Prof. Dr. Alessandro Del Vecchio
Chair of Neuromuscular Physiology and Neural Interfacing, Department Artificial Intelligence in Biomedical Engineering

Prof. Dr. Alessandro Del Vecchio

Chair of Neuromuscular Physiology and Neural Interfacing, Department Artificial Intelligence in Biomedical Engineering

We study how our nervous system controls muscle forces. Our research is within the neurophysiological and neuro-engineering framework and aims at providing accurate and robust applications for human/machine interfaces and neurophysiological investigations. Our end goal is to restore motor function in paralyzed individuals and to identify biomarkers of neuroplasticity.

Research projects

Neuromuscular control of the human hand
Decoding large (>thousands) populations of spinal motoneurons
Hybrid interface with cortical and spinal motoneurons
The effect of training and neurorehabilitation on behaviour of spinal and cortical motoneuro

GraspAgain: EXIST Forschungstransfer: KI-gestützte Neurorehabilitation und Unterstützung von Alltagsaktivitäten

(Third Party Funds Single)

Project leader: Dominik Braun, Alessandro Del Vecchio, Jörg Franke
Term: 1. June 2026 - 31. May 2029
Acronym: GraspAgain
Funding source: Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie (BMWE)

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PlayAgain: Decoding and training spared motor neuron activity in children with paralyzed hands

(Third Party Funds Single)

Project leader: Alessandro Del Vecchio
Term: 1. July 2025 - 31. December 2026
Acronym: PlayAgain
Funding source: EU / European Research Council

Abstract

We have recently identified single motor neuron activity in humans with spinal cord injury and stroke resulting in complete loss of hand function. We have then demonstrated that these individuals can control with high levels of precision the spared motor neurons ensemble in real-time, up to four degrees of freedom of the hand. We have now collected pilot data in children (

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EMGRoll: Intuitive Steuerung von Rollstühlen mittels hochaufgelöster Muskelsignale

(Third Party Funds Single)

Project leader: Jörg Franke, Alessandro Del Vecchio
Term: 1. September 2024 - 31. August 2027
Acronym: EMGRoll
Funding source: Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt (BMFTR)

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NOE-EMY: Embedded artificial intelligence for neuromuscular orthoses

(Third Party Funds Single)

Project leader: Alessandro Del Vecchio
Term: 1. March 2024 - 28. February 2027
Acronym: NOE-EMY
Funding source: Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt (BMFTR)

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GRASPAGAIN: A Direct Sensorimotor Connection with the Spared Neural Code of Movement to Regain Motor Function

(Third Party Funds Single)

Project leader: Alessandro Del Vecchio
Term: 1. January 2024 - 31. December 2028
Acronym: GRASPAGAIN
Funding source: EU / European Research Council

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DeMOTUS: Decoding the Exact and Representative Motor Output of the Human Spinal Cord

(Third Party Funds Single)

Project leader: Alessandro Del Vecchio
Term: 2. November 2023 - 1. November 2029
Acronym: DeMOTUS
Funding source: DFG-Einzelförderung / Emmy-Noether-Programm (EIN-ENP)

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NeurOne: Development of an innovative neurobandage with an integrated brain-computer interface for testing hand function

(Third Party Funds Single)

Term: 1. October 2023 - 31. October 2026
Acronym: NeurOne
Funding source: Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Wirtschaft, Landesentwicklung und Energie (StMWi) (seit 2018)

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2026

Casolo, A., Del Vecchio, S., Goodlich, B.I., Schrader, B., Nuccio, S., Lecce, E.,... Del Vecchio, A. (2026). Ageing does not impair motor neuron adaptations: comparable motor unit responses to strength training in young and older adults. The Journal of Physiology. https://doi.org/10.1113/JP290541
Haller, D., Beermann, F., Simpetru, R., Hofbeck, L., Enoka, R.M., & Del Vecchio, A. (2026). Voluntary Dissociation of Motor Unit Activity in the Vastii Muscles. The Journal of Neuroscience, 46(21). https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1982-25.2026
Krätschmer, R., Paternoster, F.K., & Del Vecchio, A. (2026). The neuromechanical delay of the vastii muscles lengthens during a voluntary isometric contraction to exhaustion. Journal of Applied Physiology, 140(6), 1732-1743. https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.01134.2025
Olamazadeh, A., Brenner, S., Souza de Oliveira, D., Regensburger, M., Del Vecchio, A., & Kinfe, T.M. (2026). Differential Effects of High and Low Frequency Subthalamic Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation on Force Steadiness in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease: An Exploratory Study. Neurology and Therapy. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40120-026-00976-2
Weber, N., Dietze, S., Walter, J., Braun, D., Del Vecchio, A., & Franke, J. (2026). ADJUHand - A Passive Anthropomorphic Hand Model with Adjustable Finger Stiffness for Exoskeleton Evaluation. In 2026 IEEE/SICE International Symposium on System Integration, SII 2026 (pp. 1061-1066). Cancun, MX: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc..

