Neurotechnology and the Recovering Brain

It is increasingly appreciated that the damaged nervous system has residual latent capacity which, if harnessed, can restore function. The nervous system possesses experience-dependent plasticity making it amenable to therapeutic approaches that go beyond traditional pharmacology.

In this lecture, John Krakauer will discuss how it may be possible to unmask and express such latent capacity, using immersive environments, exer-gaming, smart devices, physiological stimulation, and psychedelics.

John Krakauer is the Director of the Centre for Restorative Neurotechnology at the Champalimaud Foundation in Lisbon and John C. Malone Professor of Neurology, Neuroscience, and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Johns Hopkins University. A world leader in motor control and stroke recovery, Krakauer’s work bridges the gap between basic neuroscience, creative engineering, and the philosophy of mind.

At the Champalimaud Foundation, he leads the “software as medicine” initiative, utilizing immersive animation, generative AI, and digital neurotherapeutics to treat chronic neurological and psychiatric conditions. He is co-inventor of the “MindPod Dolphin,” an FDA-listed neuro-rehabilitation technology licensed to MindMaze. External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute, John is the author of “Broken Movement: The Neurobiology of Motor Recovery after Stroke” (MIT) and is writing a new book on the nature of intelligence for Princeton University Press.