Translational Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroengineering

TC2N is a team at the INCC that brings together a diverse group of scientists and clinicians with backgrounds in cognitive neuroscience, neuropsychology, theoretical physics, neurosurgery, and neuroengineering. The team includes collaborators from hospitals, industry, and interdisciplinary research centers. Our shared goal is to combine fundamental research on brain function with translational approaches to improve health outcomes and develop innovative technologies.

TC2N has two central objectives. First, we aim to develop theoretical models of cognitive processes such as perception, consciousness, and action. Second, we strive to apply this foundational research to clinical contexts and therapeutic innovation through a translational approach that integrates both typical and atypical populations. This dual orientation is made possible by strong collaborations with clinical institutions and access to patients with various neurological and developmental conditions.

Our research combines a wide range of methodologies, including intracranial recordings in epileptic patients, electrocorticography, fMRI, EEG, MEG, eyetracking, and pupillometry. We also design and implement virtual reality environments and develop Brain-Machine and Brain-Computer Interfaces (BMI and BCI) aimed at supporting individuals with acquired conditions (such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease, amputation, or tetraplegia) as well as developmental disorders (such as epilepsy, ASD, ADHD, or Friedreich’s ataxia).

Research topics

Our work is structured around four major research themes that each seek to bridge academic neuroscience with clinical and applied research:

Theme 1: From Brain Mechanisms of Conscious Perception in Typical Populations to Unconscious Processing in Brain-Damaged Patients
This theme investigates how the brain integrates conscious and unconscious processes to produce a unified, yet dynamic, subjective experience. Projects explore the neural mechanisms of perception in healthy individuals, develop diagnostic tools for assessing consciousness in patients with disorders of consciousness, examine the role of sleep and reward in memory consolidation, and investigate unconscious visual processing in cortically blind patients.

Theme 2: Neuro-Morphic Engineering
This research axis focuses on biologically inspired alternatives to traditional AI. We develop spiking neural networks and neuromorphic architectures for human-machine interfaces and autonomous systems. These models aim to combine biological plausibility with efficiency and adaptability, contributing to a better understanding of cognition and paving the way for next-generation intelligent systems.

Theme 3: Assessing and Restoring Cognitive Functions: From Perception to Action
In this theme, we use a variety of experimental techniques to study visual perception, attention, and action in both typical individuals and patients. We apply these insights to develop new diagnostic tools and rehabilitation technologies, including BCIs based on ideomotor principles, VR-based attention training for patients with spatial neglect, and robotic systems for post-stroke motor rehabilitation.

Theme 4: Understanding the Development of Cognitive Functions in Typical and Atypical Populations
Here, we investigate the role of vision in social interaction and develop participatory research projects on neurodevelopmental conditions, particularly autism spectrum disorders. This includes projects on visual fixation and sensory processing in urban environments, with the goal of improving inclusivity and well-being for neurodiverse individuals.

TC2N is committed to advancing both theoretical understanding and practical applications of cognitive neuroscience, bridging disciplines and communities to promote impactful research.

TEAM MEMBERS

Visiting scientists

Post docs and PhD students

Members

︾ PUBLICATIONS ︾