NeuroTech Innovation and Growth in 2020

As NeuroTech advances, humans will be able to augment themselves and become more like computers, while at the same time, computers will become increasingly autonomous and more like humans.

Many people became familiar with NeuroTech while reading Iain Banks' Culture Series. The novels are set in a post-scarcity world where humans use neural lace implants to communicate with AIs. We're not there yet but today NeuroTech devices are being developed by over 200 companies including Elon Musk's?Neuralink, which was inspired by Iain Banks' novels . Neurotechnologies are based on the principles of the human nervous system and modeled on the human brain. NeuroTech can help researchers understand brain function and dysfunction, and can help doctors treat neurological disorders. Some NeuroTech applications are focused on enhancing cognitive performance, improving sleep, and improving brain health for Longevity. NeuroTech is one of the most promising areas of BioTech.

Neural Bypass Technology

The first brain computer interface (BCI) device was implanted in a human being in 1998. Over the last 22 years there have been many advances. One recent development is a BCI that can send signals directly from a person's brain to his hand so that he can grasp objects just using thoughts. There's only one person in the world who has used BCI in this way. His name is Ian Burkhart. This week I spoke with Ian about Battelle NeuroLife? Neural Bypass Technology .

BCIs?rely on electrical signals in the brain that change depending on the activity that the person is doing. BCIs can recognize specific patterns and detect changes in these electrical signals, and send messages to an external device like a computer, or to a part of your own body. In the past, BCIs have been used to enable people to maneuver robotics and exoskeletons with their minds. These types of BCIs stimulate the brain directly. Ian's BCI works differently. Ian uses his thoughts to control his hand.?

Ian with the NeuroLife team: Nick Annetta, Dr. Ali Rezai,?Dr.?Gaurav Sharma, Dr. Marcie Bockbrader, Herb Bresler, Dr. W. Jerry Mysiw, Dr. Dave Friedenberg, and Tina Bodine Image source?

In 2010, when Ian was a college student he had an accident that caused a spinal cord injury and that resulted in complete paralysis in his arms and legs. In 2014, Ian enrolled in an experimental program using advanced technology to restore movement to his right hand.?A team of surgeons at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center surgically implanted a 4x4 mm chip the size of a contact lens into the motor cortex of Ian's brain. Once the chip was implanted, Ian had to figure out how to think the thoughts that would send the correct signal to move his hand. He figured it out and moved his hand with his mind. Nobody has ever done this before.

About 12 other people have had the same type of BCI implant that Ian has, but they all used it for other purposes.?Most of them were very successful in controlling external devices such as computer cursors, wheelchairs, or robotic devices. However none of them used the chip to control parts of their bodies, and their chips were removed after about a year for various?reasons.

Ian has had his implant for 6 years and he's used the BCI in more than 480 sessions in labs at Ohio State University and Battelle Memorial Institute. After two years in the clinical trial, Ian was able to pick up objects, transfer objects, stir liquids, swipe a credit card, and play video games, just by thinking about doing these things. The stimulation electronics for the sleeve are about the size of a textbook but the BCI electronics are much larger, about the size of two desktop PCs. The electrodes are arranged on a sleeve.?

This is the process: First, Ian thinks about the action that he wants to do. Then, the system reads the electrical signals produced by Ian's thoughts. Next, machine-learning algorithms translate the signals produced by Ian's thoughts into electrical messages. The electrical signals are decoded using Battelle’s decoding software. The decoded messages are then transferred to the sleeve on Ian's arm to stimulate Ian's forearm muscles to make his hand move.

Since the implant restored both movement and a sense of touch in Ian's right hand he can actually grip things. The BCI learned how to control grip intensity so if Ian's grip isn't strong enough the system can strengthen the grip without Ian needing to think about making adjustments. Ian can simultaneously control multiple devices with his brain. Ian's greatest hope is to get full function back in both of his hands, because that would allow him to do many more things.?

"I want to get this technology into the hands of other?people with paralysis and see how far we can push?the technology. One of the things that has helped me mentally?ever since the accident is the fact that science?and technology are advancing at such a rapid rate.?This has given me hope for the future and motivation to continue this research." - Ian Burkhart?

This technology could be adapted to help people who have had strokes, spinal cord injuries, and traumatic brain injuries. If it were adapted for home use, Battelle's technology could save about $7 billion annually in home-care costs for people with paralysis in the US. Battelle Memorial Institute and Ohio State University have invested more than $10 million in the neural bypass research, including donations from generous philanthropists.?To learn more about Ohio State’s Neurological Institute or to donate to the research please click here .

