. Y. & Wolpaw, J. R. Operant conditioning of H-reflex in freely moving rats. J. Neurophysiol. 73, 411–415 (1995).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  163. Thompson, A. K. & Wolpaw, J. R. H-reflex conditioning during locomotion in people with spinal cord injury. J. Physiol. 599, 2453–2469 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  164. Sebastián-Romagosa, M. et al. Brain computer interface treatment for motor rehabilitation of upper extremity of stroke patients — a feasibility study. Front. Neurosci. 14, 591435 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  165. Davis, P. A. Effects of acoustic stimuli on the waking human brain. J. Neurophysiol. 2, 494–499 (1939).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  166. Jasper, H. & Penfield, W. Electrocorticograms in man: effect of voluntary movement upon the electrical activity of the precentral gyrus. Arch. für Psychiatr. und Nervenkrankheiten 183, 163–174 (1949).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  167. Gibbs, F. A., Davis, H. & Lennox, W. G. The electroencephalogram in epilepsy and in conditions of impaired consciousness. Am. J. EEG Technol. 8, 59–73 (1968).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  168. Cooper, I. S., Upton, A. & Amin, I. Chronic cerebellar stimulation (CCS) and deep brain stimulation (DBS) in involuntary movement disorders. Appl. Neurophysiol. 45, 209–217 (1982).

    Google Scholar 

  169. Pistohl, T., Ball, T., Schulze-Bonhage, A., Aertsen, A. & Mehring, C. Prediction of arm movement trajectories from ECoG-recordings in humans. J. Neurosci. Methods 167, 105–114 (2008).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  170. Horsley, V. & Clarke, R. H. The structure and functions of the cerebellum examined by a new method. Brain 31, 45–124 (1908).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  171. Bailey, P. & Bremer, F. A sensory cortical representation of the vagus nerve: with a note on the effects of low blood pressure on the cortical electrogram. J. Neurophysiol. 1, 405–412 (1938).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  172. Laitinen, L. Placement of electrodes in transcutaneous stimulation for chronic pain. Neurochirurgie 22, 517–526 (1976).

    Google Scholar 

  173. Jöbsis, F. F. Noninvasive, infrared monitoring of cerebral and myocardial oxygen sufficiency and circulatory parameters. Science 198, 1264–1267 (1977).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  174. Barker, A. T., Jalinous, R. & Freeston, I. L. Non-invasive magnetic stimulation of human motor cortex. Lancet 325, 1106–1107 (1985).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  175. Gavrilov, L., Tsirulnikov, E. & Davies, I. a. I. Application of focused ultrasound for the stimulation of neural structures. Ultrasound Med. Biol. 22, 179–192 (1996).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  176. Maynard, E. M., Nordhausen, C. T. & Normann, R. A. The Utah intracortical electrode array: a recording structure for potential brain–computer interfaces. Electroencephalogr. Clin. Neurophysiol. 102, 228–239 (1997).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  177. Xia, H., Ben-Amar Baranga, A., Hoffman, D. & Romalis, M. Magnetoencephalography with an atomic magnetometer. Appl. Phys. Lett. 89, 211104 (2006).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  178. Delgado, J. M., Bradley, R. J., Johnston, V. S., Weiss, G. & Wallace, J. D. Implantation of Multilead Electrode Assemblies and Radio Stimulation of the Brain in Chimpanzees. Technical Report (Yale Univ. Department of Psychiatry, 1969).

  179. Frost, J. Jr Development of a Prototype Onboard EEG Analysis System. Technical Report CR 108508 (NASA, 1970).

  180. Vidal, J. J. Toward direct brain–computer communication. Annu. Rev. Biophys. Bioeng. 2, 157–180 (1973).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  181. Taylor, D. M., Tillery, S. I. & Schwartz, A. B. Direct cortical control of 3D neuroprosthetic devices. Science 296, 1829–1832 (2002).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  182. Hochberg, L. R. et al. Neuronal ensemble control of prosthetic devices by a human with tetraplegia. Nature 442, 164–171 (2006).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  183. Rossi, P. J. et al. Scheduled, intermittent stimulation of the thalamus reduces tics in Tourette syndrome. Park. Relat. Disord. 29, 35–41 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  184. Willett, F. R., Avansino, D. T., Hochberg, L. R., Henderson, J. M. & Shenoy, K. V. High-performance brain-to-text communication via handwriting. Nature 593, 249–254 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  185. Lorach, H. et al. Walking naturally after spinal cord injury using a brain–spine interface. Nature 618, 126–133 (2023).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  186. Penfield, W. & Boldrey, E. Somatic motor and sensory representation in the cerebral cortex of man as studied by electrical stimulation. Brain 60, 389–443 (1937).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  187. Cerletti, U. L’elettroshock. Riv. Sper. Freniat. Med. Leg. Alien. Ment. 64, 209–310 (1940).

    Google Scholar 

  188. Desoyer, I. & Hochmair, E. Implantable eight-channel stimulator for the deaf. In ESSCIRC’77: 3rd European Solid State Circuits Conference, 87–89 (IEEE, 1977).

