From the Andes to the Caribbean, scientific research in the global south crosses different cultural and structural experiences, seeking to transform social reality. It proposes solutions to global challenges and recognizes researchers from the region as essential to scientific knowledge. In this sense, the exchange of knowledge emerges as one of the primary factors for scientific integration.
It is in this context that the Instituto Santos Dumont (ISD), a social organization located in Macaíba that works in research in neuroengineering and neurosciences and in maternal and child health and people with disabilities, operates with an open door policy, receiving, every year , researchers from around the world.
Between 2022 and 2023, most of the external researchers who carried out their research with ISD teachers and students came from other Latin American countries. This is the case of Cristian Blanco-Diaz, Ximena Gonzalez and Juan Lucas García Osorio, born in Colombia, who carried out research at different stages of their academic training.
Biomedical engineer by Universidad Antonio Nariño, in Colombia, It is master in electrical engineering from UFES, the researcher Christian Blanco-Diaz came to ISD in 2023 with a mission: to improve her knowledge about neurorehabilitation and contribute to the technological development of the area. At ISD, Cristian was guided by the Institute's professor-researcher, Denis Delisle Rodriguez, born in Cuba and worked with Ximena Gonzalez, also Colombian, in the development of brain-computer interfaces (BCI) based on walking motor imagery, in the rehabilitation of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI).
Combined with gait movement training on the Lokomat, a robotic treadmill device used in rehabilitation, ICC made it possible to simultaneously offer physical and neural rehabilitation, effectively training the act of walking again. Together with physiotherapist and master's student in Neuroengineering, Ericka Serafini, the interface developed by Cristian was used in interventions with patients diagnosed with spinal cord injury. With the studies, an improvement in the behavior of the individuals' cortical brain, functional improvements in bladder control and improvement in sensorimotor perception were observed.
“As a researcher, I can say that the results of my visit to ISD brought two contributions: one in the field of human-machine interfaces and the other in the field of neurorehabilitation. Our preliminary results suggest that our system could be used for rehabilitation and could have a greater clinical impact compared to conventional therapies”, highlights Cristian.
One of the works resulting from this study, in which Ericka Serafini and professor Denis Delisle participated, was accepted as a scientific article in the journal IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, one of the largest publications in the area of biomedical engineering.
“Every year, we have foreign visiting students coming from highly prestigious universities with the purpose of studying subjects and working on projects related to their topics of interest, taking advantage of ISD's incomparable infrastructure and the knowledge of our professionals and students. But beyond academic training, the exchange provides a unique opportunity to share different cultures, including learning popular languages, such as Spanish, English, and Portuguese itself”, highlights Delisle.
The person who also developed brain-computer interfaces was Ximena Gonzalez, an electrical engineer from the Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica da Colombia and a master in electrical engineering from the Federal University of Espírito Santo (UFES). She also worked alongside Denis Delisle on two ICCs, focusing on the lower limbs.
With the first, he monitored the level of contraction of the feet during dorsiflexion (movement of flexing the toes towards the leg), with the aim of collecting and processing brain signals and carrying out stimulation based on this. The second focused on walking speed, stimulating different leg muscles to control walking. Ximena used Neurofeedback combined with Zero G equipment, a gait assistance device, using brain signals captured by electroencephalography (EEG).
The final proposal is to enable complete rehabilitation through technology, which can also be applied to other muscles, depending on the patient's needs. The work was taken to the “International Conference on Control, Automation and Diagnosis”, in Paris, France. Furthermore, an article derived from the study developed at ISD is on the list of finalists for the IEEE/RAS-EMBS Best Student Awards, an international award from the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.
“The period at ISD was very important for my doctorate, as I was able to develop ICCs that can be used in our research laboratory at UFES and also be applied to patients who have suffered a stroke or complete spinal cord injury. Participation in international events are examples of what allows other countries to learn about our work, our research, highlighting what is done in Brazil and Latin America”, considers researcher Ximena Gonzalez.
Results beyond laboratories
Juan Lucas Garcia Osório was studying the last period of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science at the Universidad del Rosario, in Colombia, when he came to Macaíba to be a visiting researcher at ISD. At the Institute, he developed part of his final project, a brain-computer interface aimed at the inclusion of people with disabilities in the job market. As a result, Juan Lucas' work was awarded the Thesis of Merit Award by the Universidad del Rosario.
Juan Lucas' research was also developed with guidance from Professor Denis Delisle. They worked on developing a brain-computer interface that responds to evoked visual potentials and provides feedback through serious gameplay. “During my time at ISD, I had the opportunity to test this system with patients who had motor disabilities, which allowed us to evaluate its effectiveness and make the necessary adjustments to improve its functionality,” explains Juan.
“My visit to the institute allowed me to improve techniques and expand my knowledge as a researcher. Being able to test my system on patients who needed it was an experience that changed my way of thinking and my approach to research. Without a doubt, I experienced exponential growth as a researcher during my stay at ISD, which not only benefited my current research, but also equipped me for future projects”, adds the researcher.
Move La América
One of the opportunities for exchange and promotion of research is the Move La América Program, organized by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Capes). The objective is to offer internships, research, extension activities and subjects in Postgraduate Programs (PPG) at Brazilian Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) for foreign students from Latin America and the Caribbean.
The program offers scholarships in master's and sandwich doctorate modalities in Brazil, always in areas related to your area of expertise. ISD is one of the participating institutions, offering 10 master's degrees for foreign postgraduate students from Latin America and the Caribbean. The vacancies are for the master's degree in the institution's Postgraduate Program in Neuroengineering (PPGN).
Find out more at www.isd.org.br > Teaching > Move La América.
About ISD
The Santos Dumont Institute (ISD) is a Social Organization linked to the Ministry of Education (MEC) and includes the Edmond and Lily Safra International Neuroscience Institute and the Anita Garibaldi Center for Health Education and Research, both in Macaíba. ISD's mission is to promote education for life, forming citizens through integrated teaching, research and extension actions, in addition to contributing to a fairer and more humane transformation of Brazilian social reality.
