Brain-computer interfaces as a causal probe for scientific inquiry.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Computational Neuroscience
• Biophysics

Background:

• Establishing causal links between neural activity and brain function necessitates experimental manipulation of neural signals.
• Current perturbation methods often involve direct application of external stimuli to the brain.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) as an alternative approach for perturbing neural activity.
• To highlight the potential of BCIs for flexible, accurate, and biophysically constrained neural manipulation.
• To compare BCIs with existing perturbation methods and discuss their expanded research scope.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) and neural perturbation techniques.
• Analysis of BCIs' capabilities in leveraging volitional control for neural manipulation.
• Comparative assessment of BCIs against traditional perturbation methods.

Main Results:

• BCIs can causally perturb neural activity by leveraging volitional control.
• BCIs offer flexibility, accuracy, and adherence to biophysical constraints in neural manipulation.
• BCIs expand the range of questions addressable regarding brain function and neural population activity.

Conclusions:

• BCIs represent a promising tool for investigating causal relationships in neuroscience.
• The unique capabilities of BCIs offer advantages over traditional perturbation methods.
• Further exploration of BCIs will enhance our understanding of brain function.