  189. Clark, G. M., Clark, J. C. & Furness, J. B. The evolving science of cochlear implants. JAMA 310, 1225–1226 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  190. Pascual-Leone, A., Rubio, B., Pallardó, F. & Catalá, M. D. Rapid-rate transcranial magnetic stimulation of left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in drug-resistant depression. Lancet 348, 233–237 (1996).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  191. Brunner, P. et al. A practical procedure for real-time functional mapping of eloquent cortex using electrocorticographic signals in humans. Epilepsy Behav. 15, 278–286 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  192. Pesaran, B., Pezaris, J. S., Sahani, M., Mitra, P. P. & Andersen, R. A. Temporal structure in neuronal activity during working memory in macaque parietal cortex. Nat. Neurosci. 5, 805–811 (2002).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  193. Pinotsis, D. A., Fridman, G. & Miller, E. K. Cytoelectric coupling: electric fields sculpt neural activity and ‘tune’ the brain’s infrastructure. Prog. Neurobiol. 226, 102465 (2023).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  194. Boyden, E. S., Zhang, F., Bamberg, E., Nagel, G. & Deisseroth, K. Millisecond-timescale, genetically targeted optical control of neural activity. Nat. Neurosci. 8, 1263–1268 (2005).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  195. Moore, G. A. Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers 3rd edn (Collins, 2014).

  196. Kremen, V. et al. Integrating brain implants with local and distributed computing devices: a next generation epilepsy management system. IEEE J. Transl. Eng. Health Med. 6, 2500112 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  197. Gunduz, A. et al. Adding wisdom to ‘smart’ bioelectronic systems: a design framework for physiologic control including practical examples. Bioelectron. Med. 2, 29–41 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  198. Shirvalkar, P. et al. First-in-human prediction of chronic pain state using intracranial neural biomarkers. Nat. Neurosci. 26, 1090–1099 (2023).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  199. Alagapan, S. et al. Cingulate dynamics track depression recovery with deep brain stimulation. Nature 622, 130–138 (2023).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  200. Skarpaas, T. L., Jarosiewicz, B. & Morrell, M. J. Brain-responsive neurostimulation for epilepsy (RNS® system). Epilepsy Res. 153, 68–70 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  201. Strollo, P. J. Jr et al. Upper-airway stimulation for obstructive sleep apnea. N. Engl. J. Med. 370, 139–149 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  202. Ryu, S. I. & Shenoy, K. V. Human cortical prostheses: lost in translation? Neurosurg. Focus 27, E5 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  203. Oxley, T. J. et al. Motor neuroprosthesis implanted with neurointerventional surgery improves capacity for activities of daily living tasks in severe paralysis: first in-human experience. J. Neurointerv. Surg. 13, 102–108 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  204. Levy, R. M. et al. Epidural electrical stimulation for stroke rehabilitation: results of the prospective, multicenter, randomized, single-blinded Everest trial. Neurorehabil. Neural Repair. 30, 107–119 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  205. Ezzyat, Y. et al. Closed-loop stimulation of temporal cortex rescues functional networks and improves memory. Nat. Commun. 9, 365 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  206. Krauss, J. K. et al. Technology of deep brain stimulation: current status and future directions. Nat. Rev. Neurol. 17, 75–87 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  207. Kostarelos, K., Vincent, M., Hebert, C. & Garrido, J. A. Graphene in the design and engineering of next-generation neural interfaces. Adv. Mater. 29, 1700909 (2017).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  208. Peckham, P. H. et al. Efficacy of an implanted neuroprosthesis for restoring hand grasp in tetraplegia: a multicenter study. Arch. Phys. Med. Rehabil. 82, 1380–1388 (2001).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  209. van der Aa, H., Alleman, E., Nene, A. & Snoek, G. Sacral anterior root stimulation for bladder control: clinical results. Arch. Physiol. Biochem. 107, 248–256 (1999).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  210. da Cruz, L. et al. Five-year safety and performance results from the Argus II retinal prosthesis system clinical trial. Ophthalmology 123, 2248–2254 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  211. Cook, M. J. et al. Prediction of seizure likelihood with a long-term, implanted seizure advisory system in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy: a first-in-man study. Lancet Neurol. 12, 563–571 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  212. Gilbert, F., Ienca, M. & Cook, M. How I became myself after merging with a computer: does human–machine symbiosis raise human rights issues? Brain Stimul. 16, 783–789 (2023).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge funding from the Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute (G.S.), the RIE2020 AME Programmatic Fund in Singapore (A20G8b0102 (C.G.)), the NIH (U01-NS12861 (K.J.M.) and P41-EB018783 (P.B.)), the Royal Academy of Engineering (T.D.), the German Federal Ministry of Research and Education (BMBF, 01DR21025A, 01GP2121B, 03ZU1110DD, 13N16486, 01UX2211 (S.R.S.)), the European Research Council (ERC 759370, 101081905 (S.R.S.)), the Foundation for OCD Research (K.J.M.) and the Minnesota Partnership for Biotechnology and Medical Genomics (K.J.M.). We also thank S. Graepel, J. Reindorp and T. Larsson for their help with illustrations, and H. Shao for assistance with background information.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

