This podcast's purpose is to bring together the field of neuroprosthetics / brain machine interfaces / brain implants in an understandable conversation about the current topics and breakthroughs. We hope to complement scientific papers on new neural research in an easy, digestable way. Innovators and professionals can share thoughts or ideas to facilitate 'idea sex' to make the field of brain implants a smaller and more personal space.
Neural Implant podcast - the people behind Brain-Machine Interface revolutions
Claim This Podcastby Ladan Jiracek
4.8(26 reviews)
267 episodes
Updated Bi-weekly
Accepts GuestsHas SponsorsLocation 🇺🇸
67
Podcast Authority
BetaGoodBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more
Quality96
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YouTube0
Engagement92
Podcast Overview
This podcast's purpose is to bring together the field of neuroprosthetics / brain machine interfaces / brain implants in an understandable conversation about the current topics and breakthroughs. We hope to complement scientific papers on new neural research in an easy, digestable way. Innovators and professionals can share thoughts or ideas to facilitate 'idea sex' to make the field of brain implants a smaller and more personal space.
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
4/10/2017
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Recent Episodes
July 13, 2026
JB (NextSense) | Ear EEG Earbuds That Measure and Improve Sleep
<p class="PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer" data-start="922" data-end="1705"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In this episode of the Neural Implant Podcast, <a href= "https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-berent/">JB</a>, founder and CEO of <a href="https://nextsense.io/">NextSense</a>, discusses how his team is transforming ordinary-looking earbuds into wearable brain interfaces capable of recording EEG directly from the ear. Originally incubated inside Google X before spinning out as an independent company, NextSense combines consumer electronics with neuroscience to monitor sleep, enhance slow-wave activity through closed-loop audio stimulation, and explore future applications ranging from epilepsy forecasting to Alzheimer's disease monitoring. We also discuss the engineering challenges of ear EEG, wearable neuromodulation, vagus nerve stimulation, and what it takes to bring a neurotechnology product from the lab into consumers' hands.</span></p> <h1 data-section-id="1dn8x8e" data-start="1712" data-end="1729"> <span style="font-size: 12pt;">Top 5 Takeaways</span></h1> <h3 data-section-id="1yg6zy5" data-start="1731" data-end="1789"> <span style="font-size: 12pt;">1. Ear EEG makes continuous brain monitoring practical</span></h3> <p data-start="1791" data-end="2146"><span style= "font-size: 12pt;">Rather than using traditional scalp electrodes, NextSense records EEG directly from the ear canal. While ear EEG doesn't provide the spatial resolution of clinical EEG systems, it offers a comfortable, easy-to-use solution for long-term brain monitoring that users can wear every night like standard wireless earbuds.</span></p> <h3 data-section-id="qltgz9" data-start="2153" data-end="2212"> <span style="font-size: 12pt;">2. Closed-loop audio stimulation can enhance deep sleep</span></h3> <p data-start="2214" data-end="2624"><span style= "font-size: 12pt;">The earbuds detect when users enter deep sleep and deliver precisely timed bursts of pink noise synchronized to slow-wave oscillations. Clinical studies showed roughly a <strong data-start="2384" data-end="2437">10–15% improvement in next-day declarative memory</strong>, with some users experiencing over <strong data-start="2473" data-end="2512">20% increases in slow-wave activity</strong>, demonstrating the potential of closed-loop neuromodulation during sleep.</span></p> <h3 data-section-id="1qp2xm8" data-start="2631" data-end="2680"> <span style="font-size: 12pt;">3. NextSense evolved from a Google X moonshot</span></h3> <p data-start="2682" data-end="3051"><span style= "font-size: 12pt;">The technology began inside Google X as a project exploring sleep enhancement before spinning out during Google's restructuring efforts in 2020. Building the company required licensing additional IP from UC San Diego before Google agreed to transfer its own intellectual property, creating one of Google's early external spin-outs.</span></p> <h3 data-section-id="1iuffy" data-start="3058" data-end="3131"> <span style="font-size: 12pt;">4. Earbuds could become medical devices—not just consumer electronics</span></h3> <p data-start="3133" data-end="3453"><span style= "font-size: 12pt;">Beyond sleep tracking, NextSense is developing applications for epilepsy seizure forecasting, Alzheimer's disease monitoring, and future FDA-cleared neurological diagnostics. The long-term vision is to make medical-grade brain monitoring available through everyday consumer earbuds.