Maryam Saleh

Neurotech (United States), University of Chicago

Papers

Total Citations

3,390

H-Index

About

Dr. Maryam Saleh is a pioneering neuroscientist whose research sits at the intersection of motor cortex physiology and brain-computer interface (BCI) technology. Her most impactful work, the landmark 2006 study "Neuronal ensemble control of prosthetic devices by a human with tetraplegia," has garnered over 3,300 citations, demonstrating its foundational role in translating neural activity into real-world assistive devices. This study provided the first compelling evidence that humans with paralysis could directly control a prosthetic hand using signals recorded from motor cortex neuronal ensembles, opening a new frontier in neuroprosthetics. In her 2010 work, Saleh delved deeper into the neural encoding of naturalistic hand movements, specifically the coordinated grasp trajectories involved in prehension. By developing an encoding model of hand kinematics, she revealed that primary motor cortex neurons represent temporally extended sequences of movement, challenging simpler models of motor control. Her contributions have not only advanced fundamental understanding of motor cortical function but have also directly shaped the design of more intuitive, dexterous neural prosthetics, making her a key figure in translational neuroscience.