G.S. initiated and project-managed the creation of this Review, wrote several sections, edited the manuscript, and contributed to the generation of all figures. P.B. edited the manuscript. B.Z.A. developed Fig. 1 and edited the manuscript. S.R.S. wrote the section on macroscale aggregates. C.G. wrote the section on signal processing and AI. T.D. provided the initial requirements based on prior analysis, developed Figs. 3 and 4, and jointly wrote the business/regulatory sections. J.R. developed Fig. 3, jointly wrote the business and regulatory sections, and edited the manuscript. K.J.M. developed Fig. 2 and edited the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gerwin Schalk.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

G.S. previously consulted for CorTec and currently consults for NeuroXess. T.D. is a director and shareholder at Amber Therapeutics, and consults for CorTec. He has previously consulted for Synchron, Inspire and Galvani. J.R. previously served as CEO for CorTec and is a shareholder at CorTec and Neudio. The other authors report no competing interests.

Peer review

Peer review information

Nature Reviews Bioengineering thanks Ramses Alcaide and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Related links

All devices had to be explanted: https://ift.tt/aRuKmhB

BRAIN Initiative: https://ift.tt/HOWDs5R

Covered in the popular media: https://ift.tt/f4CuLl9

Early Feasibility Program: https://ift.tt/GIjQtDm

Epiminder: https://epiminder.com

Humanitarian device exemption: https://ift.tt/UrI6Sjq

InBRAIN: the company’s growth did not meet expectations: https://ift.tt/gtsvzQP

Inspire Medical: https://ift.tt/JWuQwoN

Medical Device Regulation: https://eumdr.com

Medtronic acquires Sapiens: https://ift.tt/Gn40Nrg

NeuroControl Freehand growth: https://ift.tt/gtsvzQP

Neuropace pioneered reimbursement: https://ift.tt/8w7Nfk4

Neuropace Responsive Neurostimulation System: https://ift.tt/95CwTEz

NeuroVista explanted: https://ift.tt/aRuKmhB

NeuroVista explants in popular media: https://ift.tt/f4CuLl9

Nia Therapeutics: https://ift.tt/zR2AJZg

NIH HORNET: https://ift.tt/NEzeBtn

Northstar Neuroscience: https://ift.tt/6HcNlWi

Northstar Neuroscience liquidated: https://ift.tt/JXjTqog

OpenMind Consortium: https://ift.tt/hcdoGBe

Second International BCI Meeting: https://ift.tt/ozyA50W

Second Sight struggles: https://ift.tt/sFkrqnm

Synchron: https://synchron.com

Synchron’s Stentrode: https://ift.tt/HzVpqMa

The company still lost money: https://ift.tt/sFkrqnm

The company was then liquidated: https://ift.tt/JXjTqog

The technology was acquired for US$200m by Medtronic: https://ift.tt/UFxBnjp

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Schalk, G., Brunner, P., Allison, B.Z. et al. Translation of neurotechnologies. Nat Rev Bioeng (2024). https://ift.tt/hnaV0ym

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://ift.tt/hnaV0ym

Adblock test (Why?)

Saturday, June 1, 2024

Divergence and its impact on the market: Stocks in Translation - Yahoo Finance - Translation

Major US Indices (^GSPC, ^DJI, ^IXIC) have seen a rally with tech leading the charge in the past several months. One of the top stocks leading is Nvidia (NVDA) with Wall Street abuzz with any and all plays related to AI. Does this sector have more room to grow? How does all of this relate to the economy at large? With the Presidential election on the way, will the stock market be impacted? will the broader market and consumers be impacted?

Yahoo Finance Reporter Jared Blikre is joined by Freedom Capital Markets Chief Global Strategist Jay Woods for the latest edition of Stocks in Translation to discuss volatility in the market, the rally seen in the S&P 500, the part Nvidia plays in that rise, divergence in the market, and more.

For more Stocks in Translation, watch here: https://ift.tt/ESL1tHf

This post was written by Nicholas Jacobino

Video Transcript

Welcome to Stocks and translation, our essential conversation cutting through the market, mayhem, the noisy numbers and hyperbole to give you the information you need for your portfolio.

Today, I am joined by Jay Woods.

He is the Freedom Capital Markets Chief Global Strategist on loan from the Well, it used to be the New York Stock Exchange.

You want to say a quick hello here, I just came from the New York Stock Exchange.

It's great to be with you guys and great to be on the podcast.

Thanks for having me.

You bet.

And we're all, we also have Sydney Fried as always our intrepid producer here who's going to keep it real.

Um So today's theme, today's theme every day needs a theme.

We have mixed signals today which is not unusual in the markets, but we're seeing some non intuitive developments recently that we're going to break down for the viewers.

Our word of the day divergence.

And how can we actually measure some of these mixed signals?

Is music stopping and this episode is brought to you by the number of 35% and that's how much of the S and P five hundreds gained this year is due to NVIDIA and NVIDIA alone.

So, uh, well, let's get started here.

