At the 3rd Neuroscience and Technologies Congress, themed "Digital Therapeutics," the latest developments at the intersection of neuroscience and technology were discussed. Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan emphasized that one of the biggest benefits of artificial intelligence is "digital therapeutics," stating, "We are developing personalized digital games and software. Individuals are treating themselves using artificial intelligence."
Vice-Rector Prof. Dr. Türker Tekin Ergüzel: "DTx are software-driven, evidence-based therapeutic interventions to prevent, manage, or treat a medical disorder or disease."
The 3rd Neuroscience and Technologies Congress, organized by Üsküdar Üniversitesi this year with the main theme of "Digital Therapeutics," was held at the Ibn-i Sina Auditorium on Üsküdar Üniversitesi NP Health Campus. The congress, where the latest developments at the intersection of neuroscience and technology were discussed, brought together experts in the field.
Artificial intelligence revolution…
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector, Chairman of the NPİSTANBUL Board of Directors, and Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, in his opening speech titled "Computability in Psychiatric Clinic," discussed how two seemingly unrelated fields like mathematical modeling and the human brain come together and their effects on daily practice, emphasizing that the Blue Brain Project, launched at CERN in 2005, was an important start in this area.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated, "It was said that the Human Brain Project could be the harbinger of a great revolution, and indeed it created a revolution. That revolution's name became artificial intelligence."
Mathematical modeling of the human brain
Prof. Dr. Tarhan shared the theoretical foundations of how the human brain can be mathematically modeled and simulated, and how this information can be useful in medicine, particularly in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, stating that the brain is a control center connected to all organs from the ear to the heart, and that mirror neurons, in particular, are connected to the external world.
Referring to EEG (Electroencephalography) data, Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that it is now possible to determine in clinical practice which disease, function, and brain network (network) the signal recordings, electrical distribution, and neuroelectrophysiological changes in the brain are related to.
Which brain function is impaired can be examined with certain programs
Prof. Dr. Tarhan said, "Through databases established in clinical practice, we can examine with certain programs which network and which function in a person's brain are impaired. By comparing an individual's brain graph with these databases, we have begun to obtain results that can establish a causal link with diseases. This significantly opens new avenues in treatment."
Stating that the awarding of the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics for work in "Quantum Entanglement" marked a new era in understanding the human brain and artificial intelligence, Prof. Dr. Tarhan emphasized that probability physics explains the human brain and that developments like fuzzy logic (fazi lojik) form the basis of artificial intelligence.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that quantum physics is based on probability and that this approach plays a critical role in understanding the human brain, adding, "Our ability to perform probability calculations has made it easier for us to decipher the human brain. The calculation of probability became possible with 'fuzzy logic,' discovered by an Azerbaijani scientist in the 1960s. With this development, the answer to the question 'What happens in our brains when we think?' was found."
How the foundation of artificial intelligence was formed
Reminding that the Nobel Prize for fundamental discoveries and inventions that enabled artificial neural networks and machine learning in 2024 was awarded not to physicists but to geneticist Hatfield and cognitive psychologist Hinton, Prof. Dr. Tarhan said, "Hinton is known as the 'father of artificial intelligence.' Findings that combined genetic codes with the functioning of artificial neural networks formed the basis of artificial intelligence."
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated, "Artificial intelligence will bring about things that will turn humanity upside down. There is both a threat dimension and an opportunity dimension. If we focus on the opportunity dimension, it will make our lives easier."
Emphasizing that one of the biggest benefits of artificial intelligence is "digital therapeutics," Prof. Dr. Tarhan said, "We are developing personalized digital games and software. Individuals treat themselves using artificial intelligence, overcoming 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."
The unification of mathematics and neuroscience seems set to change many things in humanity
Reminding that in the 1920s, the unification of mathematics with logic paved the way for the emergence of computers, Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated, "The marriage, the unification of mathematics and neuroscience, seems set to change many things in humanity."
Drawing attention to the importance of mirror neurons, Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that the functioning of brain chemicals related to happiness is also closely related to this field. Prof. Dr. Tarhan added that in the future, the brain's dopaminergic regions could be activated or the amygdala could be stimulated with RF (radio frequency) waves using personalized digital therapeutics. "In new treatments, it will be possible to generate a special wave function using radio frequency. This is digital therapeutics. Special software will be written to activate the amygdala in a person's brain, and with this personalized treatment, problems related to substances like dopamine and serotonin can be targeted."
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that the human brain, like a computer, has both hardware (cells) and software, adding, "Digital therapeutics aims to change this software. Just as a computer has an operating system and system files, similar structures exist in the human brain. Over time, errors can occur in this 'software.' Digital therapeutics can correct these errors."