Ian Burkhart is speaking at NeuroTech 2020 about BCI and Neuroprosthetics, A User's Perspective.

Types of NeuroTech

1) Brain-Computer Interface?(BCI)

BCIs receive brain signals, analyze them, and translate them into commands that are sent to output devices that perform the required actions.?BCI could potentially help restore function for people with neuromuscular disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, cerebral palsy, stroke, or spinal cord injury. As this technology advances, humans may be able to have USB ports implanted in their brains through which they can upload information. The global BCI market is expected to reach $1.8 billion by 2024.

2) Neuromodulation

Neuromodulation involves stimulating specific areas of the brain. There are several types of neuromodulatory stimuli, each of which has different properties and uses. More than 150,000 people in the US already have therapeutic brain implants, mainly for treating Parkinson's disease. Neuromodulation therapies offer an alternative to pharmaceuticals for treating chronic conditions. These treatments are generally more targeted, less expensive, and have fewer side effects than pharmaceuticals.?One application of this technology is a treatment for insurmountable pain that involves stimulating the spinal and peripheral nervous system in separate parts of the brain. The global neuromodulation device industry is expected to grow to $13.3 billion by 2022.

3) Deep Brain Stimulation?

Deep brain stimulation is used to treat motor disorders. A medical device called a neurostimulator sends electrical impulses through implanted electrodes to specific targets in the brain for the treatment of movement disorders, including Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, and dystonia. Deep brain stimulation has also been studied in clinical trials as a potential treatment for chronic pain.

4) Spinal Cord Stimulation?

Spinal cord stimulation is a neuromodulation technique that is used to treat chronic pain. Similar to the way a pacemaker corrects an abnormal heartbeat, a neuromodulation device can establish a neurological balance that may help reduce pain. The treatment involves placing electrodes next to a specific spinal area presumed to be the source of pain.

5) Vagus Nerve Stimulation?

Vagus nerve stimulation involves delivering electrical impulses to the vagus nerve. The relationship between depression, inflammation, metabolic syndrome, and heart disease might be mediated by the vagus nerve. Vagus nerve stimulation is sometimes used for epilepsy and depression.

6) Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation?

Transcranial magnetic stimulation is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that uses magnetic induction forces that focus on a specific area of the brain. Diagnostic applications include evaluating the effects of diseases such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, and other neurological diseases on the brain. Therapeutic uses of transcranial magnetic stimulants include treatment of severe depression, migraine, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The global transcranial magnetic stimulation market size was estimated to be $883 million in 2018.?

AI for Neural Biomarker Detection?

One limiting factor in the development of advanced NeuroTech methods is the speed at which scientists can detect and recreate accurate neural signals. Since neural data is incredibly complex, the development of more powerful methods to interpret huge volumes of neural data will be the key to finding signal patterns that can be used as biomarkers. The idea is to use AI to develop a platform for detecting biomarkers from neural data. Then long-life neural interfaces (connections that allow computers to read and write neural data directly to and from the body) could be combined with a deep intelligence system trained to assess biomarkers directly from neural data. If the AI platform is able to understand the "language" of the nervous system it could be used in closed-loop experiments to test neuromodulation therapy on new targets. This could accelerate the development of treatments for a number of chronic conditions and would also be a big step closer to real-world clinical applications of AI within the body. This progress could create a new way to investigate medical conditions, accelerate the detection of neural biomarkers, and open the door to a new generation of AI-based neural medical procedures.

During the first two weeks of December, scientists, academics, investors, and CEOs from around the world will meet virtually at The Digital Congress for NeuroTech Innovation & Growth. We will discuss Brain Computer Interface, Neuromodulation, Neuroethics, Neuroceuticals, Electroceuticals, Neurological biomarkers, Neuroprotection, Next-generation psychiatry, Neuro-gaming, Biohacking, Wearables, Surface stimulation, Bio feedback, Nootropics, and much more.

Speakers

I moderating the Investor Panel on December 10th. Over the last 20 years $19 billion has been invested in NeuroTech, and today there are over 200 NeuroTech investors worldwide.

Investor Stats:

• 136 in the US
• 10 in Japan and the UK
• 7 in Canada
• 6 in China and France

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Copyright ? 2020 Margaretta Colangelo. All Rights Reserved.

This article was written by?Margaretta Colangelo. ?Margaretta is a leading AI analyst based in San Francisco. She serves on the advisory board of the AI Precision Health Institute at the University of Hawai?i?Cancer Center.?

Twitter?@realmargaretta