The field of neurotechnology, the focus of this blog, encompasses advances in brain science (neurons), information technology (bits) and bioengineering (genes). Up for discussion and analysis: the political, economic, ethical, and social forces that will shape the future of what will be one of the most important and fascinating stories of the coming decades.
Global Neurosecurity Discussions Needed
28 Nov 2008 at 3:08 pm
Jonathan Moreno writes another insightful piece, Intelligence on the Brain which discusses the need for a new dialogue on neuroresearch and national security.
Neuroscience Summer Boot Camp 2009 for Non-Scientists, Aug. 2-12
26 Nov 2008 at 1:44 pm
Neuroscience is increasingly relevant to a number of professions and academic disciplines beyond its traditional medical applications. Indeed, for any field in which it is important to understand, predict or influence human behavior, neuroscience will play an increasing role. The Penn Neuroscience Boot Camp is designed to give participants a basic foundation in cognitive and affective neuroscience
NIO Unveils Top 10 Neuroscience Trends for 2009
25 Nov 2008 at 3:07 pm
Here are ten emerging areas of neuroscience that will impact the future of treatments for brain and nervous system which were published as a result of the cutting edge research being presented at the Society for Neuroscience Conference held in Washington DC last week. Top 10 Trends of 2009:
1. Epigenetics leading to new treatment targets: New research highlights the critical interactions of ge
NIO CEO Media Tour in NYC Gets Results
11 Nov 2008 at 7:52 am
Yesterday, I hosted NIO's annual public neurotech company CEO media tour here in NYC with Uli Hacksell, CEO of Acadia Pharmaceuticals, Ron Cohen, CEO of Acorda Therapeutics and Joern Aldag, CEO of Evotec joining me in hour long discussions with reporters at the Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, PharmaWire (Financial Times), Discover Magazine, and Forbes. The discussions were lively and revolved
O Neurocaster
6 Nov 2008 at 2:38 pm
O, The Oprah Magazine, has an article written by Tim Jarvis in the mindwise section this month titled, The Brain Age. The article explores how "cutting-edge neuroscience has escaped from the lab and is suddenly showing up everywhere, changing the way we practice law, go shopping and possibly, fall in love. Tim interviewed me extensively for the article over a year ago and it's nice to see it fina
Manuscript Sent to Japan
28 Oct 2008 at 4:53 pm
Where do I start? It's been an amazing journey, but the book I've been working on for the past eight years is finally off the type setter at St. Martin's Press. Moreover, this morning I sent the manuscript off to my publisher in Japan. So if you have been wondering why the blog posting has been so slow the past couple of months, or more like over the past year, this is why. I've been heads down i
2009 Stem Cell Trendsetters in Neurology and Psychiatry
15 Oct 2008 at 11:07 am
Stem cell approaches in neurology and psychiatry is the focus of a new report released today by NeuroInsights, the neurotech market authority. The industry insider report on innovative research and development in stem cell technology for the brain and nervous system provides unique insights into the key players and competitive dynamics in this rapidly evolving field.
Stem cell companies focused o
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Mental Health Parity Legislation Passes within Financial Package
3 Oct 2008 at 2:36 pm
The House of Representatives, moments ago, voted to approve, by a vote of 263 to 171, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act (H.R. 1424), which includes a new financial rescue bill, tax extenders package and mental health and substance use disorder parity legislation, the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (introduced as H.R. 6983). The same p
Holy Neurofinancial Meltdown Bernanke
26 Sep 2008 at 3:20 pm
Emotions are riding very high. Herd behavior is everywhere. And if you listen to Treasury Secretary Paulson and Fed Chief Bernanke the primary reason for such a high bailout amount of $700B is to inspire "confidence" in the market. So are our brains to blame for this market mess? Yes, at least according leading neuroeconomist interviewed by Forbes Matthew Herper in his recent piece, Market Mess,
Interest in Neuropolicy Grows
5 Sep 2008 at 12:33 pm
A new Center for Neuropolicy at Emory University will focus on how the biology of the brain influences decision-making in politics, policy and business. As a partnership among researchers in the Emory School of Medicine, Emory College and the Goizueta Business School, the center will create an ideal environment to accelerate discovery in this emerging field. The Center is the vision of Gregory S.
Want to Start a Neurotech Venture?
2 Sep 2008 at 2:31 pm
Do you have what it takes to start your own neurotech venture? If you think so, then I'd highly recommend getting over to MIT to enroll in this year's Neurotechnology Ventures seminar put on by Ed Boyden, Joost Paul Bonsen and Rutledge Ellis-Behnke. Each 2-hour class begins with a survey of a broad topic area, and continues with a live-case study of a current, specific, development or commerciali
Neurotech Innovation to be Analyzed
26 Aug 2008 at 11:35 am
Casey and I recently met up in SF with Jason Davis, Assistant Professor of Strategy in the MIT Sloan School of Management, to explore his neurotech innovation project whose goal is to understand what makes neurotechnology innovations and ventures successful. It's great to see a serious innovation strategy expert excited about analyzing the rapidly evolving neurotech economy.
Governing Emerging Technologies Gordon Rearch Conference
25 Aug 2008 at 1:49 pm
I just spent the past week in Big Sky Montana participating in a five day conference on governing emerging technologies. There was far too much to begin to cover here, but I have to give kudos to the organizers David Guston and Rachel Ankeny for bringing together a broad group of speakers and contributors from across the globe. Three key emerging techs highlighted throughout the conference were n
Neurowarfare Futures Report Released
14 Aug 2008 at 11:42 am
Back in March of 2003, I blogged here about neurowarfare and how the latest national intelligence reports were completely missing the boat on neurowar.
It took a few years, but after Jonathan Moreno wrote Mind Wars, the US defense community woke up and put together a committee, lead by Moreno. Last year I had the opportunity to speak on the current and future state of neurotechnology with the N
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How Magic Fools the Brain
12 Aug 2008 at 1:38 pm
Benedict Carey at the NYTimes writes an entertaining piece today, While a Magician Works, the Mind Does the Tricks, which dives deeper into a recent article published in Nature Reviews Neuroscience that highlights how magicians "take advantage of glitches in how the brain constructs a model of the outside world from moment to moment, or what we think of as objective reality."
One great illusion
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