Name: What we'll learn about the brain in the next century
Uploaded: 2018-06-12T19:53:38Z
Duration: 13 min 21 s
Description: In this imaginative talk, neuroengineer Sam Rodriques takes us on a thrilling tour of the next 100 years in brain science. He envisions strange (and sometimes frightening) innovations that may be the key to understanding and treating brain disease -- like lasers that drill tiny holes in our skulls and allow probes to study the electrical activity of our neurons.

In this imaginative talk, neuroengineer Sam Rodriques takes us on a thrilling tour of the next 100 years in brain science. He envisions strange (and sometimes frightening) innovations that may be the key to understanding and treating brain disease -- like lasers that drill tiny holes in our skulls and allow probes to study the electrical activity of our neurons.

What we'll learn about the brain in the next century

Progress in treating brain diseases has stalled because most neuroscience relies on animal models that fail to capture human complexity. Billions are spent each year, yet outcomes for patients remain largely unchanged. Future breakthroughs may require radical new tools, like lasers that painlessly drill microscopic holes in skulls so scientists can record real-time neural activity in healthy people. Only by directly accessing human neurons will medicine fully unlock the brain’s mysteries.