Serious research stands behind digital therapeutics
Speaking in the first session of the congress, Üsküdar Üniversitesi Vice-Rector Prof. Dr. Türker Tekin Ergüzel, in his presentation titled "Deep Learning and Digital Therapeutics: Innovative Approaches to Psychiatric Diseases," stated that although digital therapeutics is a new concept, it is backed by serious research, developed applications, and scientific results.
Prof. Dr. Türker Tekin Ergüzel said, "DTx are software-driven, evidence-based therapeutic interventions to prevent, manage, or treat a medical disorder or disease. In other words, they are patient-oriented software applications with proven clinical benefits that help patients treat, prevent, or manage a disease."
Digital therapeutics can be VR-supported, mobile, or web-based
Stating that digital therapeutics can be VR-supported, mobile, or web-based, Prof. Dr. Ergüzel explained that these applications use digital tools such as mobile devices, sensors, virtual reality, and the Internet of Things (IoT).
Prof. Dr. Türker Tekin Ergüzel, speaking about the fundamental reason for digital therapeutics coming to the fore recently, said, "The main reason for digital therapeutics gaining such prominence lately is the tremendous data generation and the significant increase in the resolution of this data. We are collecting high-resolution data. The data collection resolutions of devices like MRI or EEG have also increased. The processing of this high-resolution data brought us to the DTx generation," also touching upon the importance of artificial intelligence and machine learning in this field.
We have transitioned to a new generation with 'Deep Learning' algorithms!
Prof. Dr. Ergüzel said, "Machine learning used to be used superficially. However, in the last 8-9 years, we have transitioned to a new generation with artificial neural networks and 'deep learning' algorithms. While previously significant differences were sought with statistical methods, now, thanks to intelligent systems and artificial neural networks, we can produce more precise and personalized solutions."
DTx are more commonly used in psychiatric patients!
Stating that digitalization in psychiatry is a necessity and that the resolution of collected data has increased with the rising number of patients, Prof. Dr. Ergüzel said, "DTx are more commonly used in psychiatric patients. Subsequently, we will see their widespread use in oncology and addiction as well."
Prof. Dr. Ergüzel stated that digital therapeutics are used with prominent applications in areas such as stress, anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, behavioral problems, addiction, chronic pain, and cognitive disorders, adding, "The applications I listed constitute approximately 5% of the most commonly used ones. There is an unseen 95% behind this."
Psychiatry's patient burden enables widespread use of DTx in this field
Prof. Dr. Ergüzel added that according to a study conducted in 2023, the results of 317 clinical DTx applications were examined, stating, "Psychiatry's patient burden and the high resolution of collected data enable the widespread use of DTx in this field."
Prof. Dr. Ergüzel also announced that Üsküdar Üniversitesi is carrying out an important DTx project supported by a budget from TÜBİTAK in cooperation with the private sector, stating that the project aims to develop a solution that combines hospital demands with experiences, especially in the field of artificial intelligence and VR. Emphasizing that the most critical issue in looking to the future is adaptive learning and integration with emotional intelligence, Prof. Dr. Ergüzel stated that digital therapeutics will become even more effective by addressing the shortcomings in these areas.
Digital therapeutics discussed at the congress
Later at the congress, NPİSTANBUL Hastanesi Neurology Specialist Prof. Dr. Barış Metin gave a presentation titled "Digital Health Applications in Dementia Patients," NPİSTANBUL Hastanesi Psychiatry Specialist Prof. Dr. Onur Noyan "Digital Therapeutics in Addiction," NPİSTANBUL Hastanesi Psychiatry Specialist Assist. Prof. Dr. Elvan Çiftçi "Digital Therapeutics in Bipolar Disorder and Depression," and NPİSTANBUL Hastanesi Expert Clinical Psychologist Özgenur Taşkın "Current Uses of Digital Therapeutics in Psychotherapy."
In the second session of the congress, Assist. Prof. Dr. Bernis Sütçübaşı presented on "Examining the Emotional World with Neuroimaging," and Software Engineer Ümit Küpeli provided information about the "Voctor Health" project. Assist. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Kaan İldiz discussed "Virtual Reality Applications in Neuropsychiatry," while Exp. Psychologist Shams Farhad addressed "NP Model: EEG signal processing - Independent Components." Exp. Engineer Sahar Taghizadeh Makouei gave a presentation on "NP Model: Clinical Decision Support Systems."
Group photo taken
Later at the congress, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan presented a certificate of appreciation to Hande Koşalay, Founding President of the Women in Neuroscience Association.
A group photo was then taken.