Neurotech Notables #47: Feb 1-15, 2026

NeuroAI, TMS, Commercial Deals, Grant Awards, & More

Happy Monday, Readers ☀️

As the nationwide cold snap thaws, neurotech is still heating up across the board. Here are notable developments from the last two weeks:

• Neuro x AI: As the public AI discourse evolves amidst historic funding, soaring valuations, and departure of safety leaders from top labs, two new deals harnessing neurobiological and real-world multimodal data bet on new paths forward.

• Business Bets: Apple’s latest acquisition shows Big Tech is keen on face and voice tracking. Snap spins out their AR work. Naqi buys Wisear with an all-stock offer. Divergence partners with Mobio for Stress detection. Openwater & Tiesa partner on mental health research, while Cumulus, Soin, and Cognision announce platform news in life sciences.

• TMS Speeds Up: In a landmark decision, Cigna will remove Prior Authorization, historically a major impediment to access. The timing is critical as accelerated protocols advance, with Magnus announcing their first trial participant treated for post-partum depression, and Ampa partnering with a new clinic.

• New Opportunities: ARIA’s second major neurotech program (er, I mean programme) will launch later this month, along with openings at the Paris Brain Institute and research grants announced by Emotiv and OpenBCI. Meanwhile, OneMind revealed their latest cohort of companies, and Ochsner announced a new neuro clinic

• New Research on Parkinson’s disease suggests an underlying network disorder that results in a “stuck” signal. PD patient & advocate Ben Stecher puts it thus: “We are no longer just chasing dopamine; we are tuning the instrument. We are learning to quiet the hyperconnectivity and restore the natural rhythms of the brain.”

As usual: Scroll down for other commercial news, regulatory coverage, industry buzz, research papers, and more, including recent analysis we’ve published here.

Finally, I’m excited to share that some large new ecosystem partnerships are underway at Neurotech Futures. Stay tuned for new content and events heading your way, upgrade your subscription, and hit reply to partner up!

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Interested in Becoming an Ecosystem Partner? Inquire today.

• Resonant Link Medical: Make your implantable smaller, smarter, and longer lasting with Vivigo™ by Resonant Link Medical. 20-minute wireless charging across a wide range delivers fast, uninterrupted power—without compromise.

• NANS: Share your expertise across key neuromodulation areas—including basic science, neural engineering, and clinical innovation—by submitting a session proposal for NANS 2027 Annual Meeting; proposals due March 10th.

• TTP: Medical device development: getting the balance of compliance right - Think about compliance early when developing implantable or wearable devices, but don’t let it become a burden. What really matters at the start to set up downstream success? Read the full insight.

• Datwyler: With top performance, certified biocompatibility, dry use, custom design and scalable manufacturing, SoftPulse® electrodes are best positioned to support wearables for Health & Medical applications. Join us at the HealthTech Global Summit in Basel March 3-5 to learn more.

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Funding

• The Biological Computing Company raises $25M Seed (Primary VC)

• From January: Constellation Systems, Inc raises ~$10M to build foundational models of the human brain (Linkedin)

• Vivatronx’s spinal stimulation device for paralysis bags Rs 1-crore funding (Deccan Herald)

• ARIA Announces newest programme: Massively Scalable Neurotechnologies (ARIA | March 02 Webinar)

• Dr. Brett Youngerman receives NIH UG3-UH3 grant to advance a next-generation neural interface for epilepsy monitoring and brain mapping (Linkedin)

• One Mind Accelerator Announces Fourth Cohort of Startups, Advancing Mental Health Innovation (One Mind | Linkedin)

Commercial

• Apple’s second biggest acquisition ever is Q.ai, AI company that listens to ‘silent speech’ (The Verge)

• Wisear acquired by Naqi Logix Inc. (Linkedin)

  • Thanks to the anonymous sleuth who dug up the SEC filing revealing this was an $11.7m all stock deal.

• Divergence Neuro and Mobio Interactive Announce Strategic Partnership for Real-Time Stress Detection (Divergence)

  • See ‘Research’ below for stress tracking with M&M

• Openwater’s Open-LIFU Device Supports Concierge Mental Health Research with TIESA (EIN Presswire)

• Ampa welcomes Bridge Medical Neurology to the Ampa community as the first neurology clinic partner (Linkedin)

• Cigna Removes TMS Prior Authorization: Exactly What Clinics Should Do Starting March 6, 2026 (Rise)

• Magnus Medical launches pivotal trial in Post-Partum Depression (Morningstar | Linkedin)

• Cumulus Neuroscience Enters Japanese Market to Advance Novel Cognitive Biomarkers with Shionogi & Co., Ltd. (Cumulus | Linkedin)

• Soin Neuroscience and Lilac Biosciences Launch Collaboration to Study RNA Signatures in Pain and Neuromodulation(BioSpace)

• Theranica Announces U.S. Coverage for Nerivio Reaching ~130 Million Lives, Attaining Payers Scale Comparable to Leading Migraine Drugs (PR Newswire)