The story of the week, I'm talking mixed signals, Jay, we've got the Dow has been lagging the NASDAQ in a big way for the last 5 to 7 sessions.

We've got yields rising but not intuitively.

We have tech outperforming.

So usually when we have tech outperforming, you see yields going down.

But you know, what are you making of this situation?

Well, I'd like to see tech yield but something interesting happened last week when NVIDIA reported its earnings, uh we had in the S and P 500 a bearish engulfing candle.

I know you're gonna question what's a bearish.

We'll talk about that.

But uh what happened was the video was up, the stock market gapped higher and it could not carry the weight of the stock market on its shoulder.

So Atlas shrugged in this example.

And what happened was 90% of the stocks were down that day.

Since that day, we've had two days where the S and P 500 has been up one point, not 1% 1 point and Navidi was 40 points both times.

So NVIDIA has been holding the S and P 500 up and you mentioned divergence, your word of the day, we're seeing the NASDAQ go up because tech is leading semiconductors continue to do well.

And I'd like to see tech lead but the health care stocks starting to crack a little bit rotation.

Are we rotating only into semiconductors?

Now, we've had five different leaders this year.

Five months, groups, five different leaders each month.

So this time now technology takes the lead.

It's a nice rotation but something feels a little different this time.

And I think we're gonna pause.

So watch that Thursday, bearish engulfing candle.

We're in that range.

If we pierce below, we probably are gonna be testing that 50 day moving average 2.5% lower or we have a normal 5% correction.

It will be our second this year.

The one was the last one was recent, three a year.

So it wouldn't shock me to see a little bit of a pull back now.

And let's talk about some of these prior leaders and just the nature of markets.

Uh We have the opportunity here to kind of take a big picture of you.

When we talk about rotation in the markets, we're just talking about other sectors, kind of stepping up to the plate here.

Now, in the meantime, the indices, they might be treading water, they might be going higher, sometimes they go lower.

Uh But meanwhile you have under the surface here, you got some winners and you got some losers.

Talk about the winners, the other winners we've seen this year.

Yeah.

Well, the winners, there's very interesting talk about divergence.

I say bifurcation right now within certain sectors, you have certain stocks staples.

Perfect example.

You have Walmart doing well.

Target, not doing well.

Um, you have mcdonald's Starbucks.

Uh, oh, not doing well, but Starbucks isn't doing well.

But guess what is Dutch bros, coffee.

People are still buying coffee.

The consumer changing their spending habit, but the overall trend in the market continues to climb higher.

So, equities are where people are going now, seen it more into tech over the last week.

But other sectors have led utilities which was a laggard started to lead.

Yes, there was a little A I play but they were oversold.

They're coming back.

Uh We seen financials, one of my favorite sectors continue to act well in a higher for longer narrative.

So the rotation and energy led to begin the year.

Uh So we've seen different sectors take that mantle.

But when we see tech lead, that's usually a good sign.

We just need to see more tech join the NVIDIA party, the semiconductor party.

I mean, you're basically saying this, I don't get how any other sector these days wouldn't lead besides tech utilities.

I mean, it's a I play, but if I talk to you about American water, you're gonna fall asleep.

All right.

It's not gonna get clicks on Yahoo.

Finance the, the, the stocks that bring eyeballs are the ones that are mostly owned, the biggest market caps.

So when they move, they make headlines.

But as someone that follows all sectors and the market itself looks for the trends under the surface.

You wanna see what else is happening because you wanna see a broadening for too long.

We talked about the magnificent seven and it's the only seven star about it.

Oh, great.

Uh We go back to sleep.

Oh, well, American water will put you to sleep.

But yes, uh we wanted to see a broadening out.

We're getting it.

Uh but right now we're taking a little bit of a pause and I say this all the time.

I probably said it to you, Jared sideways is a direction and we're going sideways at all time.

Highs, NASDAQ 17,000 all time high yesterday.

Pulling back a little bit as we take this show S and P 500 within a percent or two of an all time high.

These, these are good things and if we pause here, it's not a bad thing.

Correction in time versus correction and price.

I wanna ask you about small caps.

You used to be a direct market maker down at the New York Stock Exchange where you were also a floor governor and uh just talk to us about maybe the market that you would make for some of these small cops.

And then maybe you mentioned, where do you think they fit into the modern modern market portfolio here?

Do you like them even?

I used to have hair too.

So for reminding me, but yes, I did spend 28 years as a market maker.

So I followed individual stocks.

Um II I think what, what is going on underneath the surface is fine.

Uh We are just having a normal rotation in a secular bull market.

So when you see pockets of strength in sectors or individual stocks within those sectors, uh as an investor, you wanna go where the puck is and you wanna go to the leadership.

People are like, well, you're buying stocks at all time highs, but all time highs usually beget all time highs, momentum continues to go in the direction of momentum.

This case up earnings growth, three straight quarters of earnings growth, something good is happening.

But there are a lot of negative headlines.

Uh and there's a lot of bifurcation divergence back to your word in the way people look at the market.

I saw a survey that said 50% of the people it surveyed.

I don't know who this survey was from.

Uh said that the market was down this year.

