Effective cerebellar neuroprosthetic control after stroke

Rohit Rangwani; Aamir Abbasi; Tanuj Gulati

doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2025.116030

Effective cerebellar neuroprosthetic control after stroke

Cell Rep. 2025 Aug 26;44(8):116030. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2025.116030. Epub 2025 Jul 21.

Authors

Rohit Rangwani¹, Aamir Abbasi², Tanuj Gulati³

Affiliations

¹ Center for Neural Science and Medicine, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA; Department of Bioengineering, Henry Samueli School of Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
² Center for Neural Science and Medicine, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA.
³ Center for Neural Science and Medicine, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA; Department of Bioengineering, Henry Samueli School of Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Neurology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA; Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. Electronic address: tanuj.gulati@csmc.edu.

Abstract

Brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) offer a viable option for restoring function in patients with motor disabilities post-stroke. Most BMI systems rely on signals from the motor cortex (M1), which is often compromised after stroke. The cerebellum, a subcortical structure involved in motor control, remains an underexplored source for neuroprosthetic control. Using chronic electrophysiological recordings in a rat stroke model, we show that cerebellar neural activity can effectively drive BMI control, performing comparably to M1-driven control. We observed this even in animals with motor impairments post-stroke. Simultaneous M1-cerebellum recordings during cerebellar BMI control revealed that cerebellar "direct" neurons driving the interface were influenced by both local cerebellar and distant M1 neurons. While cerebellar influence remained stable, M1's interaction with cerebellar direct neurons shifted from longer to shorter timescales after stroke. These findings highlight that cerebellar direct neural control is possible in the stroke brain and reveal changes in M1-cerebellar network dynamics post-stroke.

Keywords: CP: Neuroscience; brain-machine interface; cerebellum; cortico-cerebellar network; inter-area communication; motor cortex; neural plasticity; neuroprosthetics; neurorehabilitation; post-stroke compensation; stroke.

MeSH terms

Animals
Brain-Computer Interfaces*
Cerebellum* / physiopathology
Disease Models, Animal
Male
Motor Cortex / physiopathology
Neurons / physiology
Rats
Stroke* / physiopathology

Abstract

MeSH terms

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