CorTec Brain Interface Electrodes Record Stable Signals for More Than Four Years

CorTec Brain Interface Electrodes Record Stable Signals for More Than Four Years

Peer-reviewed data from the 10th Graz BCI Conference show four years of electrode durability and signal stability in non-human primates — the longest observation period to date for CorTec’s electrode platform, which also powers the Brain Interchange system now in clinical evaluation at the University of Washington

Freiburg, Germany, October 21, 2026 — CorTec GmbH, a pioneer in fully implantable brain-computer interfaces (BCI), today announced peer-reviewed preclinical data showing robust neural recordings from its cortical surface electrodes for more than four years. The data come from two non-human primates (Macaca mulatta) implanted at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York with micro-electrocorticography (µECoG) arrays manufactured by CorTec in Freiburg. In the animal still under study, 63 of 64 electrode contacts continue to deliver meaningful signals more than four years after implantation. The results were presented at and published in the Proceedings of the 10th Graz Brain-Computer Interface Conference in September 2026.

Long-term stability matters to patients. Each replacement surgery adds risk. A BCI earns trust and a place in clinical care only when one implant serves for years or even decades.

What the study shows

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and CorTec recorded activity from prefrontal and premotor cortex while the animals performed a visual-motor reaction task, comparing recordings from three time points up to day 1,361 after implantation. Spatial patterns and spectral characteristics stayed stable and consistent across the full period. The recordings reliably showed differences between an alert, task-engaged state and a drowsy state — the type of difference a decoder, an algorithm used to classify and interpret brain signals, relies on.

In the animal still under study, one of 64 contacts stopped working after about 14 months; the remaining 63 continue to record more than four years after implantation, and additional recordings are obtained regularly. The first animal, implanted with a smaller eight-contact array, kept all contacts functional until the planned end of its study. Across both animals, no further contact has failed.

“We see the same brain signatures on day 176 and more than three and a half years later,” said Dr. C. A. Gkogkidis, Head of Clinical Business Development at CorTec and first author of the study. “A chronic BCI needs two things: long-term stability of materials and signals, and the ability to record meaningful, potentially decodable activity over years. Our data meet both. However, the current study is a snapshot of a larger data set; follow-up analysis will reveal the full picture.”

“The stability and longevity of the cortical recordings have advanced our understanding of central thalamic deep brain stimulation (CT-DBS), an investigational therapy aimed at restoring cognitive function following traumatic brain injury,” said Jonathan L. Baker PhD, Assistant Professor of Neuroscience, Weill Cornell Medicine.

From electrode to system to patient

The arrays rest on the dura, the protective membrane over the brain, and do not penetrate brain tissue. CorTec manufactures them in its Freiburg cleanrooms from medical-grade silicone and platinum-iridium — the same materials and methods used for the electrodes of Brain Interchange, CorTec’s fully implantable, wireless BCI system. The durability evidence now spans three levels:

• Electrode arrays. More than four years of stable recordings in non-human primates (this study).
• Complete wireless system. More than 500 days of stable recordings in non-human primates, published in Nature Scientific Data (2025). The new data more than double this.
• In the clinical setting. The complete Brain Interchange system remained implanted for nine months in the first participant of the NIH-funded stroke rehab study at the University of Washington (UH3NS121565; NCT06506279) and was then safely removed, as planned per the study protocol.

“Durability decides whether a brain implant becomes a therapy,” said Dr. Frank Desiere, CEO of CorTec. “Our electrodes rest on the brain surface and never enter brain tissue. Four years of stable signals show this approach holds up over time. With two FDA Breakthrough Device Designations, entry into the FDA TAP program and three patients implanted in Seattle this year, Brain Interchange has moved from technology to a clinical research platform for stroke, paralysis and epilepsy.”

Brain Interchange is being investigated as a therapeutic BCI to support motor recovery after stroke and as an assistive BCI to restore control of a computer cursor — both on identical hardware.

Brain Interchange at a glance

• Non-penetrating, wireless, battery-free. Electrodes rest on the brain surface; an external head piece powers the implant through the skin by inductive link.
• Bidirectional and closed-loop. Records brain activity and delivers targeted stimulation on the same 32 channels, with continuous streaming of raw brain data.
• Two FDA Breakthrough Device Designations (2026). Stroke motor rehabilitation (April) and communication in people with non-progressive quadriplegia (August). To CorTec’s knowledge, the only BCI designated for stroke motor rehabilitation.
• Clinical footprint. Three patients implanted in the NIH-funded, FDA-authorized IDE stroke study at the University of Washington (UH3NS121565; NCT06506279), including the first reported volitional BCI control by a person with chronic stroke (Graz BCI Conference, September 2026). 13 patients enrolled in the epilepsy study at Mayo Clinic (NCT05439655). More than 50 CorTec cortical electrodes implanted in humans over more than a decade.
• Regulatory record. FDA 510(k) clearance for AirRay subdural cortical electrodes (2019), FDA IDE (2024), FDA Total Product Life Cycle Advisory Program, TAP (2026).

Publications

• Gkogkidis, C. A., Schuettler, M., Ulloa, M., Ryou, J. W., Purpura, K. P., Baker, J. L. (2026). Epidural micro-ECoG provides a robust interface to the cortex over 4 years in non-human primates. Proceedings of the 10th Graz Brain-Computer Interface Conference 2026, 547. doi:10.3217/978-3-99161-093-9-094
• Sarma, D., Cho, H., … Ojemann, J. G., Herron, J. A. (2026). Volitional neural control with the CorTec Brain Interchange by an individual with chronic stroke. Proceedings of the 10th Graz Brain-Computer Interface Conference 2026, 588. doi:10.3217/978-3-99161-093-9-101
• Yang, H., … Yanagisawa, T. (2025). Nature Scientific Data. nature.com/articles/s41597-025-06359-w

About CorTec

CorTec GmbH is a clinical-stage neurotechnology company founded in 2010 in Freiburg, Germany, with one purpose: to restore independence to people with neurological conditions. CorTec is developing Brain Interchange™, a fully implantable bidirectional brain-computer interface (BCI) platform currently in FDA-authorized clinical evaluation in the United States, making CorTec the first European company to reach this stage. The device holds two FDA Breakthrough Device Designations: one for stroke motor rehabilitation (April 2026) and a second for communication (August 2026), and it has been admitted to the FDA’s Total Product Life Cycle Advisory Program (TAP). CorTec also operates a revenue-generating contract development and manufacturing (CDMO) business, supplying active implantable technology to partners across the global neurotechnology field, extending the reach of these technologies beyond what any single company could achieve alone.

CorTec — fighting neurological conditions with implantable neurotechnology.

Media assets

Participant video, UW Medicine (2 min): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNXBe8P4Tz8

Company introduction: https://youtu.be/b-lHrH0IqQA

Webinar, Prof. Dr. Jeffrey G. Ojemann on three-patient results: https://youtu.be/Lh5KSRP2YjQ

Disclaimer: Brain Interchange is an investigational device and has not received FDA marketing authorization. The four-year and 500-day results come from preclinical studies in non-human primates. The 2019 FDA 510(k) clearance (K183437) covers AirRay subdural cortical electrodes for temporary use (less than 30 days) and does not cover Brain Interchange. AirRay is not currently available for clinical use in the United States. FDA Breakthrough Device Designation does not change the requirements for marketing authorization and does not guarantee approval. Statements regarding CorTec’s plans, future indications and commercialization intentions are forward-looking and subject to risks and uncertainties.