• CorTec announces Successful Second Human Implantation of Its Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) System (Globe Newswire | Linkedin)

• Cognision Launches Cognision 360: A Unified Platform Transforming Neurobiomarker Acquisition, Processing, and Analysis in CNS Clinical Trials (Linkedin)

• Kneu Health Recruits Exceptional Leadership Team to Scale Neurodegenerative Care Across U.S. Health Systems (PR Newswire)

• Adnan Ashraf joins Motif Neurotech as Senior Embedded Systems Engineer (Motif Neurotech)

• Brent Madigan is new VP of Sales at Sense Neuro Diagnostics (Linkedin)

• 150 Practices Join BrainCheck in 2025 as New Cognitive Care Workflows Scale Nationwide (Yahoo Finance)

• Snap Spins Out AR Specs Into Its Own Subsidiary (Upload)

• Muse Brings Deep Sleep Stimulation Home (Business Wire)

• Boston Scientific announces results for fourth quarter and full year 2025 (PR Newswire)

• T.J. Samson Community Hospital is proud to be the first healthcare provider in the U.S. to offer BrainWatch from Natus (T.J. Regional Health)

• Nexalin Launches Neurocare, an AI-Driven Virtual Clinic Designed to Transform Access for Patients with Alzheimer’s, Mood Disorders, TBI & PTSD Care (Globe Newswire)

• Siemens Healthineers and Mayo Clinic expand strategic collaboration to enhance patient care for Neurology and other areas (Mayo Clinic)

• Kintsugi announces shutdown of its commercial operations (Linkedin)

Regulatory

• Encora Therapeutics Receives FDA 510(k) Clearance for Encora X1™, a Breakthrough Wearable Device for Essential Tremor (BusinessWire)

• Sonorous gains US FDA breakthrough designation to treat pulsatile tinnitus with novel BosSTENT device (Neuro News)

• Canada’s Privacy Commissioner Adds Neural Data to its Interpretation Bulletin on Sensitive Information, Making Canada the First Country to Protect Neural Data on a National Level (Mailchi)

• SCIRP Funding Partially Restored (u2fp) & Hearing Set on Spinal Cord Injury Funding Boost (EIN Presswire)

• AdvaMed names Melissa Torres as new leader for technology and regulatory affairs (Med Tech Drive)

• Town Hall - Use of Real-World Evidence to Support Regulatory Decision-Making for Medical Devices, Final Guidance (FDA)

• Students, faculty mystified as NSF turns back applications for prestigious fellowship program (Stat)

• 27 UNIHTED discusses SBIR/STTR reauthorization efforts (Linkedin)

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📍Community Board

🆕Post an ad - Highlight key news, events, roles, or opportunities to connect!

• NeuroBionics: New Jobs! Operations Manager, Program Manager, Strategic Marketing Lead (Upstream), Senior Manufacturing Technician. Follow us on LinkedIn for our latest company updates.

• OctaneOC: Octane’s Neurotech Forum announced for March 26-27, 2026. Let me know if you are an investor or startup interested in attending!

• BADASS Labs: Unlock Your Potential: Why Fearless Founders Choose a Biotech Incubator in the Bay Area - Read More & Inquire Today

• NeuroNYC announces updated directory and public resources (Linkedin)

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Industry

• Ochsner to open first-of-its-kind neuroscience institute by year’s end (WWLTV)

• Early Diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment in Primary Care (Clinical Advisor)

• We Can Now Measure the Sleeping Brain (Neurotech Napkin)

• The Future of Whole Brain Emulation (Substack)

• Connectome publishes manifesto for brain data platform (Connectome)

• Neuspera Medical Announces Milestone Case of Traditional Sacral Neuromodulation (SNM) System Removed and Replaced With the Company’s Integrated SNM System for Urinary Urge Incontinence (PR Newswire)

• WAT Medical’s EmTerm Wearable Device Demonstrates Superior Control of Moderate to Severe Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting in JAMA Surgery-Published Clinical Trial (PR Newswire)

• Graymatters Health Reaches Clinical Milestone of 10,000 Prism PTSD Patient Sessions (PR Newswire)

• Randomized Controlled Trial Demonstrated Positive Outcomes for FDA-Cleared Brain-Computer Interface IpsiHand® System in Chronic Stroke Rehabilitation (PR Newswire)

• Neuromod Prize Case Study: Advancing breakthrough neuromodulation therapies from research lab to market (Luminary Labs)

• Published Study Found Underlying Tumor Improvement with Consistent use of Cala TAPS Therapy in Patients with Essential Tremor (PR Newswire)

• INU Researchers Present Roadmap of Ultra-Thin Crystalline Silicone-Based Therapeutics (PR Newswire)

• AI-powered sensor accurately detects neurological disorders using saliva (Donga Science)

• NextSense debuts brain activity-sensing headphones to improve sleep (MassDevice)

• ANEUVO Recognized with Taiwan’s 22nd National Innovation Award for ExaStim® Neuromodulation Technology (Yahoo)

• Unlocking the Brain-Immune Axis: A New Scientific Framework for Hybrid Drugs (Linkedin | Journals)

