Niels Bierbaumer in 2017

Niels Birbaumer (born 11 May 1945) is an Austrian academic who served as a professor at the University of Tübingen until 2019.[1][2][3]

Research career

In 2017, Birbaumer's study claimed that a brain-computer interface (BCI) device, applied via an electrode cap, enabled four ALS patients to communicate binary responses.[4][5] This drew considerable attention due to its implications for quality of life.[4] However, the study's replicability was questioned, leading to a German Research Foundation (DFG) investigation, which found the research data incomplete and the results flawed.[4] As a result, Birbaumer's work was retracted, his funding revoked, and he was dismissed from the university.[4][6] He relocated to Italy.[4]

Despite the controversy, Birbaumer and his colleague Chaudhary received public support from several scientists.[4] Notably, the BCI technology, which was first demonstrated successfully in a tetraplegic patient in 2006, was applied in Birbaumer's research to a patient without any voluntary muscle control for the first time.[4]

The BCI was implanted in 2019 into the brain of a 34-year-old man with locked-in syndrome. After several trials, researchers decoded "yes" or "no" signals into sentences.[4] The study, which spanned 462 days, was meticulously documented.[4] Seward Rutkove, Chair of Neurology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, affirmed the BCI's efficacy but questioned its practicality due to cost and limited applicability.[4]

In March 2022, Birbaumer published a new study in Nature Communications that builds on his prior work.[4] Birbaumer and Chaudhary also claimed to have won lawsuits supporting the integrity of their PLOS report, showcasing the use of a BCI in a patient devoid of voluntary muscle control.[4]

In April 2022, DFG and Birbaumer settled the legal dispute.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "Authors. Niels Birbaumer". IEEE Xplore. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  2. ↑ "Untersuchungskommission stellt wissenschaftliches Fehlverhalten durch Tübinger Hirnforscher fest | University of Tübingen". uni-tuebingen.de.
  3. ↑ "Prof Niels Birbaumer". ABC Radio National.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Keshavan, Meghana (22 March 2022). "With new 'brain-reading' research, a once-tarnished scientist seeks redemption".
  5. ↑ "The Fall of Niels Birbaumer". Discover Magazine.
  6. ↑ Abbott, Alison (21 September 2019). "Prominent German neuroscientist committed misconduct in 'brain-reading' research". Nature. doi:10.1038/d41586-019-02862-4 – via www.nature.com.
  7. ↑ "DFG and Niels Birbaumer Settle Legal Dispute". www.dfg.de.
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