Closed-loop enhancement and neural decoding of cognitive control in humans
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Updated: Oct 14, 2025
Closed-loop Neuro-robotic Experiments to Test Computational Properties of Neuronal Networks
Published on: March 2, 2015
Ishita Basu1, Ali Yousefi1,2, Britni Crocker3
1Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Abstract:
Deficits in cognitive control-that is, in the ability to withhold a default pre-potent response in favour of a more adaptive choice-are common in depression, anxiety, addiction and other mental disorders. Here we report proof-of-concept evidence that, in participants undergoing intracranial epilepsy monitoring, closed-loop direct stimulation of the internal capsule or striatum, especially the dorsal sites, enhances the participants' cognitive control during a conflict task. We also show that closed-loop stimulation upon the detection of lapses in cognitive control produced larger behavioural changes than open-loop stimulation, and that task performance for single trials can be directly decoded from the activity of a small number of electrodes via neural features that are compatible with existing closed-loop brain implants. Closed-loop enhancement of cognitive control might remediate underlying cognitive deficits and aid the treatment of severe mental disorders.
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