Well, you know, they're reading and seeing one side of the story without looking at the, you know, indexes themselves.

That's fascinating.

Let's let's break that down and kind of dig into that for a second because um we're talking about mixed signals and the big one here, I think a lot of people who are especially are new to trading as a lot of people are since the pandemic is the real economy, what you're experiencing your normal everyday life.

And then what happens in the stock market?

And I think what you just said that a significant amount of people percentage wise think that we are in a bear market right now.

Meanwhile, we're minting new highs.

Where do you think that perception comes from?

And then how do you resolve it if possible?

Uh I, I think it comes from political rhetoric to be honest with you.

Uh It's an election year and it happens to be an election year and we have two candidates that, that make headlines.

Uh Let's let's be honest about that.

Uh 2016 was a controversial election year.

And what happened when it's finally the dust settled market rally 2020 very controversial election year.

Guess what happened when the dust settled November 4th.

I believe it was the low going into it.

And then we rallied through January 6th.

We made a new high in the S and P 502 days after January 6th.

So these headlines that we're gonna hear the economy is not the stock market, the stock market is not the economy.

You have to look at these individual companies, how they're performing, how the consumer is treating them.

The consumer continues to be resilient, the companies continue to see earnings growth.

Uh And that is what's driving the stock market.

And what I'm waiting to see is even more growth in the stock market is the IP O market is starting to percolate it hasn't heated up, but there's one sector that it will heat up in the next 6 to 18 months.

Those are A I stocks.

Um, remember.com, anything with a.com after it, pets.com, everyone uses that as the example.

But there were dozens, hundreds actually that went public because they had a.com in their name.

This mania will come because I still believe this A I hype is in the early innings and we're just starting to see it get a little, you know, heated with the video because that's all people want to talk about.

I'm thinking this through as I'm saying, it so bear with me but like this A I mania, right?

It's already here.

You're saying there's gonna be more of it soon.

But when we talk about like Wall Street versus Main Street and how people feel about the economy, like I, I don't know your average person, maybe they're not paying that much attention to the stock market or A I mania just because they're paying more prices at the grocery store and that's what they care about, right?

So how do you more reconcile?

Like, forget about the politics for a second.

Like what are we really talking about when we talk about the economy versus uh versus main street?

Which is what the average person cares about?

Yeah.

And unfortunately it is a have and have not uh situation where the upper class has been doing really well and where is most of their, you know, wealth been generated, it's been generated in the stock market and we've seen great returns.

So in this case, the wealthier get even wealthier, they're doing well where, you know, the average guy on main street is worried about what they're paying at mcdonald's and we're seeing that literally in mcdonald's and then what they're paying at the pump, gas prices are a huge election issue every year.

It's the biggest tax on the American consumer because that's what they see change more than anything that fluctuates just as much as the stock market at times.

So when they have to do their everyday chores, their groceries, which have not come down in, you know, any, they never come down.

But uh they're seeing shrink.

You know, my, my box of girl scouts, the girl scouts started this shrink, by the way, we thin mints.

I am an expert.

It dangerous to blame the girl scouts.

I will start that war and I will die on that hill.

The girl scouts were the first people to reduce the amount of thin mints because I could eat a sleeve in about 60 seconds.

Then I could do it in 45 seconds.

Sounds like you're speaking from personal experience.

I may.

Uh Yes.

Uh, it's, it's something i it's one of my skills in life.

But uh, no, but to get back to the consumer.

Yes.

Uh There are parts of main street that don't understand what's going on and what they hear, they hear the mania things they hear when gamestop and Roy Kitty re you know, tweets for the first time in three years and they think they can make a quick buck and it's the long term investors that tend to do well over the long term.

Uh but when people are trying to make that quick buck and look at the market in a different light, it's great to have new investors.

But when new investors come to the market, people like us, people in my industry need to tell them one, the, the downside risks that are involved and, and two guide them say welcome.

Now, let's diversify a little bit.

It's not, stocks are going to the moon and I think we've seen it and I look at a stock like Robin Hood that's, you know, up 70% year to date.

Uh The stock is starting to see consistent user base and it's growing.

It's going after an older base of people like my, my age, which as you know, we won't diverge uh divulge, divulge, but uh you know, they're transferring their 401k, they're looking for more long term growth.

So II I think education shows like this uh help people that don't understand some of the things that people like myself have been engrossed in for 32 years and just talk like it's our everyday common language.

It's easy to do.

Uh We gotta pause here, take a quick break.

We were just talking about some of the head scratching moves in the market and we didn't quite get to our word of the day divergence, although you did touch on it and I just want to kind of break that down.

According to investopedia divergence is when the price of an asset is moving in the opposite direction of a technical indicator, it could be an oscillator or is moving contrary to data.

So divergence warns that the current price trend up or down may be weakening.

And in some cases, it may lead to the price changing direction.

And I think divergence for me is a useful indicator, not only in technical analysis but in thinking about the market.

Um if you have a couple of things going in the same direction, it could be classical Dow theory, you got the Dow industrials and the dow transports going in the same direction and then one of them diverges, well, maybe that's a signal.

Yeah.

