Publications by Nicolas Vachicouras

An application-based taxonomy for brain–computer interfaces

José del Rocio Millán Ruiz, Nicolas Vachicouras, Mahsa Shoaran

The term 'brain-computer interface' (BCI) is widely used. However, even among experts, its meaning can sometimes be unclear 1-3. Lack of clarity from the term has real-world implications: it can muddle regulatory guidelines, it may confuse investors, it ca ...

Springer Science and Business Media LLC2024

Implantable electrical/electronic biomedical device, system and methods for using the same

Ludovic Serex, Nicolas Vachicouras, Florian Dylan Fallegger, Stéphanie Lacour, Sukho Song

It is disclosed an implantable electrical/electronic biomedical device comprising: a) a reservoir (100) comprising an inlet (101) at a first end and a mechanical support (200) at a second, opposed end, and b) at least one electrode structure (300) deployab ...

2023

Method for labelling a device and devices obtanaible therefrom

Ludovic Serex, Nicolas Vachicouras, Florian Dylan Fallegger

Disclosed herein is a method for labelling a portion of a device, said method comprising the steps of providing a first substrate layer of a transparent or translucent material, depositing a first coloured material onto said first substrate layer in a labe ...

2022

Comparison of Responses to DCN vs. VCN Stimulation in a Mouse Model of the Auditory Brainstem Implant (ABI)

Nicolas Vachicouras, Stéphanie Lacour, Florent-Valéry Coen

The auditory brainstem implant (ABI) is an auditory neuroprosthesis that provides hearing to deaf patients by electrically stimulating the cochlear nucleus (CN) of the brainstem. Whether such stimulation activates one or the other of the CN's two major sub ...

SPRINGER2022

Viscoelastic surface electrode arrays to interface with viscoelastic tissues

Nicolas Vachicouras, Florian Dylan Fallegger, Stéphanie Lacour, Christina Myra Tringides, Alix Esther Anne Trouillet

Bioelectronic interfacing with living tissues should match the biomechanical properties of biological materials to reduce damage to the tissues. Here, the authors present a fully viscoelastic microelectrode array composed of an alginate matrix and carbon-b ...

Nature Research2021

Neuroprosthetic baroreflex controls haemodynamics after spinal cord injury

Jérôme Gandar, Giuseppe Schiavone, Nicolas Vachicouras, Florian Dylan Fallegger, Salif Axel Komi, Stéphanie Lacour, Arnaud Bichat, Grégoire Courtine, Quentin Barraud, Kay Alexander Bartholdi, Eduardo Martin Moraud, Marco Capogrosso, Mark Andrew Anderson, Fabien Bertrand Paul Wagner, Robin Jonathan Demesmaeker, Ileana Ozana Jelescu, Andreas Rowald, Newton Cho, Jocelyne Bloch, Claudia Kathe, Nicholas David James, Jordan Squair, Laura Ann McCracken, Matthieu Pierre Gautier, Loïs Thomas Romain Mahe, Jimmy James Ravier

Spinal cord injury (SCI) induces haemodynamic instability that threatens survival(1-3), impairs neurological recovery(4,5), increases the risk of cardiovascular disease(6,7), and reduces quality of life(8,9). Haemodynamic instability in this context is due ...

NATURE RESEARCH2021

Dimensional scaling of thin-film stimulation electrode systems in translational research

Giuseppe Schiavone, Nicolas Vachicouras, Stéphanie Lacour

Objective. Electrical stimulation of biological tissue is an established technique in research and clinical practice that uses implanted electrodes to deliver electrical pulses for a variety of therapies. Significant research currently explores new electro ...

2021

Soft, Implantable Bioelectronic Interfaces for Translational Research

Sébastien Jiguet, Giuseppe Schiavone, Nicolas Vachicouras, Florian Dylan Fallegger, Stéphanie Lacour, Grégoire Courtine, Marco Capogrosso, Evgenia Vladimirova Roussinova, Ivan Furfaro, Andreas Rowald, Beatrice Barra, Simon Borgognon, Jocelyne Bloch, Xiaoyang Kang, Ismael Seanez Gonzalez

The convergence of materials science, electronics, and biology, namely bioelectronic interfaces, leads novel and precise communication with biological tissue, particularly with the nervous system. However, the translation of lab‐based innovation toward cli ...

Wiley2020

Human Cochlear Nucleus on 7 Tesla Diffusion Tensor Imaging: Insights Into Micro-anatomy and Function for Auditory Brainstem Implant Surgery

Nicolas Vachicouras

Objective:The cochlear nucleus (CN) is the target of the auditory brainstem implant (ABI). Most ABI candidates have Neurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF2) and distorted brainstem anatomy from bilateral vestibular schwannomas. The CN is difficult to characterize as ...

LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS2020

Biomedical device comprising a mechanically adaptive member

Nicolas Vachicouras, Stéphanie Lacour, Jennifer Mary Adrienne Alice Macron

A biomedical device having improved handling features to be easily inserted into a cavity or recess is disclosed, as well as methods for using thereof, said device comprising a flat and soft substrate, comprising electrically conductive tracks, configured ...

2020

Stretchable cuff device

Giuseppe Schiavone, Ludovic Serex, Nicolas Vachicouras, Florian Dylan Fallegger, Valentina Marie Paggi

The invention features a cuff device comprising a support having a first end, a second end and an elongated body in between; connection means for electrical, magnetic and/or fluidic magnetic connection with external devices; at least one of i) an electrode ...

2020

Auditory Brainstem Implants: Recent Progress and Future Perspectives

Nicolas Vachicouras, Stéphanie Lacour

The auditory brainstem implant (ABI) was first developed nearly 40 years ago and provides auditory rehabilitation to patients who are deaf and ineligible for cochlear implant surgery due to abnormalities of the cochlea and cochlear nerve. The aims of the f ...

2019

Microstructured thin-film electrode technology enables proof of concept of scalable, soft auditory brainstem implants

Nicolas Vachicouras, Florian Dylan Fallegger, Stéphanie Lacour, Christina Myra Tringides, Jennifer Mary Adrienne Alice Macron, Yohann Daniel André Thenaisie, Valentina Marie Paggi

Auditory brainstem implants (ABIs) provide sound awareness to deaf individuals who are not candidates for the cochlear implant. The ABI electrode array rests on the surface of the cochlear nucleus (CN) in the brainstem and delivers multichannel electrical ...

2019

Soft microfabricated neural implants: a path towards translational implementation

Nicolas Vachicouras

Neuroprosthetics are a class of medical devices that aim to restore lost or impaired functions of the nervous system by electrical stimulation or recording of neural tissue. State of the art neural implants suffer today from a mechanical mismatch compared ...

EPFL2019

Auditory brainstem stimulation with a conformable microfabricated array elicits responses with tonotopically organized components

Amélie Anne Guex, Shreya Narasimhan, Nicolas Vachicouras, Stéphanie Lacour

2019

Long-term functionality of a soft electrode array for epidural spinal cord stimulation in a minipig model

Giuseppe Schiavone, Nicolas Vachicouras, Florian Dylan Fallegger, Stéphanie Lacour, Grégoire Courtine, Marco Capogrosso, Fabien Bertrand Paul Wagner, Beatrice Barra, Jocelyne Bloch, Xiaoyang Kang

IEEE2018

Engineering reversible elasticity in ductile or brittle thin films and products resulting from said engineering

Nicolas Vachicouras, Stéphanie Lacour, Christina Myra Tringides

The present invention relates to how to engineer reversible elasticity in thin films and/or layers and/or substrates, using a repeated Y-shaped motif, which is cut out throughout the film and/or layer and/or substrate. As an example, using a 75 μm thick po ...

2018

Long-term functionality of a soft electrode array for epidural spinal cord stimulation in a minipig model

Giuseppe Schiavone, Nicolas Vachicouras, Florian Dylan Fallegger, Stéphanie Lacour, Grégoire Courtine, Marco Capogrosso, Fabien Bertrand Paul Wagner, Beatrice Barra, Jocelyne Bloch, Xiaoyang Kang

Long-term biointegration of man-made neural interfaces is influenced by the mechanical properties of the implant materials. Substantial experimental work currently aims at replacing conventional hard implant materials with soft alternatives that can favour ...

IEEE2018

Engineering reversible elasticity in ductile and brittle thin films supported by a plastic foil

Nicolas Vachicouras, Stéphanie Lacour, Christina Myra Tringides

Reversible deformation is a unique property of elastic materials. Here, we design and fabricate highly stretchable multilayered films by patterning Y-shaped motifs through films of non- elastic materials, e.g. plastics, metals, ceramics. By adjusting the g ...

Elsevier Science Bv2017

Biomaterials. Electronic dura mater for long-term multimodal neural interfaces

Tomislav Milekovic, Léonie Asboth, Jérôme Gandar, Nicolas Vachicouras, Stéphanie Lacour, Arthur Edouard Hirsch, Silvestro Micera, Grégoire Courtine, Nikolaus Wenger, Ivan Rusev Minev, Quentin Barraud, Simone Ellen Joze Duis, Eduardo Martin Moraud, Pavel Musienko, Marco Capogrosso, Natalia Pavlova

The mechanical mismatch between soft neural tissues and stiff neural implants hinders the long-term performance of implantable neuroprostheses. Here, we designed and fabricated soft neural implants with the shape and elasticity of dura mater, the protectiv ...

American Association for the Advancement of Science2015