Career
Hatsopoulos began his academic career at Brown University, serving as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow from 1995 to 1998 and Assistant Professor of Research until 2001. In 2002, he joined the University of Chicago as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, advancing to Associate Professor in 2008 and full Professor in 2013, a position he still holds. [1] He served as Chairman of the Committee on Computational Neuroscience from 2008 to 2015 and Co-Director of the Center for Integrative Neuroscience and Neuroengineering Research (CINNR) from 2011 to 2014. [1]
He has held editorial roles, including Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering and Frontiers in Neuroprosthetics, and served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Neural Engineering and the Journal of Neurophysiology. [8] [9] Hatsopoulos co-founded Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems, serving on its Board of Directors to advance neural prosthesis technologies. [5] [6]
Research and contributions
Hatsopoulos' research investigates the neural basis of motor control and learning, focusing on how motor cortex neurons encode movement and how these patterns evolve. His work has advanced neural interface systems, with applications in prosthetics for motor-impaired individuals. [3]
Motor cortex encoding
Hatsopoulos demonstrated that interactions among motor cortex neurons refine movement direction coding, improving decoding accuracy beyond individual neuron activity. [10] His group was the first to show that motor cortex neurons exhibit "mirror-like" responses to observed movements, similar to active movements. [11] He also found that motor cortex neurons encode complex velocity trajectories, termed "pathlets," rather than single velocities. [12] [13] [14] [15]
With colleagues, he discovered that beta-range oscillatory waves in the motor cortex encode movement information through latency and amplitude, aiding communication during motor tasks. [16] His group further showed that beta amplitude attenuation and high gamma activity propagation facilitate movement initiation and encode hand velocity. [17] [18]
Neural interface systems
Hatsopoulos co-developed technologies for neural interfaces, enabling real-time control of movement using motor cortex signals. His research showed monkeys could guide a cursor with minimal training, advancing prospects for prosthetic control in paralyzed individuals. [19] His contributions are often cited in discussions on brain–computer interfaces and their psychological implications. [20] He patented microstructured electrode arrays for stable brain signal sensing. [21] His work on neural interfaces explores decoding movement intentions for both basic scientific understanding as well as clinical applications. [22]
Hatsopoulos has made fundamental contributions to the field of brain–computer interfaces as a leading member of the first group to implant human patients with multi-electrode arrays in the motor cortex, enabling them to control external devices through thought. [23]
This pioneering work laid the foundation for modern clinical brain–computer interface research, which continues to advance toward aiding individuals with severe motor disabilities. [24] [25] Hatsopoulos and collaborators are also working to augment these interfaces with artificial somatosensory feedback by electrically stimulating the somatosensory cortex to restore the sense of touch. [26] [27] [28]
Other contributions
Hatsopoulos co-authored MATLAB for Neuroscientists: An Introduction to Scientific Computing in MATLAB (1st and 2nd editions), a resource for neuroscience students praised as "an ambitious work" by William Grisham. [29]
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