# Center for Advanced Muscle BioElectronics (CAMBER)

> **NIH NIH U24** · EMORY UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $807,213

## Abstract

A central goal of neuroscience is to discover how neural circuits control the body’s muscles to produce behavior.
However, despite recent advances in tools for studying brain activity, methods for examining the signals that
actually control behavior – spiking activity in muscle fibers – have advanced little since the 1950s, fundamentally
limiting our understanding of how the brain controls the body. By combining our expertise in electrophysiology
(Dr. Sober) and engineering (Dr. Bakir), we have created a new generation of microscale, high channel-count
electrode arrays that record muscle activity at unprecedented scale and resolution (single-unit spike trains in
muscle fibers) in freely behaving animals and from a range of species including mice, rats, songbirds, and
nonhuman primates. This technology is impactful because it allows precise monitoring of motor output in
conjunction with recording and manipulation of central neural circuits, consistent with the BRAIN Initiative’s goal
to reveal how patterns of activity in the central nervous system are transformed into motor behavior. To create
our tools, we have established a design, fabrication, and testing pipeline to create a number of well-tested
electrode designs that target forelimb, vocal, and orofacial muscles. Moreover, we surveyed the broader
community of researchers examining motor behavior to identify the shortcomings of current methods and to
prioritize array designs to address the same. We therefore propose to fabricate and distribute at least 2,500 of
our current devices to 100 researchers worldwide (Aim 1) and to develop virtual and in-person training modules
to teach users how to use our new technology (Aim 2) efficiently and at scale.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10865092
- **Project number:** 5U24NS126936-02
- **Recipient organization:** EMORY UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Muhannad  Bakir
- **Activity code:** U24 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $807,213
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-06-15 → 2028-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10865092

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10865092, Center for Advanced Muscle BioElectronics (CAMBER) (5U24NS126936-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-29 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10865092. Licensed CC0.

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