Neurotechnology is a new frontier that will expand our ability to understand and shape how the brain works, offering major health benefits while raising key ethical, legal, and social concerns.

About Neurotechnology

• Definition: Neurotechnology involves mechanical tools used to directly interact with and influence the brain’s activity. At the core of this field is the Brain-Computer Interface (BCI).
• About Brain-Computer Interface (BCI): A core technology that translates brain signals into digital commands.
  • Function: Decodes neural signals and converts them into instructions to control devices (e.g., computer cursors, robotic arms).
  • Types: Includes non-invasive sensors (like EEG headsets) and implanted electrodes (for higher precision).
  • Applications:
    • Therapeutic: Restoring mobility and communication for paralyzed patients (neuroprosthetics), and targeted stimulation to treat disorders like depression or Parkinson’s disease.
    • Diagnostic: Studying brain disorders and cognitive function.
• Current Focus: Human applications are primarily therapeutic (rehabilitation and mental health).

Significance of Neurotechnology for India

• High Neurological Disease Burden: India faces a steady rise in non-communicable and injury-related neurological disorders, with stroke being the largest contributor (between 1990 and 2019).
• Restoring Function: Neuroprosthetics can restore mobility and communication for paralyzed citizens.
• Mental Health: Targeted neural stimulation offers alternatives to long-term medication dependence for mental health patients.
• Economic Opportunity: The field sits at the intersection of biotechnology, engineering, and AI, aligning with India’s rapidly developing technological competence.

India’s Current Status

• Leading Research: Key centres include the National Brain Research Centre (Manesar), Haryana and the Brain Research Centre at IISc, Bangalore.
• Technological Milestones: Researchers at IIT Kanpur unveiled a BCI-based robotic hand useful for stroke patients.
• Innovative Applications: A startup, Dognosis, uses neurotechnology to detect cancer through neural patterns in dogs recognizing specific scents, showing translational potential for human screening.
• Potential Hub: India’s genomic diversity, available expertise, and increasing awareness position it as a potential hub for neurotechnology development.

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Global Scenario

• U.S. Leadership: The NIH’s BRAIN Initiative® accelerates neurotechnology development. 
  • Neuralink received Food and Drug Administration approval for in-human BCI trials and has demonstrated success in restoring motor function.
• China’s Ambition: The China Brain Project (2016-2030) focuses on understanding cognition, developing brain-inspired AI, and treating neurological disorders.
• Regulatory Pioneers: The EU and Chile are leading efforts to enact laws specifically addressing BCI technology and neurorights (ethical rights relating to brain data and autonomy).

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