See The Brain, Cure The Brain
Since the early 1970’s, the development of new techniques to observe the brain (such as Computerised Tomography, structural and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Positron Emission Tomography or Magnetoecephalography), as well as the perfection of older ones (such as Electoencephalography), have vastly expanded our knowledge of the most complex organ. These innovative techniques have given a new momentum to brain science and therapeutics by allowing us to better understand its anatomy and how it works.
The advent of cognitive neuroscience in particular, a discipline exploring the cerebral correlates of behavioural and psychological processes, can be considered as a direct outcome. The diagnosis, explanation and cure of cerebral pathologies such as cerebrovascular accidents, tumours, neurodegenerative diseases (Parkinson, Huntington, Alzheimer’s diseases, etc.) or epilepsy are also undergoing substantial transformation. Mental illnesses such as depression, autism or schizophrenia, that have a severe impact on populations are also starting to benefit from this new access to the inner workings of the brain.
This session will analyse the most important scientific and therapeutic advances brought by this brain imaging revolution and explore their current limitations. How far have we really come in understanding the brain and curing brain related diseases, and how can we go even further? Is a new revolution in brain imaging techniques needed and is there one on the horizon? Will these techniques ever help crack the mystery of mental disorders, or are psychological therapies unattainable?
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