The proliferation of digital technologies, such as smartphones and artificial intelligence, has significantly transformed the education sector. At the McGovern Institute for Brain Research’s 2024 Spring Symposium, “Transformational Techniques in Mental Wellness,” experts from diverse fields – including psychiatry, psychology, neuroscience, computer science, and more – concurred that these technologies may also play a significant role in advancing the study and treatment of mental health issues and neurological disorders.
Co-hosted by the McGovern Institute, MIT Open Study, McLean Hospital, the Poitras Center for Psychiatric Issues Analysis at MIT, and the Wellcome Trust, the symposium sounded the alarm on the surge in psychological wellbeing challenges, highlighting the promise of innovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.
John Gabrieli, MIT’s Grover Hermann Professor of Health Sciences and Technology, initiated the symposium by likening the endeavor to the iconic Manhattan Project, where renowned scientists collaborated in the 1940s to achieve the seemingly impossible. While psychological well-being may present distinct challenges, Gabrieli’s confusion underscores the similarity in complexity and urgency to the issue at hand. In his later discussions, he noted that the percentage of teen suicide deaths increased by 35% between 1999 and 2000, and a staggering 100% rise in emergency room visits for teenagers aged 5-18 experiencing suicidal attempts or ideations occurred between 2007 and 2015.
Gabrieli stated flatly, “We have no ethical ambiguity left,” as he reflected on the gathering’s sense of urgency. A professor of mind and cognitive sciences, director of the Built-in Learning Initiative (MITili) at MIT Open Studying, and a member of the McGovern Institute, Gabrieli’s remarks underscored the gravity of the situation. “We must unite as scientists and like-minded individuals to effect meaningful change.”
In 2021, U.S. Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, former Surgeon General, has sounded alarm bells twice: once in 2023, and again previously, regarding the alarming surge in psychological wellbeing concerns among youth; specifically, his 2023 advisory highlighted the perilous consequences of excessive social media usage on young people’s mental health. Susan Whitfield-Gabrieli, a McGovern Institute affiliate, Northeastern University Professor of Psychology, and Director of the Biomedical Imaging Core, highlighted the significance of innovating novel intervention approaches during the symposium, referencing recent advisories that emphasize the importance of this need.
The symposium’s audio system further underscored the alarming trend of escalating psychological wellness issues affecting young people and adolescents. According to Christian Webb, affiliate professor of psychology at Harvard Medical Faculty, approximately 15-20 percent of adolescents experience at least one episode of clinical depression by the end of adolescence, with females being most susceptible. Most teenagers experiencing despair often receive no therapy, he noted.
Adults experiencing psychological wellbeing challenges also require innovative interventions. John Krystal, the Robert L. McNeil Jr. As chair of the Division of Psychiatry at Yale University’s School of Medicine, a professor of translational analysis emphasized that antidepressant medications typically exhibit limited effectiveness, requiring approximately two months to produce noticeable results in patients. For individuals struggling with treatment-resistant depression, the likelihood of relapse within a year of initiating antidepressant therapy is alarmingly high at approximately 75 percent. According to Virginie-Anne Chouinard, director of research at McLean OnTrackTM, a program for first-episode psychosis at McLean Hospital, therapies addressing various psychological well-being issues, including bipolar and psychotic disorders, can have debilitating side effects that may discourage individuals from adhering to treatment.
As technological advancements in applied sciences, including smartphones and artificial intelligence, continue to evolve, they have emerged as pivotal drivers of the innovative interventions showcased by symposium speakers.
Dina Katabi, the Thuan and Nicole Pham Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT, discussed innovative techniques for detecting Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and other conditions during a chat on AI and the mind. Researchers are exploring innovative devices that can scrutinize how movement within a space influences surrounding electromagnetic fields, as well as how wireless signals can track respiratory and sleep patterns.
“I’m aware that my suggestion might seem overly optimistic,” Katabi cautioned. “Nevertheless it’s not! This innovative system is currently utilised by individuals affected by conditions, made possible through a groundbreaking advancement in neural networks and AI.
Parkinson’s disease often remains undiagnosed until significant motor impairments have already developed. Researchers led by Katabi gathered data on nocturnal respiratory patterns and developed a tailored neural network to identify instances of Parkinson’s disease diagnosis. The researchers found that the community had an impressive accuracy rate of over 90%, demonstrating a high degree of effectiveness in its detection methods. Following up, the team employed artificial intelligence to analyze data on respiratory health gathered from patients at a six-year interval, examining two distinct sets of information. Could their tailored neural network identify individuals without an initial Parkinson’s diagnosis but later confirmed with one? The AI-driven diagnosis was remarkably accurate: Machines successfully identified 75% of patients who went on to receive a diagnosis.
Early detection of individuals at heightened risk enables targeted interventions, potentially yielding significant therapeutic outcomes. According to Jordan Smoller, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical Faculty and director of the Center for Precision Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, research has shown that AI-aided suicide threat prediction models can identify approximately 45% of suicide attempts or deaths with 90% specificity, about two to three years in advance.
Diverse shows featuring consecutive lightning talks showcased innovative and emerging treatments, such as ketamine’s application in addressing depression; leveraging smartphones with daily surveys and mindfulness apps in treating adolescent depression; metabolic interventions for psychotic disorders; machine learning-based detection of THC intoxication impairment; and family-centered therapy, rather than individual treatment, for youth depression.
The pressing concerns surrounding mental wellbeing in children, adolescents, and adults underscore the urgent need for sustained funding and transparent dissemination of research findings to drive informed solutions.
Niall Boyce, head of the Wellbeing Programme at the Wellcome Trust, a global charitable organization committed to applying science to tackle pressing health issues, outlined the foundation’s funding approach, which prioritizes research that is “collaborative, coherent, and focused,” and centers on “What matters most to those most affected?” To ensure maximum benefits, Wellcome mandates that all funded research outputs, including print publications, be openly accessible and transparently shared.
Regardless of whether it’s through therapeutic modalities, pharmacological treatments, or artificial intelligence, speakers at the symposium concurred that revolutionary strategies for mental wellness demand interdisciplinary cooperation and creative problem-solving.
“Recognizing psychological well-being necessitates acknowledging the remarkable diversity of individuals,” Gabrieli noted. “We must leverage every available resource to create innovative treatments effective for patients who don’t respond to conventional therapies.”