And, and you talk about Dow theory to keep it simple.

Uh It's the industrials, those that make and then the transports, those that take the the the companies that chip and usually you want to see those go hand in hand and this goes back to the turn of the 19th century, 2019 hundreds.

I don't know what century that was the turn of.

Uh but that is, you know, a as simple as it gets.

And when you see divergences, what we're seeing in some of the consumer staples.

All right, something is changing and when you see relative strength, how well one stock is doing relative to its peers and all of a sudden it's doing a little worse, doing a little better.

It tells you that something is changing.

The tide is not lifting all boats and we have to be a little one more selective and two maybe defensive at times.

Uh I don't see a major divergence.

The ones to pause, maybe you're just pause.

Well, here's the big story.

It's the 10 year yield.

The yield in the 10 year last year, 2023 spiked up to 5%.

And when it moved, it moved quickly.

And what happened every time it took a leg hire the market, the equity market came in and now the yield is above 4.5% not necessarily heading to 5%.

I don't think we're gonna get there, but what goes up?

The market is digesting.

It is same with the higher for longer narrative with rates.

We aren't a higher historically average level, maybe below average level, 50 years.

But over the last few years, it's pretty high.

It is high, but this is the new normal.

And I think the market is telling us, let's get used to it.

It's been eight months since we've had a big move in rates and the market is trading much higher than when it paused.

If we cut, then maybe you're gonna see more participation.

You talk about the Russell 2000, those small caps that are more rate sensitive, they'll probably join the party.

If not lead the party on another leg hire.

Going back just a little bit.

You mentioned the 10 year people have their eye on treasury yields because we're thinking about what the feds gonna do with rates.

You mentioned the 10 year specifically.

What is it about the 10 year that is so important?

Why do, why is that kind of a benchmark?

Yeah, well, as rates go up, it makes it harder for smaller companies to borrow and they have to borrow at higher rates.

So their debt will increase uh for the older investors, they may take money out of equities because a 5% yield is safer.

The hey, I can get 5%.

I don't need the risk of the headlines that are going on during an election cycle.

So the yields will move the equities.

But when you get used to where the yields are, uh some of these mega cap companies are able to shake that off, they're ok.

The small cap companies struggle and they struggle to keep up and when you see volatility in yields, it really throws off their bottom line.

So the stability has been more of a story because we're not seeing volatility as much.

But the direction still is a problem right now.

Yeah, that's why I love to look at the move index, it's kind of like the vic for the bond market.

And as you just said, uh Jay, when, when you see increased bond market volatility, it just kind of spills over into everything else and, and disrupts the uh the portfolio want to move on now to our number of the day, it's 35 as in 35%.

And guess what NVIDIA is sitting on market cap gains of $1.6 trillion this year.

Meanwhile, the S and P 500 is up a cool 4.5 trillion.

So 35% of that is just NVIDIA of those gains in the S and P 500.

If you broaden this to the mag seven, the number is 60%.

So Jay, my question to you is, is it still just these seven stocks?

It's down from 70% by the way, just so, you know, yes, it is.

Um It is there the story but you can break down each of the seven stocks.

It's not Tesla anymore.

Apple has been flat for three years.

Uh Microsoft looks great.

Amazon is a stock that has yet to break out to all time.

Highs watch 190.

Uh I think that's a stock that could really lead the next leg of the mag seven.

But yes, over time, we always have had a leadership group, whether it was Exxon Mobile or AT&T back as recently as 10 years ago.

Yes.

Uh, these were stocks that everyone complained about.

It's too impactful on the market right now.

It's in the video and when you throw out 35% yeah, it's head scratching.

You're like, oh, if this thing comes in we're in trouble.

But right now there's a reason it's doing so well because the growth is there, the, it's trading at multiples that are not euphoric.

Historically speaking, when I talk about that, I talk about going back to the.com when Cisco Intel Microsoft were like 90 times earnings.

Yeah, that was euphoric.

Where, where is uh NVIDIA last?

I looked it was under 40 if I'm not mistaken because the earnings continue to grow.

Uh So right now, yes, it is alarming and it's a narrative that uh you know, a bear would definitely cling onto but how those bears been cleaning, they're falling like crazy.

They're raising their year end targets.

They've missed this boat.

Uh The boat continues to go higher.

Jay, you mentioned like there's always a leadership group in stocks going back to my like, why are we all bullish on tech?

Is, is it always going to be tech forever?

Now, these stocks that are leading, is there ever another category where the stocks are gonna, that I'm gonna lead against?

Exactly.

Yeah, I mean, there's something that some kids building in his basement right now that's gonna eventually take over the world and lead us.

I don't know what that is, if I did, I wouldn't be sitting here with you.

I'd be on a beach, I'd be on a beach in Hawaii.

Probably.

Uh, but no, yeah, the technology is where the growth continues to be as a nation.

We go back to, you know, when I started on Wall Street, the nineties and the internet was the big thing and the internet created its own economy.

It's everything we do is on the internet.

This is on the internet now A I is creating its own economy where it goes in what directions a lot of people talk about the negative.

It's gonna kill us.

