Future Horizons:
10-yearhorizon
AI decodes the brain
25-yearhorizon
Brain injuries are treated with stem-cell therapy
Electrical modulation of consciousness is also seeing success in invasive and non-invasive forms. Brain-computer interfaces are developing at pace.28 Precisely targeted non-invasive technology like tDCS has successfully brought minimally conscious patients back towards higher consciousness.29 “Closed-loop” neuromodulation is able to act on, and sense, brain state based on feedback.30,31 There is also growing scope for editing memory, urges and wishes through electrical implants, as the technological tools required are already available.32
Stem cells provide another approach to neuromodulation. Rat stem cells, for instance, have restored sensory abilities within a mouse brain that had its own olfactory neurons rendered inert.33 It seems that stem-cell injection can modify cellular composition of neural circuits, potentially altering conscious experience.
Modulation of consciousness - Anticipation Scores
The Anticipation Potential of a research field is determined by the capacity for impactful action in the present, considering possible future transformative breakthroughs in a field over a 25-year outlook. A field with a high Anticipation Potential, therefore, combines the potential range of future transformative possibilities engendered by a research area with a wide field of opportunities for action in the present. We asked researchers in the field to anticipate:
- The uncertainty related to future science breakthroughs in the field
- The transformative effect anticipated breakthroughs may have on research and society
- The scope for action in the present in relation to anticipated breakthroughs.
This chart represents a summary of their responses to each of these elements, which when combined, provide the Anticipation Potential for the topic. See methodology for more information.