Chapter 7
The Future
What lies ahead for neuroscience? As we face the challenges of a growing and ageing population, Big Tech goes head-to-head with OpenAI in the race for Artificial Intelligence (AI) supremacy, and governments and businesses worldwide confront immense economic and societal change, neuroscience will play an increasingly vital role.
Twenty years from now, neuroscience research will look vastly different to today. We are equally confident that the legacy of UQ's Queensland Brain Institute will be an enduring and positive one. Our researchers will continue to improve lives through a greater understanding of the brain in health and disease. The potential and reach of neuroscience are limited only by our imagination and investment.
Understanding the brain to cure it
The brain is what makes us human, yet we are only just starting to develop a detailed understanding of its function. Identifying the underlying mechanisms of specific outcomes, such as depression or dementia, is challenging. This is very different to the rest of our body. For example, it would be clear to an attending doctor that your chest pain is linked to heart dysfunction, and they can then refer you to a cardiologist. The cardiologist has an extensive suite of tools, such as blood tests, ECG and ultrasound, to diagnose the problem. They can determine the course of treatment, which is generally straightforward, enabling a rapid return to normal life.
This process of diagnosis and treatment is only possible because cardiologists now have a detailed understanding of the biology of the cardiovascular system. Unfortunately, in the case of diseases and disorders affecting our brain and nervous system, the diagnostic tests are often subjective.
Even with the tools available (MRI, EEG, CT), we do not have the necessary knowledge to pinpoint the cause of the disorder. If we do not clearly understand how the brain works, how can we possibly treat it?As our world population ages and grows, the global health, economic, social and personal burden expands. How do we manage the burden that millions of elderly with neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer's, dementia, motor neurone disease, anxiety and depression pose?
We need cures, or at least effective treatments for brain diseases and mental disorders, yet true breakthroughs continue to elude us. Success only comes when a solid foundation of fundamental science is paired with blue-sky thinking and substantial investment. For example, the COVID-19 vaccines were only possible because of decades of fundamental research preceding a massive global and well-funded research effort.
Worldwide, governments, businesses and philanthropists must support discovery research focused on understanding the mechanisms underlying brain function to enable tomorrow's breakthroughs.
Connecting the outside with the inside
In 1999, the genre-defining sci-fi masterpiece The Matrix hit movie theatres worldwide. Its most memorable plot element: in a dystopian future, humans live in a world of their imagination controlled by machines that use their bodies as biological batteries. As futuristic as the premise was, it was underpinned by a technological concept to which real-world science is closer than most viewers realise.
Upon Neo's recruitment into the ranks of the antirobot partisans, he undergoes a series of fast-tracked learning and training sessions, including mastering Kung Fu in a matter of seconds by 'uploading' information from a computer directly to his brain. Science fiction? Certainly. Unrealistic? Perhaps. For now.
Neuroscientists call this technology Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI), devices that establish a direct connection between the brain and a computer, allowing information to be transferred and translated from or even back into the brain. In the health sector, a major push for BCIs has been their capacity to restore lost function, identify disease states, or augment human function.
BCI technology has allowed paralysed patients to move their own or robotic limbs and restored limited vision in blind individuals. In the most prominent example of BCI in a clinical setting, deep brain stimulation (DBS) is when electrodes are surgically inserted into the brain, and a pacemaker delivers electrical stimulation that alters brain function, providing therapeutic relief and improving quality of life.
In this rapidly emerging field, our researchers, in collaboration with neurosurgeons and neurologists, have demonstrated how DBS can relieve symptoms for people with Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders. The team has also co-designed an innovative remote care platform that allows patients to access treatment from anywhere in the world.
This digital platform enables clinicians to monitor patients remotely and adjust the DBS device to treat and alleviate symptoms in real-time. DBS has also shown promise in treating various psychological disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, and is being explored as a potential therapy for treatment-resistant anxiety and depression, suggesting this field could be
transformative for several neurological disorders.
In stroke research, the Balbi laboratory records neuronal dynamics at both single-cell and brain-wide levels following strokes in animals. Using machine-learning approaches, the researchers associate changes in brain activity with behaviour and blood flow regulation and enhance plasticity using personalised neuromodulation. Their work may influence future treatment strategies for stroke survivors, hopefully maximising patient recovery.
Further advancements in BCI are limited by our understanding of the 'language' of brain activity, whether recorded invasively, e.g., via implanted electrodes or computer chips, or non-invasively, for example, via external electrodes, not unlike those used in an electroencephalogram.
We also must consider how "conversations" happen between different brain regions and how information is processed across neural circuits.
Advancements in AI technology are rapidly improving our ability to translate brain signals, paving the way for more advanced BCI systems, but AI alone is not enough. Fundamental research remains at the core of what we do. Despite many scientific advances, we must investigate further to close many gaps in knowledge about how the brain works.
The vision for our Institute remains as relevant as it was 20 years ago. Discovery research remains central to our ability to understand the brain – and how we can best repair or enhance it.
“The potential for what we can discover about the brain knows no bounds, and we look forward to sharing our ongoing multi-disciplinary quest to reveal more about this wondrous, complex and mysterious organ.”
At UQ's Queensland Brain Institute, we remain committed to leading the way and meeting head-on the challenges of neuroscience in Australia and globally.
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