Dr. Alik Widge is an Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota, where he is a practicing psychiatrist and conducts research in applying neurotechnology to psychiatric disorders. Alik holds a B.A. in computer science and cognitive science from Dartmouth College, a Ph.D. in robotics from Carnegie Mellon University, and an M.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
Top 3 Takeaways
- Alik’s work pursues the idea of nudging brain networks underlying psychiatric disorders.
- Nudges are about reinstating normal emotional dynamics, rather than moving emotion to a particular regime.
- Cross-training scientists and clinicians can lead to novel perspectives on psychiatric treatments.
Show Notes
- [1:22] Alik’s background & overview of his current work.
- [2:55] Synthesizing fields impacts Alik’s approach.
- [3:28] Networks and nudges.
- [5:03] Regions vs. networks in neurotechnology.
- [6:00] History of depression interventions.
- [9:00] Biology vs. historical neurology.
- [10:00] Networks of different scales.
- [12:15] What does a “nudge” look like?
- [15:55] Behavioral therapy & neuromodulation nudges.
- [19:00] Neuroscience vs. psychiatry.
- [21:00] New language in psychiatry.
- [23:35] Needed changes in industry.
- [26:00] Specialized chips in neural implants.
- [27:20] Alik’s recent paper.
Selected Links
- Alik’s paper.