346: Erik Won: Optimizing Brain Function Through Neuroscience

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How are Advancements in Brain Science Helping People Live Their Best Life?

Dr. Erik Won

Dr. Erik Won is the President of Wave Neuroscience, Inc. It’s a biotechnology company that has innovated breakthrough technologies called Magnetic e-Resonance Therapy (MeRT) and Synchronized Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (sTMS).

Erik joined Wave Neuroscience after serving as the Chief Physician and Chief Technology Officer for Boeing. He also served as a US Navy Flight Surgeon in the late 90’s and early 2000’s.

Wave Neuroscience’s goal is to empower and optimize brain function. They want to help people perform better and become the best versions of themselves. Through non-invasive neuromodulation technology, they can address a wide range of neurological disorders. It also helps enhance cognitive performance using non-pharmacological methods.

What We Discuss With In This Episode

How they take an engineering approach to the brain
Why there’s no such thing as a perfect brain
Causes of brain injury
Who can benefit from their technology and results they’ve noticed
How people can access it right now

Transcript Highlights

Taking an Engineering Approach to the Brain

Wave Neuroscience is an organizational culture built on collective intelligence. Technology-wise, they’re at the commercialization stage and ongoing clinical trials are being done.

Using an FDA-approved base technology called transcranial magnetic stimulation, they’ve developed algorithms and methods to personalize each individual. They’re also trying to improve their accessibility and reach to help as many people as possible.

How This Technology Works

They capture an electric physiologic picture of the brain called an electroencephalogram (imagine like an EKG for the heart).
Then they take that data and run it through a normative database and some analytics.
They identify areas of the brain that could be optimized more.
They tune up those identified areas using transcranial magnetic stimulation.

Through this breakthrough, patients can get a sweet glimpse into how things are functioning. As a result, they can strive to improve that function.

There’s No Perfect Brain

While there are people who may be hyper-efficient in certain domains, they may also be more prone to depression. Additionally, they found that some people who are fairly quantitative and analytical may struggle a bit with connection and emotional intelligence. Many overachievers also tend to not protect their sleep. In fact, they found areas of the brain clusters of neurons that start to misfire.

The brain images have very unique characteristics. Similar to a signature, people have very unique qualities that make them who they are. Whether it’s due to aging or due to a head injury caused by recreational sports or car accidents, or chronic sleep deprivation, everyone has those areas over time.

Wave Neuroscience is agnostic to diagnosis. In fact, they’re only identifying areas of the brain that could use a little help. They nudge them in the right direction and try to get them far more cohesively and efficiently. They’re not necessarily looking for the perfect brain. But they’re trying to get people to the perfect version of themselves.

Causes of Brain Injury

What commonly causes neuronal misfiring or oscillatory dysfunction is a traumatic brain injury. It basically refers to the mechanism injury, which comes in a variety of forms. Conversely, concussion refers to the residual symptoms after a period of recovery. The more common term is persistent post-concussion syndrome or PPCS.

There are many other ways that brain injury can happen such as:

Sleep deprivation – causing a cascade of problems and long-range negative health outcomes including weight gain, obesity, insulin resistance, heart disease, and stroke
Emotional trauma – such as loss of a loved one
Chemical trauma – use of alcohol, drugs, and other chemicals

Who Can Benefit From Their Technology

Elite athletes
Special operators
Executives
Entrepreneurs and business leaders
Veterans

How People Can Access It Right Now

Currently, they’re offering 30-minute simulation treatment sessions. Depending on the severity of the symptoms, the treatment can be done over a period of weeks.

In the next 6 months to one year, they’re hoping to deploy, a unit that can be done from the comfort of your home. Specifically, they are targeting those who may not be experiencing enough symptoms for them to go seek help from a doctor. It’s ideal for entrepreneurs and business leaders who just want a little bit of boost in productivity.

Connect With Dr. Erik Won and Wave Neuroscience Team

Website: https://waveneuro.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WaveNeuro
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/WaveNeuro
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/WaveNeuro
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wave-neuroscience

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