What is a digital brain twin?

Wednesday 8th Jul 2026, 12.30pm

Each of us is different. Our genetics and life experiences shape us into unique individuals – with unique brains. When it comes to medicine, therefore, a ‘one size fits all’ approach is often not adequate, and trial and error is required to find the best treatment for a condition: especially when it comes to the brain. But what if a doctor could rely on personalised recommendations about what course of action may be best for a specific patient? We chat to computational neuroscientist Dr Andrea Luppi from Oxford’s Department of Psychiatry about ‘digital brain twins’, and how – when it comes to brain conditions – they could help to achieve just that.