February 19 - May 28 2026
Sim4Life is proud to support the lecture course “EM-Neuro Modeling Across Scales for Bioelectronic Medicine” at ETH Zurich, taught by Dr. Esra Neufeld. The course provides students with the foundations of comprehensive neuromodeling, including hands-on training in multiscale computational modeling of electromagnetic–tissue interactions, spanning from ion channels and single axons to neural networks and whole-brain simulations. Using the o²S²PARC and Sim4Life platforms, students learn to integrate simulations, optimize modeling workflows, and connect computational models to translational applications in bioelectronic medicine and non-invasive brain stimulation.
Course page

Lecture 1: Logistics & Motivation

February 19, 2026
The first lecture begins with an overview of course logistics and organization, helping students understand how the course will run. It then explores the historical development of bioelectricity and highlights the motivation for studying bioelectricity today. Modern applications in bioelectronics and neuroprosthetics are presented to illustrate how fundamental discoveries have led to technologies that can interface with and restore functions of the nervous system.
Slides

Lecture 2: Ion Channels and Membranes

February 26, 2026
This lecture focuses on the Hodgkin–Huxley equation and its role in modelling neuron dynamics. It introduces phase plane analysis to build intuition for non-linear neural dynamics and transitions between different behavioral regimes. The lecture also covers temporal discretization and numerical methods used to simulate neural activity, highlighting the challenges involved in such simulations. In addition, students are introduced to the widely used NEURON software from Yale. The accompanying exercise project involves implementing a simplified Hodgkin–Huxley–type simulator, exploring time integration schemes, and performing a phase-plane analysis.
Slides

Lecture 3: Axon Models, Activating Functions, and Electrical Stimulation

March 5, 2026
This lecture examines axonal electrophysiology and the models used to describe signal propagation in nerve fibers. It introduces the cable equation and compartmental models as key tools for understanding electrical behavior along axons. The lecture also explores extracellular stimulation, the activating function and its generalizations, and applications such as deep brain stimulation. By the end, students gain insight into neural interfaces for electrical nerve and brain stimulation and develop tools to interpret and predict neural fiber recruitment while optimizing stimulation effectiveness and selectivity. The accompanying exercise compares two methods for predicting axonal stimulation and investigates the impact of pulse shape.
Slides

Lecture 4: EM Field Simulation Fundamentals

March 12, 2026
From Maxwell’s equations to neural activation maps – how do electromagnetic fields trigger neuronal responses?
This week's lecture introduces the fundamentals of electromagnetic field simulation used in bioelectronic medicine. Students will derive the quasi-static approximation commonly used in low-frequency electromagnetics from Maxwell’s equations. They then explore domain discretization (structured vs. unstructured meshes) and the finite element method (FEM), discussing solver strategies, preconditioning, and convergence using a reference anatomical head model with surface electrodes. The lecture focuses on building the electromagnetic simulation pipeline and understanding how electric fields are computed in realistic anatomical models.
Hands-on: modeling transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) in Sim4Life anatomical head and electrodes → FEM field simulation → (next week) neuron population → activation map
Slides

Lecture 5: Peripheral Nerves & Interfaces for Bioelectronic Medicine

March 19, 2026
How can electrodes be designed to selectively stimulate the right nerve fibers?
This week’s “EM–Neuro Modeling Across Scales for Bioelectronic Medicine” lecture at ETH Zurich focuses on the design of peripheral nerve interfaces for bioelectronic medicine.
The session reviews neuroprosthetics and electroceuticals, highlighting how nerve microanatomy and the structure of the peripheral nervous system constrain electrode design.
Different approaches—cuff, penetrating, and epineural electrodes—are compared in terms of selectivity, safety, and performance, with the vagus nerve serving as a key use case. The concept of the selectivity index is introduced to quantify how effectively stimulation targets specific fascicles. Engineering trade-offs between efficacy, power efficiency, and safety are examined, emphasizing the importance of model-informed design in the presence of anatomical variability.
Hands-on (Sim4Life): Extract recruitment curves from TIME vs cuff stimulation → Compute a selectivity metric for two fascicles → Simulate and compare eCAP recordings for two sensing electrode configurations
Slides