2022

Alix-Fages, C., Del Vecchio, A., Baz-Valle, E., Santos-Concejero, J., & Balsalobre-Fernandez, C. (2022). The role of the neural stimulus in regulating skeletal muscle hypertrophy. European Journal of Applied Physiology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-022-04906-6
Bräcklein, M., Barsakcioglu, D.Y., Del Vecchio, A., Ibáñez, J., & Farina, D. (2022). Reading and Modulating Cortical β Bursts from Motor Unit Spiking Activity. The Journal of Neuroscience, 42(17), 3611-3621. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1885-21.2022
Cakici, A., Oßwald, M., Souza de Oliveira, D., Braun, D., Simpetru, R., Kinfe, T.M.,... Del Vecchio, A. (2022). A Generalized Framework for the Study of Spinal Motor Neurons Controlling the Human Hand During Dynamic Movements. In Proceedings of the 44th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, EMBC 2022 (pp. 4115-4118). Scottish Event Campus, Glasgow, GB: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc..
Cakici, A.L., Oßwald, M., Souza de Oliveira, D., Braun, D., Simpetru, R.C., Kinfe, T.M.,... Del Vecchio, A. (2022). A Generalized Framework for the Study of Spinal Motor Neurons Controlling the Human Hand During Dynamic Movements. In Proceedings of the Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, EMBS (pp. 4115-4118). Glasgow, GBR: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc..
Del Vecchio, A., Casolo, A., Dideriksen, J.L., Aagaard, P., Felici, F., Falla, D., & Farina, D. (2022). Lack of increased rate of force development after strength training is explained by specific neural, not muscular, motor unit adaptations. Journal of Applied Physiology, 132(1), 84-94. https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00218.2021
Del Vecchio, A., Jones, R.H., Schofield, I.S., Kinfe, T.M., Ibáñez, J., Farina, D., & Baker, S.N. (2022). Interfacing Motor Units in Nonhuman Primates Identifies a Principal Neural Component for Force Control Constrained by the Size Principle. The Journal of Neuroscience, 42(39), 7386-7399. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0649-22.2022
Hug, F., Avrillon, S., Sarcher, A., Del Vecchio, A., & Farina, D. (2022). Correlation networks of spinal motor neurons that innervate lower limb muscles during a multi-joint isometric task. The Journal of Physiology. https://doi.org/10.1113/JP283040
Ibanez, J., Zicher, B., Brown, K.E., Rocchi, L., Casolo, A., Del Vecchio, A.,... Farina, D. (2022). Standard intensities of transcranial alternating current stimulation over the motor cortex do not entrain corticospinal inputs to motor neurons. The Journal of Physiology. https://doi.org/10.1113/JP282983
Kinfe, T.M., Del Vecchio, A., Nüssel, M., Zhao, Y., Stadlbauer, A., & Buchfelder, M. (2022). Deep brain stimulation and stereotactic-assisted brain graft injection targeting fronto-striatal circuits for Huntington's disease: an update. Expert review of neurotherapeutics. https://doi.org/10.1080/14737175.2022.2091988
Nüssel, M., Zhao, Y., Knorr, C., Regensburger, M., Stadlbauer, A., Buchfelder, M.,... Kinfe, T.M. (2022). Deep Brain Stimulation, Stereotactic Radiosurgery and High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Targeting the Limbic Pain Matrix: A Comprehensive Review. Pain and Therapy. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40122-022-00381-1
Ritzmann, R., Del Vecchio, A., Baudry, S., Place, N., Gollhofer, A., Narici, M., & Centner, C. (2022). Editorial: Neuromechanics in Movement and Disease With Physiological and Pathophysiological Implications: From Fundamental Experiments to Bio-Inspired Technologies. Frontiers in Physiology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2022.895968
Simpetru, R., Oßwald, M., Braun, D., Souza de Oliveira, D., Cakici, A., & Del Vecchio, A. (2022). Accurate Continuous Prediction of 14 Degrees of Freedom of the Hand from Myoelectrical Signals through Convolutive Deep Learning. In Proceedings of the 44th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, EMBC 2022 (pp. 702-706). Scottish Event Campus, Glasgow, UK, GB: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc..
Simpetru, R.C., Oßwald, M., Braun, D., Souza de Oliveira, D., Cakici, A.L., & Del Vecchio, A. (2022). Accurate Continuous Prediction of 14 Degrees of Freedom of the Hand from Myoelectrical Signals through Convolutive Deep Learning. In Proceedings of the Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, EMBS (pp. 702-706). Glasgow, GBR: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc..
Souza de Oliveira, D., Casolo, A., Balshaw, T.G., Maeo, S., Lanza, M.B., Martin, N.R.W.,... Del Vecchio, A. (2022). Neural decoding from surface high-density EMG signals: influence of anatomy and synchronization on the number of identified motor units. Journal of Neural Engineering, 19(4). https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-2552/ac823d
Ubeda, A., Costa-Garcia, A., Torricelli, D., Vujaklija, I., & Del Vecchio, A. (2022). Editorial: Neuromechanical Biomarkers in Robot-Assisted Motor Rehabilitation. Frontiers in Neurorobotics, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbot.2021.831113
Walter, J., Roßmanith, P., Souza de Oliveira, D., Reitelshofer, S., Del Vecchio, A., & Franke, J. (2022). Proportional Control of a Soft Cable-Driven Exoskeleton via a Myoelectrical Interface Enables Force-Controlled Finger Motions. In International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics (BioRob). Seoul, KR: Seoul.
Škarabot, J., Folland, J.P., Holobar, A., Baker, S.N., & Del Vecchio, A. (2022). Startling stimuli increase maximal motor unit discharge rate and rate of force development in humans. Journal of Neurophysiology, 128(3), 455-469. https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.00115.2022