We're gonna self destruct.

But there's a lot of good that's gonna come out of it and they're gonna be a lot of jobs created because there are college students, high school students, grade school students that are gonna learn this.

I'm not gonna learn it.

I'm too old.

I'm done.

My brain is full but these kids are gonna program the next technology and change how we buy things, how we shop, how things are brought to us, how we're entertained, uh how we're educated.

I think that could be the story longest model.

It also could be detrimental for a college student who didn't do their paper late at night.

And yes, I'm maybe talking to one of my child Children as we speak.

But yeah, I think that A I revolution we're still in the early infancy of it because we don't know exactly how expansive it can be then after a I your guess is as good as mine.

All right.

Well, we do have a few minutes left here and we have barely mentioned crypto a situation that we will now remedy Jay, why not?

Um sticking with the theme of the day mixed signals.

OK. Let's talk about the spot Ether ETF S that have uh they were left for dead at the SEC.

Suddenly they're on the fast track for approval.

It's reminiscent of the spot Bitcoin ETF S that were rejected until there was a court battle gray scale asset management when a key court battle that forced a reversal at the SEC.

Now it could be months before we finally get the spot Ether ETF S when you can actually trade them, but it looks like it's uh going to happen.

And based on what we know now who's wearing the sec about face on the spot ETF S better.

Is it Bitcoin or Ether?

There's no wrong answer.

There is no wrong answer.

Well, right now it's Bitcoin because they've been approved and it's been trading and it's a great way for an average investor who didn't really get involved in crypto to get involved and you know it a little safer, you know, you, you, you know the custody there.

Uh I am not a crypto expert when I look at crypto, I just look at the technicals because like you, I've studied these things and I don't understand, I can't hold it.

I can't touch it on the chart.

I understand the chart and the chart looks fantastic.

Above 70,000.

This is, this is fantastic ether.

What a run my God.

When it broke above, I think it was 3000, maybe 3200.

It kept going and guess what?

People have a strong demand.

It is a currency.

It's an asset class, it's here to stay.

It's not going anywhere, it's being accepted by, you know, those in power.

Some people look at that like, oh no, this could be the end of it.

But no, it allows the average investor to put it wisely into the retirement fund.

Uh just to hold it in their own investment accounts and they don't have to worry about custody and all these things.

So to me, when Ether gets approved and it trades an ETF form just like Bitcoin, I think that's a great thing and it's a great thing for the individual investor.

So it belongs a little bit belongs in your portfolio.

Um I have $200 worth of that.

Uh That's a little bit, it depends.

Portfolio is not that big.

No, yes.

I, I also have a thing learned by doing.

So whenever I'm not sure of something, an investment, I'll buy it and once I own it, I look at it differently, I know if it's going up or down and then I follow there was news in it now.

We don't get good news in, in big.

There's no earnings like I am so trained to be an equity trader that the Bitcoin movement, the ether movement while I've had a small part just to be in it really minimal uh exposure in my portfolio.

And I stick to what I know, which are equities.

Got you.

All right, Jay, we're coming to the, coming to the end.

We got a couple of minutes left and I am very curious about your time on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, you got, you got some stories for us.

Uh There are some stories we cannot talk about on air, but uh the Stock exchange is a place like no other.

I got to go down there during the nineties is when I started and um it was a different, you know, it was kill or be killed.

My training was getting lunch.

Uh That is not really what we do with our interns or our young staff.

Now we, we put out linkedin Post welcoming them and we praise them and, and, and fine, we should.

Uh but uh uh I'll just edit myself and not say anything else to clarify.

No intern gets lunch anymore.

They will pick it up.

But uh you know, we usually buy it for them.

Uh But no, my training was different because it was a hand to hand world and my best training believe it or not was before I even got to the floor and I didn't know this.

Uh, I was a cox and on a crew team back in high school national champion, 1988.

Uh, yeah.

Yeah, I mean, but I, the two other coxes on the team, one won gold in Athens in 2004 and another one went into advertising and you'll see his commercials for Budweiser during the Super Bowl.

You're just what I do have a national championship from high school under my belt.

But that training, believe it or not, it actually helped me for the floor because I'm not the biggest guy in the room.

I may be the loudest guy in the room and that's where the cox and the crew helped and I was able to get the respect of my peers people bigger than me.

Let me lead, let me listen.

All right, you're a buyer or a seller.

Let's stick it together.

Uh That family that camaraderie on the floor was the best life lesson.

Those people I got to bond with and work with are some of the greatest people I've come across in my life and they helped shape me as I continue to grow in my career.

So the floor is a very special place.

It's not what it once was.

Um Yeah, I have a lot of great stories, but we could be here for three hours if I was to start and try to cherry pick one that's better than the other.

But there isn't a day I go into that building where I know I'm not lucky to still be going into that building and we're gonna leave it right there as we are out of time on stocks and translation.

Keep your dial tuned at Yahoo Finance.

Adblock test (Why?)

