Youichi Saitoh

About

Youichi Saitoh is a leading researcher in the intersection of neurorehabilitation and pain management, with a primary focus on phantom limb pain and brain-machine interfaces (BMIs). His work centers on the maladaptive reorganization of the sensorimotor cortex following deafferentation, and he has pioneered the use of BMIs to induce beneficial neuroplasticity. Saitoh’s most influential study (79 citations) demonstrated that induced sensorimotor brain plasticity can control pain in phantom limb patients, challenging and refining existing theories of cortical reorganization. He has further advanced this field by developing magnetoencephalographic (MEG)-based BMI systems that decode hand movements to control robotic prosthetics, showing that such training improves decoding accuracy and reduces phantom limb pain. His 2018 study on BMI-controlled robotic hands (16 citations) highlights the therapeutic potential of these devices for restoring motor function and alleviating neuropathic pain. Saitoh’s work has been instrumental in translating BMI technology from basic neuroscience to clinical applications, offering new hope for patients with brachial plexus root avulsion and amputation-related pain. His contributions have established him as a key figure in the use of non-invasive brain imaging and neurofeedback for pain control.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

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

   79 citations · 2016
2. 2
   Training in Use of Brain–Machine Interface-Controlled Robotic Hand Improves Accuracy Decoding Two Types of Hand Movements

   16 citations · 2018
3. 3
   MEG–BMI to Control Phantom Limb Pain

   11 citations · 2018
4. 4
   Using a BCI Prosthetic Hand to Control Phantom Limb Pain

   10 citations · 2019
5. 5
   S109 Magnetoencephalographic-based brain–machine interface robotic hand for controlling sensorimotor cortical plasticity and phantom limb pain

   1 citations · 2017

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links