Closing the loop from measurement → action
What if we didn’t have to meditate, run, or therapy to change our mental state?
A core premise for how we think a lot about neurotech is that there will be more than one sensor and modulator that will penetrate different use-cases in day-to-day life. A lot of strides have been made so far on the recording side in terms of miniaturization and signal-to-noise improvements broadening the environments its can be used in.
We’re starting to see papers on brain modulation which are a correspondingly miniaturizing brain modulation devices such as focused ultrasound (FUS) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Specifically this paper introduces a new wearable device called MiniUlTra, designed for long-term brain stimulation using ultrasound. This small device combines an ultrasound transducer with a special sticky hydrogel that keeps it attached to the skin and working well for over a month. MiniUlTra can safely deliver strong ultrasound waves to modulate brain activity, showing it can effectively reduce certain neural responses (in this case in an area of the brain responsible for sensory perception). Shrunken TMS coils have also shown the ability to still modulate brain potentials such as single-unit activities (SUAs), somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs), and motor evoked potentials (MEPs) in rats.
Likely a venture-scale company will have a variety of principles including:
