This study investigates how grasp and object properties modulate inferior frontal gyrus activity during a grasping task, finding that grasp is the primary driver of neural modulation.

bioRxiv · Sep 30, 2026 · PreprintBioengineering

Neural Mechanisms of Mixed Speech and Grasp Representation in Sensorimotor Cortices

Crispin Foli, Emily C. Conlan, William D. Memberg, Preethisiri Bhat, Emily L. Graczyk, Tyler R. Johnson, Dawn M. Taylor, Eric Z. Herring, Jennifer A. Sweet, A. Bolu Ajiboye

This study decodes speech and grasp from neural activity in sensorimotor cortices of tetraplegic participants, showing overlapping neural populations and reconfigured connectivity between tasks.

Journal of Neural Engineering · Jun 30, 2026Peer-reviewedNeuroscience

Biomimetic multi-channel microstimulation of somatosensory cortex conveys high resolution force feedback for bionic hands

Charles M. Greenspon, Giacomo Valle, Natalya D. Shelchkova, Taylor G. Hobbs, Ceci Verbaarschot, Thierri Callier, Ev I Berger-Wolf, Elizaveta V. Okorokova, Brianna C. Hutchison, Efe Dogruoz, Anton R. Sobinov, Patrick M. Jordan, Jeffrey M. Weiss, Emily E. Fitzgerald, Dillan Prasad, , Sliman J. Bensmaı̈a

This study evaluates biomimetic multi-channel microstimulation for restoring high-resolution force feedback in bionic hands through somatosensory cortex stimulation.

Nature Biomedical Engineering · Dec 6, 2024Peer-reviewedNeuroscience

Tessellation Of Artificial Touch Via Microstimulation Of Human Somatosensory Cortex

Charles M. Greenspon, Natalya D. Shelchkova, Giacomo Valle, Taylor G. Hobbs, Ev I Berger-Wolf, Brianna C. Hutchison, Efe Dogruoz, Ceci Verbaarschot, Thierri Callier, Anton R. Sobinov, Elizaveta V. Okorokova, Patrick M. Jordan, Dillan Prasad, Qinpu He, Fang Liu, , Sliman J. Bensmaı̈a

The paper investigates the localization of intracortical microstimulation-evoked sensations in human somatosensory cortex and demonstrates improved localization with multi-channel stimulation in a bionic hand.

bioRxiv · Jun 23, 2023 · PreprintNeuroscience

The neural representation of force across grasp types in motor cortex of humans with tetraplegia

Anisha Rastogi, Francis R. Willett, Jessica Abreu, Douglas Cale Crowder, Brian A. Murphy, William D. Memberg, Carlos E. Vargas-Irwin, Jonathan P. Miller, Jennifer A. Sweet, Benjamin L. Walter, Paymon Garakani Rezaii, Sergey D. Stavisky, Leigh R. Hochberg, K.V. Shenoy, Jaimie M. Henderson, , A. Bolu Ajiboye

This study examines how force and grasp are represented in motor cortex of tetraplegic individuals, finding that grasp affects force decoding and that grasp is more accurately classified than force.

eNeuro · Jan 1, 2021Peer-reviewedNeuroscience

Neural ensemble dynamics in dorsal motor cortex during speech in people with paralysis

Sergey D. Stavisky, Francis R. Willett, Guy H Wilson, Brian A Murphy, Paymon Garakani Rezaii, Donald T. Avansino, William D. Memberg, Jonathan P. Miller, Robert F. Kirsch, Leigh R. Hochberg, A. Bolu Ajiboye, Shaul Druckmann, K.V. Shenoy, Jaimie M. Henderson

The paper records neural activity in the motor cortex of people with paralysis during speech and non-speaking movements, showing that neurons modulate during speech and revealing common neural dynamics between speech and arm movements.

eLife · Dec 9, 2019Peer-reviewedNeuroscience