This is a highly selective program, which supports projects likely to lead to breakthrough innovations. Cerebro: selected as part of the European EIC Pathfinder OpenĬerebro has been selected as part of the European ' EIC Pathfinder Open' program, run by the European Innovation Council. IMT Atlantique is in charge of signal processing and modelling, in collaboration with a radiologist and a neurosurgeon from Brest University Hospital, who are providing feedback on patient acceptability.

The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) is also a partner. The project brings together a number of partners: the Politecnico di Torino, which is coordinating the project and working on the development of the contrast agent, the Université de Bretagne Occidentale (UBO), and G.Tech, an Austrian SME which specializes in measuring devices and electrodes. Several avenues are being explored in this respect. The most delicate and innovative part lies in the development of a completely harmless contrast agent. Our approach is different: we first seek to change the information,' emphasises François Rousseau, professor in the Image and Information Processing (ITI) department. ' In brain imaging, most players seek to extract as much information as possible from the image obtained. Numerous partners involvedĬompared to the traditional electroencephalogram, Cerebro introduces a real paradigm shift: the entire signal transmission and processing chain changes. The Cerebro team will use algorithms used in oceanography, for example, as well as deep learning techniques. And second, to use new ways of both recovering this signal and measuring it better, using data analysis methods.' ' Our objective is twofold,' explains Adrien Merlini, a teacher-researcher in the Microwaves (MO) department at IMT Atlantique, ' first, to modify the electrical signal emitted by the brain in order to facilitate its transmission, thanks to the contrast agent. This is done by injecting an electronic 'contrast agent' into the patient's bloodstream to obtain a precise reading of the signal without opening the cranium. In contrast, Cerebro's approach aims to increase the resolution of non-invasive imaging to achieve the same level of accuracy as invasive methods. Cerebro aims to modify the electrical signal emitted by the brain

And above all, they are highly invasive: they require trepannation of the patient's skull.įrançois Rousseau, professor in the Image and Information Processing Department (ITI) and Adrien Merlini, teacher-researcher in the Microwave Department (MO). Both methods give good results - but only give access to local brain activity information. To avoid this shielding effect, the electrodes can be implanted under the skull (called ECoG) or in the cerebral cortex (StereoEEG). However, resolution remains poor because the skull, which is highly resistive, hinders the transmission of the signal. This is performed by placing electrodes on the patient's scalp. Until now, brain activity is classically mapped using the electroencephalogram (EEG). This would constitute a landmark achievement in neuroscience, particularly for the screening, diagnosis and treatment of diseases (epilepsy, cancer, etc.). Cerebro aims to non-invasively obtain precise and comprehensive brain activity information, thanks to an innovative contrast agent. A major breakthrough may be in the offing in the field of brain imaging thanks to the Cerebro project, which includes a number of IMT Atlantique researchers.

Cerebro medical term