</span></p> <h3 data-section-id="1dij6rb" data-start="3460" data-end="3529"> <span style="font-size: 12pt;">5. The future combines brain sensing with vagus nerve stimulation</span></h3> <p data-start="3531" data-end="3885"><span style= "font-size: 12pt;">Following the acquisition of Nēsos' transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) technology, NextSense plans to integrate electrical vagus nerve stimulation, EEG, heart rate variability, temperature sensing, and AI-powered analytics into a single wearable platform designed to both monitor and improve brain health.</span></p> <h1 data-section-id="qq1pyz" data-start="3892" data-end="3904"> <span style="font-size: 12pt;">Timestamps</span></h1> <p data-start="3906" data-end="3947"><span style= "font-size: 12pt;"><strong data-start="3906" data-end= "3914">0:18</strong> Introduce yourself and NextSense</span></p> <p data-start="3949" data-end="3997"><span style= "font-size: 12pt;"><strong data-start="3949" data-end= "3957">2:00</strong> How did NextSense spin out of Google X?</span></p> <p data-start="3999" data-end="4058"><span style= "font-size: 12pt;"><strong data-start="3999" data-end= "4007">6:10</strong> Why leave Google and start an independent company?</span></p> <p data-start="4060" data-end="4109"><span style= "font-size: 12pt;"><strong data-start="4060" data-end= "4068">8:05</strong> How does EEG from the ear actually work?</span></p> <p data-start="4111" data-end="4150"><span style= "font-size: 12pt;"><strong data-start="4111" data-end= "4120">11:05</strong> Why focus on improving sleep?</span></p> <p data-start="4152" data-end="4210"><span style= "font-size: 12pt;"><strong data-start="4152" data-end= "4161">13:55</strong> How does the closed-loop sleep stimulation work?</span></p> <p data-start="4212" data-end="4284"><span style= "font-size: 12pt;"><strong data-start="4212" data-end= "4221">16:25</strong> Do you understand the mechanism behind the sleep improvements?</span></p> <p data-start="4286" data-end="4323"><span style= "font-size: 12pt;"><strong data-start="4286" data-end= "4295">21:20</strong> Tell us about the hardware.</span></p> <p data-start="4325" data-end="4375"><span style= "font-size: 12pt;"><strong data-start="4325" data-end= "4334">25:00</strong> How good is the EEG signal from earbuds?</span></p> <p data-start="4377" data-end="4441"><span style= "font-size: 12pt;"><strong data-start="4377" data-end= "4386">29:45</strong> What other neurological applications are you pursuing?</span></p> <p data-start="4443" data-end="4497"><span style= "font-size: 12pt;"><strong data-start="4443" data-end= "4452">33:15</strong> Where do you see this technology going next?</span></p> <p data-start="4499" data-end="4582"><span style= "font-size: 12pt;"><strong data-start="4499" data-end= "4508">37:30</strong> How is NextSense different from other wearable neurotechnology companies?</span></p> <p data-start="4584" data-end="4625"><span style= "font-size: 12pt;"><strong data-start="4584" data-end= "4593">43:15</strong> Where can listeners learn more?</span></p>
May 18, 2026
Ali Samiian - The Hidden Barrier That Kills Neurotech Startups
<p>In this episode of the Neural Implant Podcast, host Dr. Ladan Jiracek speaks with <a href= "https://linkedin.com/in/ali-samiian-b4421">Ali Samiian</a>, founder of <a href="https://poplaraccess.com/about.php">Poplar Access Advisors</a>, about one of the most overlooked challenges in neurotechnology and medical devices: reimbursement.</p> <p>Ali has spent over 20 years working across pharma, medical devices, and neuromodulation, including leadership roles at Abbott, Novartis, and Cala Health, where he helped secure reimbursement for a first-in-class wearable neuromodulation therapy for essential tremor. In this conversation, Ali explains why FDA approval alone is often not enough for a company to succeed, and why coding, coverage, and payment strategy must be considered from the earliest stages of device development.</p> <p>The discussion covers reimbursement strategy for neurotech startups, how clinical trial design impacts commercialization, lessons learned from Cala Health, home-use neuromodulation, CMS and Medicare pathways, and why many promising neurotechnology companies fail despite having strong science and working products.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Key Takeaways</strong></span><br /> <strong>1. FDA approval does not guarantee commercial success.</strong> Many neurotech startups mistakenly believe FDA clearance is the finish line, when reimbursement is often the real challenge. A device can be safe and effective yet still fail commercially if insurers refuse to pay for it.</p> <p><strong>2. Reimbursement strategy should shape product design early.</strong> According to Ali, critical reimbursement decisions are often locked in years before launch through choices around device form factor, clinical trial design, and regulatory pathway selection. Waiting until after FDA submission can force companies into expensive redesigns and delays. Ali recommends founders begin thinking about reimbursement during product design, regulatory pathway selection, clinical trial planning, and fundraising, before key commercialization decisions become difficult to change.</p> <p><strong>3. Neurotech companies must think beyond efficacy alone.