Mass General Brigham Researchers Make Their 2025 Neurology Predictions

"I anticipate we’ll see an uptick in usage of artificial intelligence (AI) to support physicians while they care for patients, streamline workflows and improve diagnostics and treatments in 2025. We’re also likely to see expanded use of robotics and AI in complex surgeries, particularly for brain and spine procedures."

E. Antonio Chiocca, MD, PhD, FAANS
Executive Director, Center for Tumors of the Nervous System (CTNS)
Mass General Brigham

"I predict that advances in non-invasive brain stimulation will change how we care for patients with brain disease, including accelerated protocols that improve symptoms in days rather than weeks, personalized protocols that target the most bothersome symptom in each patient, and at-home devices that make brain stimulation accessible to more patients."

Michael Fox, MD, PhD
Director, Center for Brain Circuit Therapeutics
Brigham and Women’s Hospital

"Advances in focused ultrasound technology offer the potential for non-invasive, targeted, and temporary opening of the blood-brain barrier. This could allow therapies that were previously ineffective- due to their inability to cross the blood-brain barrier to reach their target in the central nervous system- to directly target tissues. I think we will see a breakthrough in this area of research in the next year, enabling treatments for a wide range of brain disorders, including neurological, psychiatric and neurosurgical conditions."

Alexandra Golby, MD
Investigator, Neurosciences Center
Brigham and Women’s Hospital  

"Starting in 2025, it will become possible to administer transcranial magnetic stimulation to treat depression over the course of just days instead of weeks, which, aided by pharmacological co-agents will still lead to a very high remission rate in treatment-resistant patients.”

Andreas Horn, MD, PhD
Director, Center for Brain Circuit Therapeutics
Brigham and Women’s Hospital

"I predict prevention of dementia, stroke and depression will become a cornerstone of patient-directed primary care. In 2024, we saw the publication of several high impact validation studies of the Brain Care Score (BCS), a tool designed to help people everywhere use the most robust science to guide their daily lifestyle choices and reduce their risk of dementia, stroke and depression by up to 50%. In parallel, we have laid the groundwork to empower people everywhere to use the BCS routinely, and to bring it with them to their next primary care visit with a health care provider."

Jonathan Rosand, MD, MSc
JP Kistler Endowed Chair in Neurology
Co-Founder, McCance Center for Brain Health
Massachusetts General Hospital

"I foresee advances on several fronts of dementia care as a major theme for health care in 2025. This includes AI-assisted approaches to improve early diagnosis, to novel ways of delivering personalized treatments, to advances in care delivery as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services-developed GUIDE (Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience) Model of Care is implemented nationwide. I also predict that caregiving for persons with dementia will gain further recognition as a major element of healthcare, requiring more resources and attention."

Ipsit V. Vahia, MD
Investigator, Division of Geriatric Psychiatry
McLean Hospital