2021

Avrillon, S., Del Vecchio, A., Farina, D., Pons, J.L., Vogel, C., Umehara, J., & Hug, F. (2021). Individual differences in the neural strategies to control the lateral and medial head of the quadriceps during a mechanically constrained task. Journal of Applied Physiology, 130(1), 269-281. https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00653.2020
Casolo, A., Del Vecchio, A., Balshaw, T.G., Maeo, S., Lanza, M.B., Felici, F.,... Farina, D. (2021). Behavior of motor units during submaximal isometric contractions in chronically strength-trained individuals. Journal of Applied Physiology, 131(5), 1584-1598. https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00192.2021
Del Vecchio, A., Beckerle, P., & Castellini, C. (2021). Peripheral Neuroergonomics – An Elegant Way to Improve Human-Robot Interaction? Frontiers in Neurorobotics, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbot.2021.691508
Germer, C.M., Farina, D., Elias, L.A., Nuccio, S., Hug, F., & Del Vecchio, A. (2021). Surface EMG cross talk quantified at the motor unit population level for muscles of the hand, thigh, and calf. Journal of Applied Physiology, 131(2), 808-820. https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.01041.2020
Hug, F., Avrillon, S., Del Vecchio, A., Casolo, A., Ibanez, J., Nuccio, S.,... Farina, D. (2021). Analysis of motor unit spike trains estimated from high-density surface electromyography is highly reliable across operators. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, 58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jelekin.2021.102548
Hug, F., Del Vecchio, A., Avrillon, S., Farina, D., & Tucker, K. (2021). Muscles from the same muscle group do not necessarily share common drive: evidence from the human triceps surae. Journal of Applied Physiology, 130(2), 342-354. https://doi.org/10.1152/JAPPLPHYSIOL.00635.2020
Ibanez, J., Del Vecchio, A., Rothwell, J.C., Baker, S.N., & Farina, D. (2021). Only the fastest corticospinal fibers contribute to beta corticomuscular coherence. Journal of Neuroscience, JN-RM-2908-20. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2908-20.2021
Nuccio, S., Del Vecchio, A., Casolo, A., Labanca, L., Rocchi, J.E., Felici, F.,... Sbriccoli, P. (2021). Deficit in knee extension strength following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction is explained by a reduced neural drive to the vasti muscles. The Journal of Physiology. https://doi.org/10.1113/JP282014
Schrader, B., Schrader, J., Vaske, B., Elsaesser, A., Haller, H., Del Vecchio, A.,... Lueders, S. (2021). Football beats hypertension: results of the 3F (Fit&Fun with Football) study. Journal of Hypertension, 39(11), 2290-2296. https://doi.org/10.1097/HJH.0000000000002935
Ting, J., Del Vecchio, A., Verma, N., Sarma, D., Annetta, N., Collinger, J.,... Weber, D.J. (2021). Detecting and decoding spiking activity from sample populations of single motor neurons using wearable sensors. In SPIE BiOS (Eds.), Proceedings Volume 11663, Integrated Sensors for Biological and Neural Sensing.
Ting, J.E., Del Vecchio, A., Sarma, D., Verma, N., Colachis, S.C., Annetta, N.,... Weber, D.J. (2021). Sensing and decoding the neural drive to paralyzed muscles during attempted movements of a person with tetraplegia using a sleeve array. Journal of Neurophysiology, 126(6), 2104-2118. https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.00220.2021

