The category of “wearable” or “wearable” smart devices gives jump to the next level with wearable devices for the brain. Computable watches and bracelets designed for sports activity, health and sleep are and will continue to dominate the segment and will be expanded to include other form factors such as rings. But in the future, thanks to neurotechnology, there will be much more.

Although these techniques are usually associated with brain implants or the like, these wearable brain devices refer to therapeutic medical devices that are used brain stimulation from outside the body (through the skin and skull), without using any physically invasive process and as a treatment for various chronic health problems.

Wearables for the brain

TechCrunch published a special to help us understand what these devices are and why we might need them. Let’s think about portable devices that are placed on the head and that allow the user self-administered treatments for psychological conditions such as depression, menstrual pain, premenstrual syndrome and generally targeted applications such as anxiety, insomnia or post-traumatic stress disorder.

Researchers say its use is also possible for (increasingly widespread) metabolic disorders such as obesity and type II diabetes, which could be treated with this type of wearable neurotechnology.

All of these applications are part of the roadmap of some of the startups that have been developing their non-invasive brain stimulation technologies for the past decade. The market for these medical technologies remains very small, but appears to be on the verge of a period of accelerated growth in the coming years as long-term efforts to commercialize research and development will lead to a whole new generation of products. Provided that the necessary regulatory approvals are passed, which, as is evident in these areas, are more demanding and certain technical obligations are overcome, which are also not negligible.

The most effective treatments

One of the great promises of non-invasive neurotechnology is that it could offer alternative treatments for conditions such as depression (a veritable epidemic in the world today), which do not always respond well to medication. But, How can an electronic device have a therapeutic effect on the human brain? The underlying theory is that stimulating brain activity in a targeted way can affect how a person feels by changing the electrical signals that brain cells use to communicate with each other.

“Brain cells communicate using electrochemical substances”explains Dr. Camilla Nord, Associate Professor at the University of Cambridge and Director of the University’s Mental Health Neuroscience Laboratory, in her latest book on the science of mental health (Balanced brain). “One of the ways to change the activity in the brain, and thus a person’s thoughts or mood, is to modify the chemistry. “That’s what drugs like antidepressants and antipsychotics do.”.

Another way to change it is modify their electrical signalsand this is done by stimulating the brain in different ways. While pharmaceuticals are a more established way of influencing mood and mental health, there are many disadvantages to using medication, from cost to difficulty stopping treatment once treatment begins, and to a large number of possible side effects.

For the uninitiated, the idea of ​​applying electricity to the brain can be a little scary. However, when asked about the possible risks, Nord said that the amount of neurostimulation used in commercial facilities is so mild that it should not be a cause for concern from a safety perspective because low electrical stimulation of the brain and the use of short periods of timeas recommended.

Technical and regulatory complexity

Neurotechnology has as much potential as its complexity, both technical and regulatory approval of the market. The first techniquebecause of the variety of technologies that can be used to influence brain activity. Broadly speaking, this includes Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), Electrical Current Stimulation (CES) and even, research suggests, Ultrasound (TUS).

Until now, most commercial activity has focused on a form of transcranial electrical stimulation (ECT) called transcranial electrical stimulation (tDCS). But other electrical approaches are being explored. The application of non-invasive brain stimulation is also increasing, but so far the main areas of interest are mental health and neurological problems.

It won’t be easy. Brain stimulation has a long but not always glorious history. Older devices that weren’t backed by science explain some of the lingering skepticism toward noninvasive neurotechnology therapy. In recent years, regulators have been trying to tighten their rules for approving electrical neurostimulation for certain applications.

The approval process for these wearable brain devices can take many years. So far, the world’s most powerful regulator (the US FDA) has approved some devices to treat anxiety and insomnia, but the agency has yet to approve any CES devices for depression. It’s safe to say that the first brain wearable to fight depression to get FDA approval will be able to claim and significant increase in credibility.

Evaluate the costs

The new rules—safer, more modern and more realistic—for the approval of neurotech medical devices set the category up for a renaissance, provided startups can meet the updated standards. However, the journey does not end with the approval of the regulatory authorities.

Health care delivery systems also evaluate new treatments by focusing on costsmeaning they must be able to demonstrate good value for money. Again, different markets and health systems can approach these cost-benefit assessments very differently, adding to the administrative work for startups looking to sell in multiple markets.

In countries with publicly funded national health services (Spain, UK, France…), which also have public organizations to evaluate the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of possible treatments, this may be easier, while in countries such as as in the United States, the cost assessment process is much more fragmented due to the larger role played by private health care.

Consumer Neurotechnology

Finally, say there is another set of wearables that stimulate the brain that are found outside the category of medical technologyin the broader but more dispersed space of wellness devices, halfway between brain wearables that fall under medical science and general wearables such as the humble fitness bracelet.

This group of devices are “lifestyle” products, marketed and sold directly to consumers, usually with some form of training or brain tracking. But without regulatory oversight of the purported benefitsit is more difficult to understand and verify the impact.

There are examples such as a headband (original Philips research) that detects brain waves via EEG using music and other images within the app and offers concentration monitoring and a training program aimed at professional sportsmen and athletes. The second example is a premium smart headset that will be marketed as an attention tracking (and concentration training) tool for information workers looking to optimize their productivity.

Brain training itself is not a new ideaof course and we saw it in the entertainment segment as well. Games that claim to increase mental agility have been promoted and marketed for years, but these apps don’t have the best reputation and there is little evidence of their usefulness beyond improving users’ ability to play these types of games.

Simple comparisons with wearable devices for the brain that we wanted to bring up in this article, which are part of medical science that can improve the quality of our life with the necessary help of technology as in many other fields.