• PIEZO channels are opening the study of mechanosensation in unexpected places (The Transmitter)

• IEEE Considers Safety Guidelines for Neurotech Consumer Products (IEEE Spectrum)

• BrainScope: Derivation of an intrinsic brain activity biomarker for the earliest prediction of cognitive decline (Scientific Reports)

• The Future of Health Tracking with Earables (Linkedin)

• Bionic sneakers promise to change human mobility (npr)

• Flying drones with your eyes: the brain scientist developing Israel’s future battlefield tech (Y Net News)

• From Diagnosis to Data: Ben LeNail on the Future of Neurotechnology (Medium)

• February 2026 Neuroscience, Neurotech, and Mental Health Newsletter (Linkedin)

• From Peak Performance to Daily Life: The Next BCI Advantage (Medium)

• The sixth bioelectronic medicine summit: Neurotechnologies for individuals and communities (Springer Nature)

• Brainomix to launch next-generation stroke platform equipped with net water uptake technology (Neuro News)

• OpenBCI announces the launch of the Galea Discovery Program - Applications due Feb 28 (OpenBCI)

• Paris Brain Institute Call for Junior Group Leaders in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science (Paris Brain Institute)

• Call for NeuroDiscovery Grant Proposals (Emotiv)

• NeuroTech Course announces registration is open for the NeuroTech Course Spring 2026 Sprint (Linkedin)

• Inside NeuroOne’s brain electrode technology (Mobi Health News)

• Max Hodak, Kevin Tracey, and Zhen Xu listed in Time’s 100 Most Influential People In Health (Time)

Neurotech.TV

• Seizure Diaries Episode 4 | When Cutting Edge Neuromodulation Meets Compassionate, Team-Based Pediatric Care (Cadence Neuroscience)

• Intent Medical Podcast | Dr. Mark Aloia (Youtube)

• Giving Feeling Back to Lost Limbs | Josh Miller, BIOS (Youtube)

• Vagus Nerve Stimulation and the Immune System (Substack)

• RFK Jr. and others launch new addiction and homelessness initiative (PBS News)

• Dana Foundation announces new NeuroSociety Stories coming soon (Linkedin)

• STEIN Fireside Podcast: Unlocking the Brain: Device Evolution, Sensing, and the Road Ahead (Youtube)

• Neurotechnology for Cognition: Recording and Modulating the Human Brain (Neural Implant Podcast)

Society

• Brown University professor John Donoghue wins Queen Elizabeth Price for Engineering (Brown)

• Oregon primate research center to negotiate with NIH on possible transition to sanctuary (The Transmitter)

• Neuroethics Canada announces a new training opportunity, Ethical Considerations in Neurotech (Linkedin | NTMC)

• The brain economy explained: Why strong brains power strong economies (McKinsey)

• Using voice and speech data in healthcare: a scoping review of the ethical, legal and social implications (Frontiers)

• Betting blind on AI and the scientific mind (The Transmitter)

• Neurotechnology and Cognitive Warfare (OpinioJuris)

• US Air Force bans use of smart glasses among its troops – earphones and other Bluetooth devices also limited to official duties when in uniform (Tom’s Hardware)

• U.S. innovation faces dire future under proposed Bayh-Dore gutting (Federal News Network)

• Trump admin is “destroying medical research,” Senate report finds (Ars Technica)

• When Minds Are Turned Into Data: Governing Emotion Technology and Neurotechnology under EU Law (Cambridge)

Research

• Parkinson’s disease as a somato-cognitive action network disorder (Nature | TMRW Edition)

• Ultrafast nanolasers mimic how the brain imagines unseen parts of the world (EBRAINS)

• Cognitive speed training over weeks may delay the diagnosis of dementia over decades (NIH)

• A Needle-Thin Implant Could Transform How Scientists Study and Treat the Brain (SciTechDaily)

• A generalizable foundation model for analysis of human brain MRI (Nature)

• Brain-computer interfaces in poststroke rehabilitation: a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials (JNS)

• Chinese scientists develop stretchable electrodes for invasive BCI, breaking key bottleneck (Global Times)

• Ripples precede insight in the right human hippocampus (bioRxiv)

• Powerful Chemotherapy Drug Reaches Brain Tumors in Humans Using Novel Ultrasound Technology (Northwestern Medicine)

• ADHD Symptoms Predict Distinct Creative Problem-Solving Styles and Superior Solving Ability (Drexel)

• A quantitative, multimodal wearable bioelectronic device for comprehensive stress assessment and sub-classification (Nature)

  

  “multimodal and multi-sensing” = M&M. Stress tracking never sounded so tasty. Source

• Sound waves offer new way to steer blood pressure, Hopkins study finds (John Hopkins Biomedical Engineering)

• Brain Neuroplasticity Mechanisms in Psychiatric Illnesses and in the Development of Novel Treatments (Linkedin)

• Randomized controlled trial of resistance exercise and brain aging clocks (GeroScience)

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That’s a wrap! What did I miss? Send news + tips + suggestions for next time.