Brain-computer interface (BCI) technology enables the direct interaction between brain signals and external devices, helping people with neurologic injury communicate with or control real or virtual objects by bypassing damaged neurologic regions. Intracortical BCIs, a subset of invasive BCIs, are valuable tools for finely interpreting brain activity and controlling external devices.
Previous studies on BCIs have extensively focused on scientific exploration and fundamental studies, while research into their application in public scientific cognition and education is limited. In this study, published in the Current Medical Science journal, researchers at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Hospital for Special Surgery, University of Chicago, Fuzhou University, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Ningxia Medical University, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, and Wuhan Neuracom Technology Development Co., Ltd, employed, “a novel approach for developing a multimodal 3D atlas of invasive BCIs in rats through multimodal fusion based on high-resolution T2 and TOF sequence MRI scans and micro-CT imaging”, which comprises the cranium, functional brain regions, vasculature and BCI devices, and uses mixed reality (MR) for creative visualization. This study successfully constructed the world's first micrometer-level 3D multimodal atlas integrating cranium, functional brain regions, cerebral vasculature, and invasive brain-computer interface devices, establishing a high-dimensional, high-precision visualization bridge for in-depth BCI research.
An invasive BCI was implanted in the left visual cortex of 4-week-old Sprague–Dawley rats and multimodal imaging techniques, like micro-CT and 9.4 T MRI, were used to acquire images of the rat cranial bone structure, vascular distribution, brain tissue functional zones, and BCI device before and after implantation. These images were then fused through spatial transformations using the 3D-slicer software, followed by image segmentation and 3D model reconstruction.
MRI T2 and TOF image sequence data were integrated to successfully establish a 3D atlas of brain functional parcellation and arterial vasculature, displaying the precise spatial and anatomical relationships among the 37 functional brain regions, including 19 cortical functional areas from frontal, lateral, and superior views. Similarly, the micro-CT scanning and 3D modeling data of BCI devices and cranial tissues were integrated to generate a comprehensive 3D atlas that incorporates the functional regions of brain tissue, cerebral arteries, BCI devices, and cranial structures, providing a detailed visualization of spatial relationships and anatomical organization of various components in the rat brain across the frontal, lateral and superior perspectives. The micrometer-level presentation of spatial relationships between BCI devices and brain tissues lays a solid foundation for precise and safe three-dimensional preoperative planning, intraoperative navigation, and postoperative evaluation of brain-computer interface surgeries.
Finally, using the HoloLens platform for MR visualization, the authors developed an interactive visualization atlas system incorporating BCI devices to enable the intuitive visualization and interaction of functional brain regions, arterial vasculature, cranial structures, and BCI devices. By magnifying the brain-computer interface and brain tissues hundreds of times in three-dimensional space, users can engage in three-dimensional interactive visualization between the real world of brain-computer interfaces and digital imaging, creating a novel paradigm for subsequent in-depth BCI research and medical education.
In conclusion, the authors of this study integrated multimodal imaging techniques and mixed reality to generate a comprehensive 3D atlas that “delineates the precise anatomical structures and spatial interrelationships among brain tissue, arterial vessels, BCI devices, and cranial tissues".
Reference
Title of the original paper: Construction of a Multimodal 3D Atlas for a Micrometer Scale Brain–Computer Interface Based on Mixed Reality
Journal: Current Medical Science
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11596-025-00033-3
Funding Information:
National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 82172524 and No. 81974355)
National Innovation Platform Development Program, China (No. 2020021105012440)
Major Program of Hubei Province, China (No. 2021BEA161)
Major Key Project of Hubei Province, China (No. JD2023BAA005)
Wuhan Union Hospital Free Innovation Preliminary Research Fund, China (No. 2024XHYN047)
Joint Funds for the Innovation of Science and Technology, Fujian Province, China. (No. 2024Y9062)