Speakers - 2026

Title: Role of digital twinning in brain health

Abstract

Background and Aims: Digital twins represent virtual replicas enabling real-time monitoring, simulation, and prediction of complex systems. Originating from aerospace engineering, this paradigm is evolving into a new transformative framework for healthcare. The aim of this project is to develop a framework for digital twin adoption in brain health.

Methods: The project methodology included a systematic review of publications of digital twinning in medicine, surgery, and the neurological sciences in bibliographic literature databases by two independent investigators, production of a scoping review, consultation with experts in neurology, digital health, bioengineering, and artificial intelligence by modified Delphi techniques, and formulation a draft framework.

Results: In brain health, just as in longevity medicine, digital twins are defined as viewable digital replicas of patients, organs, or physiological systems containing multidimensional, patient-specific information that informs clinical decision-making. These systems integrate data from wearable biosensors, multi-omics platforms, electronic health records, and medical imaging to create dynamic computational models powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning. Current applications span cardiovascular medicine, orthopedics, pain medicine, immunology, and neurology (identifying brain connectivity patterns pointing to dementia risk, and estimating brain health and brain age). Challenges persist in data quality, model validation, workflow integration, algorithmic bias, privacy protection, regulatory frameworks, and reimbursement models.

Conclusions: Digital twins hold transformative potential for brain health by enabling the shift from reactive neurological sick care to proactive neurological healthcare through prospective, personalized, predictive, and preventive approaches that could extend brain span, through to early neurological disease interception and continuous brain health optimization.