Persian Quran: Lost in Translation and Religious Revisionism - Worldcrunch - Translation

-Essay-

LONDON — The Quran is not merely a religious text. For Muslims, it is the literal word of God that was miraculously revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, born in Mecca in the 6th century. After the prophet's death, invading Arab armies brought Islam to Iran in the early to mid-7th century, forcibly converting a population that was already God-fearing as Zoroastrians.

For the latest news & views from every corner of the world, Worldcrunch Today is the only truly international newsletter. Sign up here.

The text can be examined from three perspectives: philosophical, religious and theological. The first two read it from "outside," supposedly with impartiality and objectivity, and seeking to corroborate their interpretations delving into multiple fields including history, linguistics, sociology and psychology.

Theology, however, is an "internal" reading of the text, reiterating its message of faith in secular or explanatory language, but always with reference to the text itself.


A late meeting 

During Islam's first 400 years in the land that is today Iran, the Persian-speaking population was rarely informed of the Quran's contents. Translations into Persian, the first of which was written in Transoxiana, were limited until the 20th century. Even those were confined to princely courts or private libraries; they were inaccessible to the masses, most of whom were, in any case, illiterate.

During the 600 years or so of the caliphates, first of the Umayyads of Damascus, then the Abbasids who ruled from Baghdad, the policy was to Arabize the lands of the Islamic empire. Translating the Quran was, therefore, seen as unfit if not impious. The Quran's holiness was enmeshed with its language, in keeping with state-approved orthodoxy. Piety sourced in Arabic thus became part of the policy of making the Islamic empire an Arab empire.

The Mongols put a violent end to the Abbasid caliphate in Baghdad in 1258, though this was of little use to Quran's translation.

Under the Safavids, who ruled Persia and beyond from the early 16th to the mid-18th centuries, indifference to Persian literature had its effect on translation: There were no notable Persian versions of the Quran under the dynasty that is often considered the first 'national' dynasty after Islam (the Safavids would have spoken a Turkish dialect more commonly than Persian).

New religious thinkers

Students reading the Quran in Lahore, Pakistan

TWT/ZUMA

The Quran after the 1979 Revolution

Following the Persian Constitutional Revolution (from 1904-05), the use of written (and often simplified) Persian took off as part of a modernizing and patriotic agenda. This fueled translations of the Quran into Persian, and more literate Iranians became familiar with the book's contents.

Translations increased markedly after the 1979 Revolution, with several versions published in the 1980s and 1990s with the aim of promoting religion, not Iranian culture.

From the 1990s , some Iranians started to doubt the Quran as a divine source.

This has been of little use to the Islamic Republic, which always touted itself as the pious government par excellence. As more people became familiar with the book's contents, the contrast between its premises and the regime's double standards and cruelty became glaring. This may have contributed to a trend from the 1990s among some Iranians to doubt the Quran as a divine source, and strengthened outside or academic perspectives on the text.

Some began to consider the Quran not the Word of God but the work of the Prophet Muhammad, while others resorted to hermeneutic interpretations to explain gaps between its dictates and the needs of modern society. They were called, among other things, New Religious Thinkers, and were at times associated with political reformism inside the Islamic Republic.

Worldcrunch 🗞 Extra! 

Know more • Following the 1979 Revolution, the Iranian regime imposed a Sharia legal system, meaning one that directly stems from the Quran and other pillars of Islam. While the Muslim world agrees in considering the Quran as the foundation of Sharia, there are major disagreements over the principles upon which this should be translated into law. This can result in laws based more on the interpretation by the ruling class than on religious principles.

In Iran, a major example of this phenomenon is the death penalty, which today is carried out in certain cases of adultery, homosexuality, “spreading corruption on earth” and more. Yet, this departs significantly from the Islamic doctrine, writes Beirut-based daily L’Orient-Le-Jour: “The Quran only mentions the death penalty once, as punishment for deliberate murder. Anything that has to do with drugs, espionage, homosexual relations, adultery, apostasy and other non-voluntary murders are excluded.”

According to Amnesty International, only China carried out more death sentences in 2023 than Iran, which executed 853 people, marking a 48% rise from the previous year. — Fabrizio La Rocca (read more about the Worldcrunch method here)

New Persian translations 

Differences of interpretation, if not confusion, abound in Persian translations of the Quran. This was mainly because its language is ancient and complex, and the competence of most of its translators has proved to be limited. Yet even these subjective renditions broadened public familiarity with the text, and inadvertently provoked skepticism or transformed people's views on religion.

This is reminiscent of similar results in 16th century Europe, when the Protestants encouraged translations of the Bible from Latin to European languages. That broke the clergy's interpretive monopoly, and allowed ordinary people to read and interpret the text by themselves — for better or worse, acting as a prelude to significant developments in thought in Europe.

In Iran, more widespread if superficial contact with the Quran may have boosted religious revisionism and even a rejection of the Islamic religion — if not all religions — in a country suffering from 45 years of tyrannical rule in the religion's name.

It may even have strengthened rationalism in Iranian society — although without relevant studies, one can only speculate. But if Iranians are more skeptical and less accepting of received ideas and interpretations, this may be another step on that process solemnly termed as progress.

From Your Site Articles

Related Articles Around the Web

Adblock test (Why?)