Takufumi Yanagisawa

About

Takufumi Yanagisawa is a pioneering neuroscientist and biomedical engineer whose research sits at the intersection of brain-machine interfaces (BMIs), sensorimotor plasticity, and neuropathic pain. His most influential work, "Induced sensorimotor brain plasticity controls pain in phantom limb patients" (2016, 79 citations), demonstrated that deliberately inducing cortical reorganization through BMI technology can alleviate phantom limb pain — a significant advance challenging conventional theories about maladaptive plasticity as an irreversible consequence of deafferentation. This finding opened transformative therapeutic possibilities for patients with brachial plexus injuries and amputations. Yanagisawa has also made substantial engineering contributions, developing W-HERBS, a fully implantable wireless BMI system enabling direct brain-controlled robotic limb movement (2011, 52 citations), and advancing decoder accuracy through robotic hand training paradigms. His 2020 nationwide survey of 780 ALS patients in Japan (20 citations) underscores his commitment to translating BMI research into real-world clinical applications for severely paralyzed individuals. Collectively, his work bridges fundamental neuroscience with assistive technology, offering hope to patients with motor disabilities and intractable pain, and establishing him as a key figure in clinical BMI research globally.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Induced sensorimotor brain plasticity controls pain in phantom limb patients

   79 citations · 2016
2. 2
   A Fully-Implantable Wireless System for Human Brain-Machine Interfaces Using Brain Surface Electrodes: W-HERBS

   52 citations · 2011
3. 3
   Nationwide survey of 780 Japanese patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: their status and expectations from brain–machine interfaces

   20 citations · 2020
4. 4
   Training in Use of Brain–Machine Interface-Controlled Robotic Hand Improves Accuracy Decoding Two Types of Hand Movements

   16 citations · 2018
5. 5
   MEG–BMI to Control Phantom Limb Pain

   11 citations · 2018
6. 6
   Using a BCI Prosthetic Hand to Control Phantom Limb Pain

   10 citations · 2019
7. 7
   Motor Restoration Based on the Brain–Machine Interface Using Brain Surface Electrodes: Real-Time Robot Control and a Fully Implantable Wireless System

   4 citations · 2012
8. 8
   S109 Magnetoencephalographic-based brain–machine interface robotic hand for controlling sensorimotor cortical plasticity and phantom limb pain

   1 citations · 2017

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links