Where will mimicking the human brain evolve?

Researchers from Üsküdar University and NPİSTANBUL Hospital attended the “7th International Basic and Clinical Multimodal Imaging Congress (BaCI),” held in Munich between September 2–5, 2025.

President of Üsküdar University Prof. Nevzat Tarhan: “Digital therapeutics (DTx), which overlap with the principles of personalized medicine, generally provide customized treatment plans through mobile applications, virtual platforms, or wearable devices by offering personalized monitoring, training, therapy, and rehabilitation services.”

NPİSTANBUL Hospital Neurology Specialist Prof. Barış Metin: “Digital applications are a powerful tool to keep patients mentally fit, prevent accidents, reduce psychological symptoms, and ease the burden of care.”

Üsküdar University Vice Rector Prof. Türker Tekin Ergüzel also shared the health applications of DTx in psychiatry and the results of clinical trials, supported by findings from systematic meta-synthesis studies.

Neuroscience PhD student Shams Farhad: “Our VR and AI-supported digital therapies perform dynamic measurements from eye, hand, and head movements to detect early cognitive impairments.”

Dr. Elvan Çiftçi from the Faculty of Medicine at Üsküdar University was awarded the “Young Investigator” prize by the ECNS Association in recognition of her notable studies in 2025.

Led by President of Üsküdar University Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, researchers from Üsküdar University and NPİSTANBUL Hospital participated in the “7th International Basic and Clinical Multimodal Imaging Congress (BaCI),” held in Munich, Germany, from September 2–5, 2025.

Congress theme: “Neurophysiology, Machine Learning, and Artificial Intelligence”

Organized under the leadership of the EEG & Clinical Neuroscience Society (ECNS) chaired this term by Prof. Kemal Arıkan, the congress highlighted the theme “Neurophysiology, Machine Learning, and Artificial Intelligence.” Presentations discussed the transformative potential of combining machine learning and AI methods with neurophysiology in brain research and diagnostic processes.

Talks focusing on how AI and next-generation machine learning methods enhance EEG, fMRI, and electrophysiological data interpretation shared up-to-date studies on analyzing complex neural signals, extracting features with high biomarker potential, and predicting neuropsychiatric disorders.

“Machine learning and artificial intelligence will transform brain research”

In his speech at the congress, President of Üsküdar University Prof. Nevzat Tarhan emphasized the increasing size of data collected in the field of neuroimaging and the importance of computation models’ deep-learning-oriented transformation. He continued: “Deep-learning-oriented transformation will bring us closer to understanding cognition, emotion, and consciousness, offering new possibilities in brain research while also encouraging advances in personalized medicine. The combination of machine learning, artificial intelligence, and neurophysiology will transform brain research and diagnostics, and the contribution of these methods will also improve EEG, fMRI, and electrophysiological data interpretation. By effectively analyzing the data collected within NPİSTANBUL at Üsküdar University laboratories and research centers, we achieve strong results. We aim to further develop and expand this capacity through international R&D projects.”

Digital Therapeutics (DTx) on the rise

Chairing the session titled “Transforming the Field of Neurocare,” Prof. Tarhan drew special attention to the rise of digital therapeutics (DTx) and said: “DTx, which overlap with the principles of personalized medicine, generally provide customized treatment plans through mobile applications, virtual platforms, or wearable devices by offering personalized monitoring, training, therapy, and rehabilitation services. Taking into account patients’ genetic, biomarker, and lifestyle data, these therapies enable more accurate and faster insights into individuals’ diseases, optimize treatment processes in a patient-specific way, and improve health outcomes. This field carries significant potential in many areas, including chronic disease management, mental health disorders, and postoperative recovery.”

Digital health applications and dementia management

Prof. Barış Metin, Neurology Specialist at Üsküdar University NPİSTANBUL Hospital, in his presentation titled “Digital Health Applications in Dementia Patients,” discussed digital tools designed to ease the lives of dementia patients and said: “Dementia has become an increasingly pressing health issue with the aging population. The cognitive impairments these patients experience in daily life both increase the burden on caregivers and raise the risks of accidents and falls. Digital applications are a powerful tool to keep patients mentally fit, prevent accidents, reduce psychological symptoms, and alleviate the caregiving burden.”

Facilitating early diagnosis and monitoring of dementia

Prof. Metin also shared information about Üsküdar University’s EU-supported MEDGPT project, stating: “Recently, Üsküdar University received EU funding to carry out the MEDGPT project, an application designed to facilitate the early diagnosis and monitoring of dementia patients. The project aims to develop an interactive tool that patients can use, which will also incorporate neuroimaging data such as MRI, enabling physicians to diagnose and monitor the disease.”

Digital therapeutics and Alzheimer’s research

Üsküdar University Vice Rector Prof. Türker Tekin Ergüzel, in his presentation titled “Digital Therapeutics: The Future of Medicine,” shared systematic meta-synthesis findings on the health applications and clinical trial results of DTx in psychiatry.

Discussing FDA-approved DTx studies and comparing clinical results among patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), dementia, and healthy control groups, Prof. Ergüzel continued: “Based on randomized controlled trials (RCTs), we selected studies that used mobile application interventions for elderly individuals with MCI or dementia. The interventions and comparisons included CCT (computerized cognitive training), intensive CCT (CCT2x), progressive resistance training (PRT), CCT plus pharmacological treatment, CCT plus PRT, and medication-only groups. Cognitive functionality and other functional outcomes (e.g., activities of daily living – ADLs) were compared. Compared to the control group, CCT2x showed statistically significant improvements in global cognitive function, episodic memory, and working memory. CCT significantly reduced functional impairment in ADLs. For depressive symptoms, CCT2x was the most effective method for reducing symptoms. Overall, Prof. Ergüzel highlighted that DTx could be effective in improving cognitive and other functional outcomes in older adults with MCI or dementia. He also provided information about the TÜBİTAK project conducted at Üsküdar University, titled: ‘Artificial Intelligence-Based Early Detection of Alzheimer’s Disease Using Spatial Data and EEG Data Collected Through VR-Based Cognitive Serious Games.’”

VR-supported early diagnosis system for Alzheimer’s

Neuroscience PhD student Shams Farhad, in his presentation titled “Evidence-Based Therapeutic Intervention by Software,” shared the initial results of the Voctor Health – VH Alzheimer system developed by Üsküdar University, NPİSTANBUL Hospital, and Iottech Bilişim for Alzheimer’s patients: “Alzheimer’s disease is rapidly increasing worldwide, yet due to the lack of early diagnosis, most patients miss the opportunity for timely intervention. The VR and AI-supported digital therapies we have developed perform dynamic measurements from eye, hand, and head movements to detect early cognitive impairments. This system is not only a diagnostic tool but also a powerful therapeutic support.”

Shamsfurther emphasized that real-time brain activity analysis will become possible in the future with EEG integration, adding: “This approach could create a new digital biomarker platform in Alzheimer’s care.”

“Young Investigator” Award to Üsküdar

Dr. Elvan Çiftçi from the Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine at Üsküdar University, presented the results of deep and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (dTMS/rTMS) treatments in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Dr. Çiftçi highlighted that biomarkers such as young age, increased frontal delta, and occipital theta activity were particularly important in predicting treatment response.

For her remarkable studies in 2025, Dr. Elvan Çiftçi was honored with the “Young Investigator” award by the ECNS Association.