Projections and the Potential Societal Impact of the Future of Neurotechnologies

Mapping the Landscape of Equitable Access to Advanced Neurotechnologies in Canada

Geographic, social, political, and economic factors shape access to advanced neurotechnologies, yet little previous research has explored the barriers, enablers, and areas of opportunity for equitable and meaningful access for diverse patient communities across Canada. We applied a mixed-mode approach involving semi-structured interviews and rating scale questions to consult with 24 medical experts who are involved in the care of patients who undergo functional neurosurgery targeting the brain. Seven major themes emerged from the qualitative analysis: Health care system, Neurotechnology features, Patient demographics, Target condition features, Ethics, Upstream barriers and enablers, and Areas of opportunity. Descriptive statistics of the Likert-scale responses suggest that interviewees perceive a disparity between the imperative of access to advanced neurotechnologies for people living in rural and remote areas and the likelihood of achieving such access. The results depict a complex picture of access to functional neurosurgery in Canada with pockets of excellence and a motivation to improve the availability of care for vulnerable populations through the expansion of distributed care models, improved health care system efficiencies, increasing funding and support for patient travel, and increasing awareness about and advocacy for advanced neurotechnologies.

Brain augmentation and neuroscience technologies: current applications, challenges, ethics and future prospects

Ever since the dawn of antiquity, people have strived to improve their cognitive abilities. From the advent of the wheel to the development of artificial intelligence, technology has had a profound leverage on civilization. Cognitive enhancement or augmentation of brain functions has become a trending topic both in academic and public debates in improving physical and mental abilities. The last years have seen a plethora of suggestions for boosting cognitive functions and biochemical, physical, and behavioral strategies are being explored in the field of cognitive enhancement. Despite expansion of behavioral and biochemical approaches, various physical strategies are known to boost mental abilities in diseased and healthy individuals. Clinical applications of neuroscience technologies offer alternatives to pharmaceutical approaches and devices for diseases that have been fatal, so far. Importantly, the distinctive aspect of these technologies, which shapes their existing and anticipated participation in brain augmentations, is used to compare and contrast them. As a preview of the next two decades of progress in brain augmentation, this article presents a plausible estimation of the many neuroscience technologies, their virtues, demerits, and applications. The review also focuses on the ethical implications and challenges linked to modern neuroscientific technology. There are times when it looks as if ethics discussions are more concerned with the hypothetical than with the factual. We conclude by providing recommendations for potential future studies and development areas, taking into account future advancements in neuroscience innovation for brain enhancement, analyzing historical patterns, considering neuroethics and looking at other related forecasts.

Lawrence K, Tachtsidis I, Tong Y, Torricelli A, Urner T, Wabnitz H, Wolf M, Wolf U, Xu S, Yang C, Yodh AG, Yücel MA, Zhou W. Optical imaging and spectroscopy for the study of the human brain: status report

This report is the second part of a comprehensive two-part series aimed at reviewing an extensive and diverse toolkit of novel methods to explore brain health and function. While the first report focused on neurophotonic tools mostly applicable to animal studies, here, we highlight optical spectroscopy and imaging methods relevant to noninvasive human brain studies. We outline current state-of-the-art technologies and software advances, explore the most recent impact of these technologies on neuroscience and clinical applications, identify the areas where innovation is needed, and provide an outlook for the future directions.