DARPA https://www.darpa.mil recently announced the Neural Evidence Aggregation Tool (NEAT) program is in place to develop a new cognitive science tool to identify people at risk for suicide by using preconscious brain signals rather than asking questions and waiting for consciously filtered responses.
According to Greg Witkop, a former Army Surgeon and currently Program Manager in DARPA’s Defense Sciences Office, “ NEAT is envisioned to be for mental health what an MRI is for the physical body, a way to assess injury.”
He also reports, “Using the preconscious will hopefully enable us to detect signs of depression, anxiety, or suicidal ideation earlier and more reliably than ever before. If successful, NEAT will not only significantly augment behavioral health screening, but also serve as a new way to assess ultimate treatment efficacy.”
NEAT is planned as a 3.5 year program with a 24 month proof of concept phase, followed by an 18 month operational setting phase. Throughout the program lifecycle, DARPA will leverage an independent Ethical, Legal, and Societal Issues (ELSI) group to advise NEAT program leadership and performers on ELSI concerns.