The brain is getting a baseline.
What’s happening: NeuroAI startup Hemispheric emerged from stealth with $52M to launch Descartes, a foundational model trained to measure brain function using noninvasive EEG data.
High-signal. Trained on 250K hours of brain activity from more than 100K participants, Descartes converts EEG signals into objective measures of brain function. Using a 15-minute assessment, it helps clinicians detect disease, guide treatment, and track progress over time.
Missing metric. While other organs have objective tests, brain health has historically proven difficult to measure and index. Now, the body’s black box is getting unlocked.
As Hemispheric targets mental illness, cognitive decline, and mTBI, others are exploring novel biomarkers, with Atlas measuring mental clarity, Prophetic engineering lucid dreams, and Temple quantifying cognitive load — while clinics like Radial and Salma use EEG to precision-guide stim treatments.
Punchline: As AI learns the brain’s electrical language, clinical and consumer tech will soon make mental healthcare more objective, personalized, and preventative.
