Making An Impact
Worldwide, the number of people aged 65 and above is projected to grow dramatically in the coming decades. In the U.S., the ratio of adults aged 65+ to people 20-64 will increase by roughly 80% in the next four decades, and life expectancy is projected to reach 84.5 years by 2050.
1.5 billion
People 65+ globally by 2050
1 in 5
Americans will be 65+ by 2050
400,000+
Centenarians in the U.S. by 2050
Medical advances of the twentieth century have contributed significantly to this dramatic rise in life expectancy. However, this increase has also triggered a shift in the leading causes of disease and death, emphasizing the emergence of chronic and degenerative diseases and the need for developing innovative neurotechnologies to address disabilities and health care costs.
We have moved from a society dying of fatal diseases to a society of individuals living with chronic diseases.
Many diseases and traumas can significantly decrease or remove mobility, such as stroke, spinal cord injury, and Parkinson's disease. Similarly, these and other diseases and injuries, such as Retinitis Pigmentosa and other forms of blindness, can decrease or block sensation. Diseases that directly affect sensory and motor function also often have comorbid effects on cognition and emotion.
Chronic pathologies that span the hierarchy from basic physiological function to thought and emotion—hypertension, epilepsy, depression—may be ameliorated through neural technological approaches.
The population of individuals living with disability is expanding, and the current medical standard of care will need to be augmented in order to reduce the significant impact on the national economy in the coming decades. Through convergent research and translation into practice, the BRAIN Center aims to help shape this transition toward more effective and sustainable neurotechnologies for society.