Prof. Nevzat Tarhan: “Memory enhancement with personalized digital therapeutics will become widespread in the coming years”

Üsküdar University at the 12th G20 / N20 (Neuroscience) Summit in Johannesburg

Üsküdar University participated in the 12th G20 / N20 (Neuroscience) Annual Scientific Summit held in Johannesburg, where influential global studies in neuroscience, mental health and neurotechnology were discussed.

Highlighting the importance of big data focused artificial intelligence applications in healthcare and noting that one of the most significant contributions of artificial intelligence is “digital therapeutics,” President of Üsküdar University Prof. Nevzat Tarhan said: “Applications such as memory enhancement and attention training through personalized digital therapeutics will become widespread in the coming years. This will be an important contribution of neuroscience to neuropsychiatry.”

 

Üsküdar University attended the 12th G20 / N20 (Neuroscience) Annual Scientific Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, where global leaders in neuroscience, mental health and neurotechnology met.

Bringing together the world’s leading scientists, engineers, physicians and entrepreneurs, the summit aims to develop rapid clinical solutions for neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders and to strengthen neurotechnology initiatives in G20 countries.

Conducted by the Society for Brain Mapping and Therapeutics

N20 aims to contribute to former U.S. President Barack Obama’s BRAIN Initiative and expand activities for current and future projects across G20 countries.

Through its annual summit, Neuroscience20 supports Obama’s Brain Initiative while also working to establish a global Neurotechnology Innovation Consortium to accelerate the diagnosis and treatment of neurological, psychiatric and spinal disorders.

Led by the Society for Brain Mapping and Therapeutics (SBMT), the Neuroscience20 organization continues its efforts to establish a global Brain Initiatives Consortium to form a united front against numerous destructive neuropsychiatric disorders worldwide.

At the 12th annual summit, a wide range of topics were discussed, including brain mapping and therapeutics, neurotechnology innovations, investments, neuropsychiatric disorders, PTSD, artificial intelligence, mental health disorders, neurosurgery (vascular), neuroimaging, neuro oncology, opioid addiction (pandemic), suicide prevention, epilepsy, spine disorders, neurological infections, regulatory issues, neurodegenerative diseases such as MS, ALS and Parkinson’s, and conditions including traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injuries.

Üsküdar University, the only university from Türkiye attending the summit

Üsküdar University, the only university from Türkiye represented at the summit, has taken a pioneering role in the establishment of Global Brain Initiatives over the last fifteen years through its strong academic background in mental health, neuroscience and engineering and its collaborations with SBMT.

Delivering the opening speech at the summit,  President of Üsküdar University Prof. Nevzat Tarhan shared information about the neuroscience studies conducted at the university, the NP model and the Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM) Database.

Prof. Tarhan emphasized big data focused artificial intelligence applications in healthcare

Drawing attention to the significance of big data driven artificial intelligence in the health sector, Prof. Tarhan noted that the 2024 Nobel Prize was awarded not to physicists but to geneticist Hatfield and cognitive psychologist Hinton for their discoveries that made artificial neural networks and machine learning possible. He emphasized that findings combining genetic codes with the functioning of artificial neural networks form the foundation of artificial intelligence.

Pointing out that one of the greatest contributions of artificial intelligence is “digital therapeutics,” Prof. Tarhan added: “We are developing personalized digital games and software. Individuals use artificial intelligence to treat themselves and overcome their fears. Applications such as memory enhancement and attention training with personalized digital therapeutics will become widespread in the coming years. This will be a significant contribution of neuroscience to neuropsychiatry.”

In the second session held in the afternoon, Prof. Tarhan presented the establishment and development process of the ME plus initiative, the collaborations carried out with SBMT and the achievements gained in the university’s internationalization efforts. He emphasized that studies conducted with the contributions of multidisciplinary and multinational researchers can produce strong academic and social impact on a global scale.

Prof. Ergüzel discussed studies in artificial intelligence in healthcare, entrepreneurship and neuroscience

In the same session, Üsküdar University Vice Rector Prof. Türker Tekin Ergüzel evaluated ongoing work in the fields of artificial intelligence in healthcare, entrepreneurship and neuroscience.

Prof. Ergüzel noted that young researchers have a high level of entrepreneurial motivation and emphasized that structural transformations must be planned to support this area.

Stating that AI driven healthcare initiatives enhance the accuracy of clinical decision support systems through big data analytics, machine learning and natural language processing techniques, increase cost effectiveness and generate innovative solutions in drug development, treatment processes and clinical workflows, Prof. Ergüzel underlined that regulatory compliance, data security, ethical use and sustainable business models are critical for the success of such initiatives.

Prof. Ergüzel also emphasized that public private partnerships, early stage funding mechanisms and pilot implementations accelerate the scaling of AI based healthcare innovations.

What does the transformation include

The priorities of the transformation expressed by Prof. Türker Ergüzel in short, medium and long term plans include the following. In the short term (1 to 3 years): AI therapist assistants, AI triage and risk screening tools, AI conversational mental health assistants and AI mental health analytics supported by wearable devices. In the medium term (3 to 7 years): AI for predicting drug response, early stage school based AI mental health systems and workplace mental health intelligence systems. In the long term (7 to 15 years): AI plus BCI for the drug free treatment of mood disorders, real time brain state decoding for emotional regulation and AI assisted closed loop neuromodulation.

The use of artificial intelligence in healthcare increases diagnostic accuracy

Speaking about the studies carried out specifically at NPİSTANBUL Hospital and drawing attention to the financial parameters of the process, Board Member Fırat Tarhan stated that the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare increases diagnostic accuracy, personalizes treatment processes and improves efficiency in healthcare services.

Fırat Tarhan emphasized that in order for these technologies to be safely and effectively adopted, economic policies must be designed holistically, including investments in data infrastructure, regulatory frameworks, public private collaboration models and cost effectiveness analyses.

Thousands of deaths can be prevented with artificial intelligence applications

Referring to numerical data from studies in the literature, Fırat Tarhan pointed to the economic impact of artificial intelligence investments and said that according to the study “The Potential Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Health Care Spending,” the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence in the United States could reduce healthcare spending by 5 to 10 percent, corresponding to savings of 200 to 360 billion USD as of 2019.

Up to 400 thousand deaths per year could be prevented

Citing a report conducted in Europe, Fırat Tarhan stated that artificial intelligence applications could prevent approximately 380 thousand to 403 thousand deaths annually. Referring to findings in the literature, he emphasized that two critical points stand out in shaping economic policies for artificial intelligence in healthcare and said: “Artificial intelligence has high potential for cost savings, but gaps in investment costs, implementation processes and effectiveness data make policy decisions difficult.”