</strong> Payers want more than proof that a therapy works. They care about long-term outcomes, comparators, durability, site-of-care economics, and whether the product delivers clear value for money.</p> <p><strong>4. Cala Health helped prove wearable neuromodulation can be reimbursable.</strong> Ali describes how Cala Health overcame major reimbursement hurdles by differentiating its tremor therapy from simple TENS devices, ultimately securing substantially higher reimbursement and validating a commercial path for wearable neuromodulation.</p> <p><strong>5. Neurotechnology may be entering a commercialization inflection point.</strong> With advances in closed-loop systems, home-use therapies, and successful acquisitions in the space, Ali believes neurotechnology and electroceuticals are approaching a "golden age" where investors and payers increasingly recognize their value.</p> <p><strong>Episode Timestamps</strong></p> <p>0:15 - Can you introduce yourself and explain what Poplar Access Advisors does?</p> <p>2:30 - What exactly is "reimbursement" in healthcare?</p> <p>4:40 - How do coding, coverage, and payment work together?</p> <p>6:05 - What are the biggest commercialization mistakes medtech startups make?</p> <p>10:20 - When should founders start thinking about reimbursement?</p> <p>13:55 - How did Cala Health secure reimbursement for wearable neuromodulation?</p> <p>20:10 - Is reimbursement becoming more unified or more fragmented?</p> <p>22:20 - How do companies actually communicate with payers and CMS?</p> <p>23:50 - What is different about reimbursement for neurotechnology and neuromodulation?</p> <p>26:20 - What mistakes do neurotech founders repeatedly make?</p> <p>27:35 - Are we entering a golden age for neurotechnology and electroceuticals?</p>
April 27, 2026
Ellyn Ito - MindVibe and Non-Invasive Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Stress and Focus
<p>In this episode of the Neural Implant Podcast, host Dr. Ladan Jiracek speaks with <a href= "https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellynito/">Ellyn Ito</a>, CEO and co-founder of <a href= "https://www.innerstillhealth.com/mindvybe">Innerstill Health</a>, about their wearable neurotechnology platform and flagship product, MindVibe. This non-invasive device combines vagus nerve stimulation and acupressure-based neuromodulation to help regulate the body's stress response and improve overall wellness.</p> <p>Ellyn shares how MindVibe is designed to promote calm, enhance focus, and improve sleep quality through ultra-low electrical stimulation that users don't even feel. The conversation explores the science behind multi-mode stimulation, why avoiding sensation may actually improve outcomes, and how Innerstill is navigating the path from wellness device to potential clinical applications.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Key Takeaways</span></p> <ol> <li>MindVibe focuses on regulating the nervous system—not treating specific diseases. As a wellness device, MindVibe targets stress, anxiety, and sleep by activating the body's "rest and digest" response rather than claiming to cure medical conditions.</li> <li>Multi-mode stimulation may be the key differentiator in neuromodulation devices. By combining vagus nerve stimulation with ear-based acupressure points across multiple frequencies, MindVibe aims to avoid saturation and improve effectiveness across different users.</li> <li>"Do no harm" design avoids the sensory discomfort common in other devices. Unlike many stimulators that produce tingling or muscle twitching, MindVibe operates below sensory thresholds—reducing cortisol responses and improving user adherence.</li> <li>Early results suggest improvements in calm, sleep, and focus. Users report reduced anxiety, better deep sleep, and increased focus—likely tied to vagus nerve activation and improved neurohormonal regulation.</li> <li>The company is using a "wellness-first" strategy to accelerate adoption<br /> Innerstill is launching through clinics and consumer wellness channels before pursuing FDA pathways for broader clinical indications like addiction, ADHD, and neurological disorders.</li> </ol> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Episode Timestamps</span></p> <p>0:17 – Introduction to MindVibe and Innerstill Health</p> <p>1:00 – What does "feeling better" actually mean? (calm, sleep, focus)</p> <p>3:30 – Is this like alcohol or cannabis—or something different?</p> <p>6:00 – What does the device look like and how is it worn?</p> <p>8:00 – How long do you need to use it and what's the protocol?</p> <p>9:30 – Why avoid sensation in neuromodulation devices?</p> <p>11:00 – Clinic rollout and early user feedback</p> <p>12:15 – Why launch as a wellness device instead of FDA first?</p> <p>14:15 – Future plans: non-invasive deep brain stimulation</p> <p>18:15 – Origin story: from pediatric pain treatment to neurotech platform</p> <p>21:30 – Why other vagus nerve stimulators didn't work as well</p> <p>24:00 – Scaling the company and future applications</p>
267 total episodes available
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