Past event
2024 Art-Science Morning
With support from Art Basel Paris contemporary art fair, the 13th edition of our Art-Science Morning took place on October 16, 2024 at Pavillon Ledoyen.
The leading cause of acquired physical disability in adults, 150,000 new strokes are recorded every year in France, affecting 1 in 5 people in their lifetime. During a stroke, every minute that passes causes the loss of thousands of neurons, requiring rapid intervention. The after-effects have an impact on all brain functions, and cause not only physical and cognitive disabilities but also a loss of autonomy that can lead to social isolation. The brain does however possess plasticity that gives hope for rehabilitation. Although this capacity decreases after 6 months, the brain is, in effect, able to reorganize itself. During this therapeutic window there is a field of action for brain-machine interfaces that aim to stimulate motor imagination, helping to rehabilitate post-stroke patients. Using brain signals to command external devices, the interface stimulates the reorganization of neural circuits, strengthening motor imagination and paving the way for non-invasive rehabilitation in patients suffering from motor disorders.
“A stroke is like a clap of thunder in a calm sky. This breakfast has become an unmissable event for philanthropists committed to supporting neuroscience research. As members of the Circle of Friends, your commitment is crucial to the lives of patients and the development of research at Paris Brain Institute.”
Professor Gérard Saillant, Honorary President of Paris Brain Institute
In conversation with the poet Laura Vazquez, generative artist Florian Zumbrunn and the Obvious collective, Fabrizio De Vico Fallani, NERV Lab team leader, and Dr. Camile Bousfiha, stroke expert and neurologist, presented their joint work on the brain-machine interface.
“Paris Brain Institute and Art Basel Paris share values of openness, a quest for excellence and audacity. This year the show takes place at the newly restored, iconic nave of the Grand Palais, and I look forward to continuing our support for Paris Brain Institute’s growth.”
Clément Delépine, Director of Art Basel Paris
Experts at the intersection of science and art
During the event, Fabrizio De Vico Fallani shared his pioneering work on brain-machine interfaces. He explained how these interfaces can help recreate neural pathways using patients’ motor imagination, a promising approach to aiding the recovery of lost functions. Using brain activity sensors, researchers are able to interpret patients’ intended movements and translate them into external commands or visualizations to improve rehabilitation.
“These interfaces go further than simply substituting a lost motor function and aim to restore communication between the brain and the limb, offering prospects for improving mobility and autonomy.”
Fabrizio De Vico Fallani, Team Leader of NERV at Paris Brain Institute
Alongside Fabrizio De Vico Fallani, Dr. Camile Bousfiha, stroke expert neurologist and researcher on the “NERV Lab” team at Paris Brain Institute, offered clinical insights into these technologies. He explained how, by stimulating specific areas of the brain, brain-machine interfaces can accelerate rehabilitation by making use of the brain’s plasticity. By aligning his clinical expertise with scientific and technological progress, Dr. Bousfiha is helping to develop concrete solutions for post-stroke patients.
“The aim of the Art-Science breakfast is simple: to accelerate research on brain and spinal cord conditions at Paris Brain Institute by providing the necessary funding.”
François Henrot, member of Paris Brain Institute Circle of Friends and event ambassador.
By reading her poems, Laura Vazquez, winner of the 2023 Prix Goncourt poetry award, offered a reflective pause in the morning’s proceedings. Generative artist Florian Zumbrunn, meanwhile, presented an original work that he had created after his meeting with the NERV Lab team and, more specifically, from data gathered from the works of Fabrizio De Vico Fallani and Dr. Camile Bousfiha. Using algorithms that translate brain rhythms into images, Florian Zumbrunn created an immersive visual installation capturing neural processes in action. After the event, Florian Zumbrunn offered the work to the donor who pledged the highest donation. Finally, the Obvious collective – a pioneer in the use of artificial intelligence for artistic creation – also contributed to the event by unveiling a work created from human-machine interactions. Their work offers a reflection on the contribution of scientific data to art, and how these two worlds can inspire each other. To support its research, the collective offered the work for sale to benefit Paris Brain Institute.
“Today we are inspired by researchers and artists, and by the hope offered to stroke patients by the work of Fabrizio De Vico Fallani and Dr. Camile Bousfiha.”
Serge Weinberg, Founding Member and President of Paris Brain Institute
