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John Downey

TitleAssistant Professor
InstitutionUniversity of Chicago
DepartmentNeurological Surgery
AddressChicago IL 60637
ORCID ORCID Icon0000-0002-2992-2848 Additional info
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    Collapse Overview 
    Collapse overview
    I work to develop implanted Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) that will restore independence and capability to people with high-level paralysis or amputation. After placing electrodes in their brain, the BCI measures neural activity as they attempt to move their disabled hand and arm, using it to move a robotic prosthetic hand and arm instead. Once the prosthetic hand touches an object, the BCI provides electrical stimulation back into the brain, so they feel as though they are touching the object with their own hand. This provides them with natural, intuitive control over a prosthetic hand and arm while restoring their ability to feel and manipulate objects.

    My research program is focused on sensorimotor neuroscience and neuroengineering related to hand and arm control. I work to better understand how motor cortex controls functional hand and arm movements in increasingly natural situations, with the goal of improving BCI prosthetics.

    Collapse Biography 
    Collapse education and training
    Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MDBS12/2010Biomedical Engineering
    University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PAPh.D.07/2017Bioengineering

    Collapse Research 
    Collapse research activities and funding
    R01NS131953     (MILLER, LEE)Sep 18, 2023 - Aug 31, 2028
    NIH
    Development of an EMG-controlled BCI for biomimetic control of hand movement in humans
    Role: Co-Investigator
    R01NS130302     (DOWNEY, JOHN E)Aug 15, 2023 - Jul 31, 2028
    NIH
    Improved Brain-Computer Interface Decoding for Activities of Daily Life
    Role: Principal Investigator
    UH3NS107714     (BONINGER, MICHAEL L.)Sep 30, 2018 - Jun 30, 2024
    NIH
    A Biomimetic Approach Towards a Dexterous Neuroprosthesis
    Role: Co-Investigator

    Collapse Bibliographic 
    Collapse selected publications
    Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Faculty can login to make corrections and additions.
    Newest   |   Oldest   |   Most Cited   |   Most Discussed   |   Timeline   |   Field Summary   |   Plain Text
    PMC Citations indicate the number of times the publication was cited by articles in PubMed Central, and the Altmetric score represents citations in news articles and social media. (Note that publications are often cited in additional ways that are not shown here.) Fields are based on how the National Library of Medicine (NLM) classifies the publication's journal and might not represent the specific topic of the publication. Translation tags are based on the publication type and the MeSH terms NLM assigns to the publication. Some publications (especially newer ones and publications not in PubMed) might not yet be assigned Field or Translation tags.) Click a Field or Translation tag to filter the publications.
    1. Tortolani AF, Kunigk NG, Sobinov AR, Boninger ML, Bensmaia SJ, Collinger JL, Hatsopoulos NG, Downey JE. How different immersive environments affect intracortical brain computer interfaces. J Neural Eng. 2025 Feb 10; 22(1). PMID: 39883960; PMCID: PMC11809280.
      Citations: 1     Fields:    Translation:HumansCTClinical Trials
    2. Downey JE, Schone HR, Foldes ST, Greenspon C, Liu F, Verbaarschot C, Biro D, Satzer D, Moon CH, Coffman BA, Youssofzadeh V, Fields D, Hobbs TG, Okorokova E, Tyler-Kabara EC, Warnke PC, Gonzalez-Martinez J, Hatsopoulos NG, Bensmaia SJ, Boninger ML, Gaunt RA, Collinger JL. A Roadmap for Implanting Electrode Arrays to Evoke Tactile Sensations Through Intracortical Stimulation. Hum Brain Mapp. 2024 Dec 15; 45(18):e70118. PMID: 39720868; PMCID: PMC11669040.
      Citations: 7     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    3. Shelchkova ND, Downey JE, Greenspon CM, Okorokova EV, Sobinov AR, Verbaarschot C, He Q, Sponheim C, Tortolani AF, Moore DD, Kaufman MT, Lee RC, Satzer D, Gonzalez-Martinez J, Warnke PC, Miller LE, Boninger ML, Gaunt RA, Collinger JL, Hatsopoulos NG, Bensmaia SJ. Microstimulation of human somatosensory cortex evokes task-dependent, spatially patterned responses in motor cortex. Nat Commun. 2023 11 10; 14(1):7270. PMID: 37949923; PMCID: PMC10638421.
      Citations: 19     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    4. Flesher SN, Downey JE, Weiss JM, Hughes CL, Herrera AJ, Tyler-Kabara EC, Boninger ML, Collinger JL, Gaunt RA. A brain-computer interface that evokes tactile sensations improves robotic arm control. Science. 2021 05 21; 372(6544):831-836. PMID: 34016775; PMCID: PMC8715714.
      Citations: 165     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    5. Downey JE, Quick KM, Schwed N, Weiss JM, Wittenberg GF, Boninger ML, Collinger JL. The Motor Cortex Has Independent Representations for Ipsilateral and Contralateral Arm Movements But Correlated Representations for Grasping. Cereb Cortex. 2020 09 03; 30(10):5400-5409. PMID: 32494819.
      Citations: 13     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    6. Downey JE, Weiss JM, Flesher SN, Thumser ZC, Marasco PD, Boninger ML, Gaunt RA, Collinger JL. Implicit Grasp Force Representation in Human Motor Cortical Recordings. Front Neurosci. 2018; 12:801. PMID: 30429772; PMCID: PMC6220062.
      Citations: 12     
    7. Downey JE, Schwed N, Chase SM, Schwartz AB, Collinger JL. Intracortical recording stability in human brain-computer interface users. J Neural Eng. 2018 08; 15(4):046016. PMID: 29553484.
      Citations: 54     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    8. Downey JE, Brane L, Gaunt RA, Tyler-Kabara EC, Boninger ML, Collinger JL. Motor cortical activity changes during neuroprosthetic-controlled object interaction. Sci Rep. 2017 12 05; 7(1):16947. PMID: 29209023; PMCID: PMC5717217.
      Citations: 25     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    9. Downey JE, Weiss JM, Muelling K, Venkatraman A, Valois JS, Hebert M, Bagnell JA, Schwartz AB, Collinger JL. Blending of brain-machine interface and vision-guided autonomous robotics improves neuroprosthetic arm performance during grasping. J Neuroeng Rehabil. 2016 Mar 18; 13:28. PMID: 26987662; PMCID: PMC4797113.
      Citations: 32     Fields:    Translation:HumansCTClinical Trials
    10. Collinger JL, Wodlinger B, Downey JE, Wang W, Tyler-Kabara EC, Weber DJ, McMorland AJ, Velliste M, Boninger ML, Schwartz AB. High-performance neuroprosthetic control by an individual with tetraplegia. Lancet. 2013 Feb 16; 381(9866):557-64. PMID: 23253623; PMCID: PMC3641862.
      Citations: 649     Fields:    Translation:HumansCTClinical Trials
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