2020

Casolo, A., Farina, D., Falla, D., Bazzucchi, I., Felici, F., & Del Vecchio, A. (2020). Strength Training Increases Conduction Velocity of High-Threshold Motor Units. Medicine and science in sports and exercise , 52(4), 955-967. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000002196
Casolo, A., Nuccio, S., Bazzucchi, I., Felici, F., & Del Vecchio, A. (2020). Reproducibility of muscle fibre conduction velocity during linearly increasing force contractions. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, 53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jelekin.2020.102439
Del Vecchio, A., & Farina, D. (2020). Interfacing the neural output of the spinal cord: Robust and reliable longitudinal identification of motor neurons in humans. Journal of Neural Engineering, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-2552/ab4d05
Del Vecchio, A., Holobar, A., Falla, D., Felici, F., Enoka, R.M., & Farina, D. (2020). Tutorial: Analysis of motor unit discharge characteristics from high-density surface EMG signals. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, 53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jelekin.2020.102426
Del Vecchio, A., Negro, F., Holobar, A., Casolo, A., Folland, J.P., Felici, F., & Farina, D. (2020). Direct translation of findings in isolated animal preparations to in vivo human motoneuron behaviour is challenging. The Journal of Physiology, 598(5), 1111-1112. https://doi.org/10.1113/JP279384
Del Vecchio, A., Sylos-Labini, F., Mondi, V., Paolillo, P., Ivanenko, Y., Lacquaniti, F., & Farina, D. (2020). Spinal motoneurons of the human newborn are highly synchronized during leg movements. Science Advances, 6, eabc3916. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abc3916
Dideriksen, J.L., Del Vecchio, A., & Farina, D. (2020). Neural and muscular determinants of maximal rate of force development. Journal of Neurophysiology, 123(1), 149-157. https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.00330.2019
Felici, F., & Del Vecchio, A. (2020). Surface Electromyography: What Limits Its Use in Exercise and Sport Physiology? Frontiers in Neurology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2020.578504
Germer, C.M., Del Vecchio, A., Negro, F., Farina, D., & Elias, L.A. (2020). Neurophysiological correlates of force control improvement induced by sinusoidal vibrotactile stimulation. Journal of Neural Engineering, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-2552/ab5e08
Nuccio, S., Del Vecchio, A., Casolo, A., Labanca, L., Rocchi, J.E., Felici, F.,... Sbriccoli, P. (2020). Muscle fiber conduction velocity in the vastus lateralis and medialis muscles of soccer players after ACL reconstruction. Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports, 30(10), 1976-1984. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.13748
Skarabot, J., Brownstein, C.G., Casolo, A., Del Vecchio, A., & Ansdell, P. (2020). The knowns and unknowns of neural adaptations to resistance training. European Journal of Applied Physiology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-020-04567-3
Tanzarella, S., Muceli, S., Del Vecchio, A., Casolo, A., & Farina, D. (2020). Non-invasive analysis of motor neurons controlling the intrinsic and extrinsic muscles of the hand. Journal of Neural Engineering, 17(4). https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-2552/aba6db

Prof. Dr. Alessandro Del VecchioChair of Neuromuscular Physiology and Neural Interfacing, Department Artificial Intelligence in Biomedical Engineering

Prof. Dr. Alessandro Del VecchioChair of Neuromuscular Physiology and Neural Interfacing, Department Artificial Intelligence in Biomedical Engineering

Research projects

Current projects

GraspAgain: EXIST Forschungstransfer: KI-gestützte Neurorehabilitation und Unterstützung von Alltagsaktivitäten

PlayAgain: Decoding and training spared motor neuron activity in children with paralyzed hands

EMGRoll: Intuitive Steuerung von Rollstühlen mittels hochaufgelöster Muskelsignale

NOE-EMY: Embedded artificial intelligence for neuromuscular orthoses

GRASPAGAIN: A Direct Sensorimotor Connection with the Spared Neural Code of Movement to Regain Motor Function

DeMOTUS: Decoding the Exact and Representative Motor Output of the Human Spinal Cord

NeurOne: Development of an innovative neurobandage with an integrated brain-computer interface for testing hand function

Recent publications

2026

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

Related Research Fields

Prof. Dr. Alessandro Del Vecchio
Chair of Neuromuscular Physiology and Neural Interfacing, Department Artificial Intelligence in Biomedical Engineering

Prof. Dr. Alessandro Del Vecchio
Chair of Neuromuscular Physiology and Neural Interfacing, Department Artificial Intelligence in Biomedical Engineering