Oh, gather round, folks, for the tale of the Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) Think Tank XI, a grand assembly of the world’s finest minds, held in the exotic locale of Gainesville, Florida, from August 9-11, 2023. The theme? “Pushing the Forefront of Neuromodulation”. Because, of course, the forefront just isn’t going to push itself.

Our hero, Dr. Nico Dosenbach, ventured all the way from the mystical lands of Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, to bestow upon us his groundbreaking research, recently graced by the hallowed pages of Nature. In a daring collaboration with Dr. Evan Gordon, they unveiled the somato-cognitive action network (SCAN), a revelation so profound it’s practically redefining our quaint old friend, the motor homunculus, and sparking wild new hypotheses about the magical integrative networks that make therapeutic DBS tick.

But let’s not forget the real star of the show: the DBS Think Tank itself. Founded in the ancient year of 2012, this open platform is where the elite of the elite – clinicians, engineers, and researchers from both the shadowy corners of industry and the hallowed halls of academia – come together to freely discuss the mysteries of current and emerging DBS technologies. And, oh, the topics they cover! From the cutting-edge translational neuromodulation (because regular old neuromodulation is so last season) to neuroethical dilemmas that would make your head spin, and let’s not overlook the thrilling advances in future neuromodulation devices.

And in case you were wondering just how popular this whole DBS thing is, the group casually dropped that over 263,000 DBS devices have been implanted globally for neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. Because, why not?

So, there you have it, folks. The DBS Think Tank XI: where the brightest minds convene to push the boundaries of what we know about neuromodulation, one exotic Florida conference at a time. Because when it comes to the brain, there’s always more to stimulate.