MYndspan is leading a mission to democratise brain health and make sophisticated MEG brain scanning technology accessible to the general public. Caitlin Baltzer, Co-founder and COO of MYndspan, talks to us about the importance of brain health and the latest technology developments within this space.
Every year, 600,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with a neurological condition. That equates to a staggering one in six people receiving a diagnosis in their lifetime with Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease and Dementia the most common types. However, patients often only seek clinical advice when they notice something is wrong with their brain function – they’re forgetting things, for example. Sadly, at that point it’s often too late for treatment to be successful: when it comes to extending healthy cognition, early diagnosis is crucial.
While people go to the dentist or opticians for regular check-ups, checking in on our brain health is far from routine. But our brains are the most important organs in our bodies – controlling physical and mental health at the most fundamental level – so why are we neglecting to monitor our health in the same way?
Even though the brain is not visible, it is still susceptible to damage – by injury, or through everyday stresses and lifestyle choices – and most of us know that we ought to have a better understanding of the condition of our brains. But unlike the easy accessibility of the high street optician, we simply don’t have access to the technologies and professionals who can help us to monitor the health of our brain.
However, with awareness, momentum and tech innovation in the field of neuroscience increasing at an exponential rate, could that all be about to change?
What is brain health?
Brain health refers to the level of well-being across neurological, mental health and social health – not merely the absence of disease. There are five pillars that shape the health of the brain:
- Diet
- Physical exercise
- Sleep
- Socialisation
- Cognitive exercise
Currently, people have very limited choices when it comes to understanding the health of their brain and how their lifestyle influences it. Individuals who have expressed concern about their brain health or mental well-being will know that initial assessments are often based on subjective human judgements, such as feeling foggy. Unsurprisingly, there is often a great deal of variability in this information, making it hard to provide effective treatment and the right type of advice.
Our brains are unique to us as our fingerprints; therefore, people need a personalised data-led approach that provides them with rich insights unique to them.
Brain health and MEG
There are tools that can provide this type of information, but they are generally inaccessible to the public, sitting within research centres or at a high price point – which prevents them from being utilised within standard clinical pathways.
Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a safe, non-invasive scanning technology that measures the brain’s electrical activity and provides an accurate map of an individual’s connectivity. MEG has been used by world-class scientists for 30 years to uncover neurological markers of both health and disease. Astonishingly researchers have discovered incredible uses for it, like identifying concussion and early brain changes indicative of Alzheimer’s Disease, even before an individual experiences symptoms like memory loss. For those concerned about their brain health or those living with neurological conditions, MEG technology could uncover life-changing insights.
Unfortunately, access to this state-of-the-art tech stands in the way for many people. Brain health monitoring is not accessible to the general public and it’s only in elite contact sports where the use of MEG is being explored for research purposes.
However, a growing public appetite for health data is ushering in a new, more democratic, state of play. Start-ups backed by top neuroscientists, such as MYndspan, are exploring avenues through which any person could be given convenient and on-demand access to their brain health data.
Empowerment of data
People deserve to have access to and feel empowered by the incredible insights MEG can provide. Being able to track and monitor how the brain is functioning over time allows individuals to make more informed decisions when looking after their well-being and cognitive performance.
It is encouraging to see a rise in the volume of companies dedicating themselves to empowering people with their own data and encouraging them to take control of their brain health. Several recent developments have meant we are heading in the right direction to bring brain health into the 21st Century with this potentially life-changing technology.
Developments in the consumer brain health space
1. The importance of data-led insights
With the rise in popularity of wearables – providing stats on everything from sleep, steps and heart health – having access to deep insights into your own health is fast becoming the norm. Technology can help people know what a ‘healthy’ personal baseline is for them (maybe that’s getting a certain number of hours of sleep every night) and flag when they are deviating away from that.
A key development in consumer brain health is the idea of a ‘brain health’ baseline too. MEG provides the opportunity to measure and understand the brain’s ‘normal’ in the same way, enabling people to track the impact of health changes on their brain and identify interventions that work best for them, whether that’s lifestyle changes or therapeutic intervention.
2. Losing the distinction between mental and physical health
Have you ever felt stressed and wondered why you may feel nauseous, have chest pain or be fatigued? If we think about how the brain controls our body and emotions it is clear to see how poor mental health can have a detrimental impact on physical health and vice versa.
Losing the distinction between mental and physical health and having a greater understanding of how the lifestyle choices people make influence their brain health, enables us to better identify the cause of illness, inform therapeutic interventions and address health uniformly – which could help to delay the onset and progression of many neurological conditions.
3. Identifying the link between lifestyle and neurological disease
Nearly all cancer cases can be attributed to environmental and lifestyle factors. It is common knowledge that our lifestyle choices impact the risk of illnesses like cancer – the same is true for the brain too. Research has uncovered that 40% of the world’s dementia cases could be prevented with lifestyle changes, like reducing smoking and alcohol consumption and increasing social contact.
4. It’s never too early to start looking after brain health
Early intervention is key to delaying the progression of neurological disease. Identifying changes in the brain early empowers people to act sooner and seek further advice. While the idea of routine brain health assessments may seem daunting to some, it is important to note that cognitive decline is a significant concern as people age, and with neurological diseases being recognised as a global health challenge, looking after our mental well-being and cognitive performance is something we should all be considering.
The future of brain health
We can all expect to live longer, healthier lives than the generations that came before us. But, if current advances in brain health continue at today’s rapid pace, our children can expect to enjoy many years of complete cognitive function too.
MEG technology has the potential to transform our relationship with our brains, and it’s hugely exciting to see efforts to free it from the lab bench and bring it directly to the general public. There may not be a MEG scanner on every high street quite yet, but we are on our way to democratising access to a crucial piece of the brain health puzzle.
BOX OUT
Caitlin Baltzer completed her MBA and an MSc in Finance and Investing at the University of Buckingham. She met her co-founder Janne Huhtala – previously CEO of global brain imaging leader MEGIN – during her time as Vice President of Operations at functional brain imaging company Croton Healthcare. In 2020, they co-founded MYndspan, a brain and wellness analytics startup, on a mission to increase the accessibility of MEG and empower people to take control of their brain health.