BIONIC: Electrochemical Closed Loop Neuromodulation and AI Based Image Guided Surgery

In this talk, Professor Kendall Lee presents cutting‑edge advances in closed‑loop neurochemical neuromodulation, a next‑generation approach to deep brain stimulation (DBS) that goes beyond electrical signals to measure real‑time brain chemistry. His team’s work centers on the WINK and MAVEN systems—implantable technologies capable of monitoring neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, acetylcholine, and adenosine while simultaneously delivering adaptive stimulation. Dr. Lee demonstrates how these tools can track moment‑to‑moment dopamine changes, block drug‑induced dopamine spikes, and even prevent lethal respiratory depression from opioids in animal models—breakthroughs that could transform treatment for addiction, movement disorders, and psychiatric disease. The talk also highlights early human recordings showing how neurochemical signals correlate with symptom improvement in DBS patients, and introduces new AI‑assisted precision‑surgery techniques designed to make DBS safer, faster, and more accurate without intraoperative CT. Together, these advances point toward a future where neuromodulation is fully closed‑loop, chemical‑aware, and highly personalized. 00:00 Introduction to Professor Kendall Lee 00:42 Evolution of Neuroengineering & DBS at Mayo Clinic 01:55 First OCD DBS Case & Mirth-Inducing Stimulation 02:18 Building Closed-Loop Tech: WINK → WINK Harmony → MAVEN 03:12 Real-Time Dopamine Tracking & Vision for Human Translation 05:10 Electrochemistry Tools: Measuring Dopamine, Serotonin & More 06:56 MAVEN System Overview & Near–Real-Time Neurochemical Analysis 08:00 Addiction Models: Cocaine, Oxycodone & Fentanyl Modulation with DBS 11:28 Large-Animal & Early Human Electrochemical Recording Breakthroughs 14:54 AI-Assisted Precision Surgery & Future Closed-Loop Implants