Miguel Nicolelis, one of the pioneers of modern neuroscience.

Miguel Nicolelis occupies a second-generation, paradigm-expanding position among the pioneers of multi-neuron recording. He did not make the first simultaneous recordings in awake brains—but he radically changed the scale, purpose, and conceptual meaning of those recordings. Where Miguel Nicolelis fits among the pioneer Historical placement (simplified timeline) 1950s–60sHubel & WieselAwake single / few-neuron recordings 1970s–80sO’Keefe, EvartsBehavior-linked neurons 1990s–2000sNicolelisLarge neural populations + decoding + control 2010s–nowNeuropixels era Thousands of neurons simultaneously Nicolelis enters decisively in the 1990s. What Nicolelis did that was genuinely new 1. Population-level recordings as the core unit Earlier pioneers: Recorded a few neurons at once Still conceptually focused on single neurons Nicolelis: Used large multi-electrode arrays (dozens → hundreds of neurons) Treated neural populations as the fundamental computational unit Explicitly rejected the idea that “one neuron = one function” This was a conceptual rupture, not just a technical upgrade. 2. Real-time decoding of intention Nicolelis showed that: The combined activity of many neurons could be decoded in real time This activity represented intentions before movement This led directly to: Brain–Machine Interfaces (BMIs) Animals (and later humans) controlling: Robotic arms Computer cursors Exoskeletons without moving their bodies This went far beyond observation: it was causal intervention. 3. Closed-loop brain–body systems Earlier work: Brain → recording → analysis (offline) Nicolelis: Brain → decoding → machine → feedback → brain Demonstrated neural plasticity adapting to artificial bodies Showed the brain can incorporate tools as extensions of itself This culminated in: The 2014 World Cup kickoff exoskeleton Proof that brains can re-map themselves onto non-biological bodies Conceptual contribution (why he matters philosophically) Nicolelis helped establish that: The brain is a dynamic, distributed system—not a collection of independent feature detectors. Key ideas he normalized: Neural meaning is emergent Information is redundant and collective Conscious control does not require awareness of individual neurons This directly influenced: Systems neuroscience Embodied cognition Neuroprosthetics AI-inspired population coding models How he compares to earlier pioneers ScientistLegacyHubel & WieselStructure of perception O’KeefeCognitive maps BuzsákiRhythms & coordination NicolelisAction, embodiment, and control Nicolelis is best described as: The pioneer who turned multi-neuron recording from a measurement tool into an interface between mind and world. One-sentence summary Miguel Nicolelis stands among the pioneers as the scientist who transformed simultaneous neural recording into a functional, embodied, population-based language—allowing brains not just to be observed, but to act directly upon the world.