Neuroscience

Our brain defines us, processes the world around us, and determines how we respond to stimuli. Neuroscience is the discipline that works to understand the structure and functioning of the nervous system and is in the midst of a revolution thanks to: collaboration between scientific disciplines , and theapplication of new technologies that are facilitating the detailed observation of the brain and new applications of brain-machine interfaces.

Neuroscience is currently working in 3 major areas:

• Beyond the brain, focusing on the functions of the nervous system,
• Neural connections, studying how neurons and their connections work.
• Mental health, studying the dysfunctions of the nervous system that cause mental illness.

Scientists say that, although it is important to continue advancing in research, it is also vital to bring this knowledge closer to citizens and their daily lives. The main applications that bring neuroscience closer to our daily lives are:

• The devices that can monitor our brain activity.
• Social applications such as: neuro education, neuroscience applied to work, or business applications such as neuromarketing, neuroeconomics or neuro architecture
• New treatments for mental illness .

We are living in the midst of a technological revolution in neuroscience, both in its development and in the expansion of its social impact. For example, thanks to technology, the observation of the brain is becoming more and more thorough, but there are other technologies that influence the development of neuroscience: Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, Wearables and Brain-Machine Interfaces.
The latest technological advance that neuroscience is working on is to develop machines that are capable of feeling.

How can advances in the study of neuroscience change our lives in 10 years’ time? The experts gathered at the Future Trends Forum are looking at 2030 to visualise different possible scenarios.