At the frontier of scientific exploration, few fields captivate the imagination like neurotechnology. With its promise to decode the mysteries of the nervous system, neurotech holds the potential to revolutionize how we treat disease, enhance human capabilities, and better understand ourselves.
Achieving these breakthroughs is not about taking small steps, but daring to leap and embarking on moonshots that challenge deeply held assumptions to push the boundaries of possibility. However, we must be mindful of the human tendency for old ideas to lead to confirmation bias. This can limit our ability to see beyond current assumptions in creating better applications.
It’s a dogma-eat-dogma world The history of neuroscience is replete with examples of long-held beliefs that were eventually overturned. Examples include the “single neurotransmitter dogma” that each neuron produces only one type of neurotransmitter, or the “static adult brain myth” that adult brains do not grow new neurons. These serve as reminders of the importance to challenge established beliefs and remain open to new possibilities.
To achieve moonshot breakthroughs in neurotechnology, we must question the very foundations of knowledge. Current paradigms, no matter how established, should be scrutinized with a critical eye.
Strategies to facilitate disruptive innovation
1. Create a space open to new ideas To foster truly innovative moonshots in neurotechnology, we must create intellectual and experimental spaces for new ideas to flourish. This requires a willingness to challenge current limitations and question beliefs or assumptions that may be preventing exploration of new avenues. For example, are we overly focused on neuron-centric models at the expense of understanding the role of glial cells in cognition? And, if so, are we using the understanding of different types of neurons to develop more precise and effective treatment options? Keeping these nuances of cells in mind may enable more seamless integration with the nervous system while keeping it in balance.
We must also embrace complexity and recognize that biological systems, especially the human brain, operate in intricate and nonlinear ways. This calls for interdisciplinary approaches that can capture this complexity, such as integrating insights from chaos theory, network science, or quantum biology.
Researchers must also be open to exploring alternative paradigms and actively pursue other explanations or mechanisms for observed phenomena. For example, whether consciousness can arise from quantum effects in microtubules within neurons, as proposed by Hameroff and Penrose’s Orch-OR theory.
