Jacques Carolan on the future of brain health episode artwork

EPISODE · Nov 5, 2025 · 48 MIN

Jacques Carolan on the future of brain health

from The Existential Hope Podcast

What if we could treat depression, anxiety, or chronic pain by tuning the brain, just as precisely as a pacemaker regulates the heart?Jacques Carolan, Program Director at the UK’s ARIA (Advanced Research and Invention Agency), joins us to talk about the next wave of precision neurotechnology; new tools that let us see and influence brain activity with far greater accuracy. We explore how ultrasound might gently stimulate mood circuits without surgery, how gene therapies could switch off seizures before they start, and how “living electrodes” could one day repair damaged brain tissue.Jacques also explains ARIA’s bold approach to funding high-risk science, what he’s learned from patient engagement, and why he believes the next decade will transform how we understand and care for the brain.On the Existential Hope Podcast hosts Allison Duettmann and Beatrice Erkers from the Foresight Institute invite scientists, founders, and philosophers for in-depth conversations on positive, high-tech futures. Full transcript, listed resources, and more: https://www.existentialhope.com/podcastsFollow on X. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if we could treat depression, anxiety, or chronic pain by tuning the brain, just as precisely as a pacemaker regulates the heart?Jacques Carolan, Program Director at the UK’s ARIA (Advanced Research and Invention Agency), joins us to talk about the next wave of precision neurotechnology; new tools that let us see and influence brain activity with far greater accuracy. We explore how ultrasound might gently stimulate mood circuits without surgery, how gene therapies could switch off seizures before they start, and how “living electrodes” could one day repair damaged brain tissue.Jacques also explains ARIA’s bold approach to funding high-risk science, what he’s learned from patient engagement, and why he believes the next decade will transform how we understand and care for the brain.On the Existential Hope Podcast hosts Allison Duettmann and Beatrice Erkers from the Foresight Institute invite scientists, founders, and philosophers for in-depth conversations on positive, high-tech futures. Full transcript, listed resources, and more: https://www.existentialhope.com/podcastsFollow on X. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Jacques Carolan on the future of brain health

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What if we could treat depression, anxiety, or chronic pain by tuning the brain, just as precisely as a pacemaker regulates the heart?Jacques Carolan, Program Director at the UK’s ARIA (Advanced Research and Invention Agency), joins us to talk about...

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