MindTrace’s potential benefits to patients are significant. Neurosurgical interventions to remove brain tumors or treat epilepsy strive to not cause post-operative cognitive deficits in patients. At a broad level, the functional neuroanatomy of the brain – the physical, anatomical location in the brain where cognitive functions are represented – is roughly the same between individuals. However, there is substantial inter-individual variability in the precise (i.e., cm-to-cm, and mm-to-mm) location of higher critical functions (e.g., language, planning, memory). Since neurosurgery proceeds mm-by-mm, it is critical to map each patient’s brain to understand which regions in that specific patient support specific mental functions.
Post-operative cognitive deficits affecting language, vision, hearing, touch or movement lower patients’ quality of life and increase morbidity (i.e., disabling impairments). Increases in morbidity are associated with increased mortality (e.g., patients who can no longer move are at a higher risk of blood clots and other complications. Put simply, MindTrace is working to give patients confidence that they will be the same person coming out of brain surgery as they were going in.