How the Brain Knows It's Wrong: Endogenous Error Detection in BCIs with Camille Gontier, PhD

🧠 What if your brain could realize it made a mistake before anyone else notices? Can a brain-computer interface (BCI) detect when you're going off track—and correct itself in real time?

In this compelling episode of Neurocareers: Doing the Impossible!, we sit down with Camille Gontier, PhD, to explore his BCI Award–nominated project: Endogenous modifications in M1 activity allow online error detection and correction in human BCI, developed at the Rehab Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh.

Camille shares how his team used intracortical recordings from the primary motor cortex (M1) to decode internal error signals—enabling a BCI system to slow down or stop unintended movements before they fully unfold. Discover how this real-time, feedback-free correction method could revolutionize precision in BCI applications, from neuroprosthetics to assistive technologies.

🔍 We dive into:

• How error detection works at the neural level—even before a mistake happens

• The design and implementation of a real-time error-sensing system

• What makes this work a translational leap in human BCI research

• Why this approach is especially powerful for tasks requiring high accuracy

But this episode goes beyond the tech.

Camille also shares:

• 💼 His unconventional path—from space engineering at Airbus to closed-loop neurotech

• 📚 His best advice for aspiring BCI researchers (hint: start with math and physics)

• 🏆 Tips on preparing a BCI Award submission—and why it's worth doing even if you don't win

Whether you're a student, a researcher, or just fascinated by the future of brain-machine interfaces, this episode is packed with insight, humility, and innovation.

🎧 Listen now to learn how the brain knows it's wrong—and how that knowledge is reshaping BCI performance.

📍 Find this and other episodes at 🔗 www.neuroapproaches.org/podcast 🎧 Also on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and all major platforms.

About the Podcast Guest:

Camille Gontier is a neuroengineer and brain-computer interface (BCI) researcher whose work bridges space engineering, neuroscience, and neural decoding.

He holds a Master's degree in space engineering from ISAE-Supaéro (Toulouse, France), with a dual diploma from HEC Paris, and a second Master's degree in neuroscience from ENS Ulm (Paris, France). During his graduate studies, he completed research placements at the French Space Agency (CNES) and the Center for Neuroprosthetics at EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland.

After two years working in industry as a development engineer at Airbus Defence and Space, Camille transitioned fully into neuroscience, earning his PhD in theoretical neuroscience (insigni cum laude) at the University of Bern under the supervision of Prof. Jean-Pascal Pfister.

Supported by a Postdoc Mobility grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation, he joined the Rehab Neural Engineering Labs (RNEL) at the University of Pittsburgh, where he worked with Prof. Jennifer Collinger on invasive BCI systems for motor control and error detection.

As of June 2025, Camille is a tenured faculty member (ISFP) at Inria, the French National Institute for Research in Digital Science and Technology. His current research focuses on closed-loop non-invasive BCIs for applications in psychiatric disorders, combining EEG, TMS, and adaptive neurotechnologies.

🔗 Learn more at: https://camillegontier.github.io/

About the Podcast Host:

The Neurocareers podcast is brought to you by The Institute of Neuroapproaches (https://www.neuroapproaches.org/) and its founder, Milena Korostenskaja, Ph.D. (Dr. K), a career coach for people in neuroscience and neurotechnologies. As a professional coach with a background in neurotech and Brain-Computer Interfaces, Dr. K understands the unique challenges and opportunities job applicants face in this field and can provide personalized coaching and support to help you succeed.

Here's what you'll get with one-on-one coaching sessions from Dr. K:

• Identification and pursuit of career goals
• Guidance on job search strategies, resume, and cover letter development
• Neurotech / neuroscience job interview preparation and practice
• Networking strategies to connect with professionals in the field of neuroscience and neurotechnologies
• Ongoing support and guidance to help you stay on track and achieve your goals

You can always schedule a neurocareer consultation/coaching session with Dr. K at https://neuroapproaches.as.me/free-neurocareer-consultation

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