H/t to Liquidity Wizard at Tokemak for outlining how Liquidity is Bandwidth in Web3, and BanklessHQ for surfacing the alpha.

In Web2, network bandwidth refers to the maximum rate of information/data transfer across a given a path – the bit rate (bit/s). In Web3, information is money, so bandwidth entails transactions per second with respect to the movement of Value. Therefore, bandwidth is additionally characterized by an economic component – Liquidity. Thin liquidity is akin to dial-up, while deep liquidity is broadband for the internet of value. Liquidity is necessary for everything in Web3; hence, liquidity is bandwidth.

This is an intriguing perspective. In many ways, the same is true for Cognitive Bandwidth.

Meaning - even reading the above employed your cognitive bandwidth.

Unzipping the information about cognitive bandwidth compressed within this image below itself requires cognitive bandwidth.

Fate loves irony.

According to “Freeing Up Intelligence” highlighting the effects of scarcity on cognition and intelligence, cognitive bandwidth is characterized by cognitive capacity (e.g., fluid intelligence) and executive function (e.g., attention, working memory, etc.). Since the time this was published in 2013, our understanding of cognitive processes has evolved to become neuro-cognitive. There are six neurocognitive domains with their own sub-domains:

These domains are neuro-cognitive because their seamless functioning is underpinned by the activity of large-scale neurocognitive brain networks:

And this is why understanding neuro-cognitive liquidity is vital.

Instead of orderbooks or liquidity pools, the brain stores its own reserves of liquidity in the form of neurotransmitters inside of neurons:

• Thin neuro-cognitive liquidity → limited network activation and recruitment of neurons.
  • E.g., relative scarcity of dopamine and norepinephrine within attention networks (prefrontal cortex neurons) is a hallmark of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
• Deep neuro-cognitive liquidity → robust network activation and recruitment of neurons.
  • Taken to its excess, this can be dysfunctional. E.g., abundance of norepinephrine within the limbic system (amygdala neurons and their projections) is characteristic of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Balance is key.

Neuromodulation and Neuro-Cognitive Liquidity

Neuromodulation is defined as the “alteration of nerve activity through the targeted delivery of a stimulus,” according to Wikipedia. One of the most widely studied and adopted modalities of neuromodulation is Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS).

TMS has been FDA approved for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder since 2008. Various mechanisms of action have been postulated, including the reconfiguration of neurocognitive networks (How does TMS relieve Depression?).

TMS induces the release of neurotransmitters and the ensuing Neuroplastic changes result in increased neurotransmitter reserves → TMS increases neuro-cognitive liquidity:

By cause and/or effect, TMS enhances cognitive bandwidth.

This is worth repeating.

TMS enhances cognitive bandwidth, thus increasing the brain’s capacity to process information, integrate concepts, and reconfigure heuristics in a top-down manner (attention can be either top-down or bottom-up). Irrespective of underlying neuropsychiatric etiology, this is true.

Whereas just a few weeks ago my patients were unable to discern the difference between currency and money, they are now asking questions about how rollups are different from side-chains. What began as a light-hearted conversation about blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and digital assets, quickly turned into an exhilarating foray into web3. They began to watch informative videos about Bitcoin on my YouTube channel, and I soon found myself referring them to sources who I had come to learn about through Gitcoin Grants (Finematics, Bankless, Defiant, etc.).

I was impressed.

I was excited as well but had to remain cautious to prioritize my patients’ best interests. Safety first. I was compelled to draft an Onboarding Web3 Agreement to inform them comprehensively for consent. They were excited at the prospect of a hopeful future with respect to finances and social connection (e.g., CORPrat → DAOpunk), but without compromising protected health information (PHI) and privacy.

Two common denominators were identified:

• Hopelessness for a bleak future with not much to look forward to save for “clocking in 8 hours a day and retiring after working for 20 years” (as one patient put it).
• Social isolation in the Loneliness Epidemic which was amplified by COVID pandemic.

Two solutions naturally emerged, respectively:

• DeFi and Web3.
• Integration into social structures provided by Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs).

There are more people waiting to learn about web3. They are also waiting for their TMS treatment to be approved.

And this is where we switch gears.

Health insurance companies insure only one thing - their own solvency.

These companies refuse to authorize TMS treatment because it affects their bottom-line, though the reasoning is masqueraded under the guise of the “limited evidence base” and incompatibility with the “standard of care.” This has been refuted repeatedly by the consensus of physicians who understand TMS.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34969310/

These companies are also not punctual. Well, it’s worse than that when they state it “may take up to 30 business days for us to review your request” for TMS, particularly if there might be a life hanging in the balance. This is no exaggeration – a patient of mine was hospitalized psychiatrically due to persistent suicidal thoughts while we awaited the decision only to hear back that “clinical criteria were not met” and that a “peer-to-peer review” would need to be scheduled. I am not the only physician who has experienced this.

Outwardly, this is perceived as a disheartening lack of empathy and regard for the patients who they purport to serve.

Despite the understanding that these companies are not structurally incentivized to care for people, it is difficult to have any sympathy or forgiveness because they are inherently profit-generating engines.

I can go on with many more examples, but let’s pause here.

Portion of the funds raised from Heal 2 Earn will be allocated as follows:

• Democratize access of this life-breathing technology to those patients who are denied TMS by their health insurances.
  • The funds will keep the private practice solvent, and enable more psychiatrists to join Web3 by leaving “Psychiatry 2.0” for “Psychiatry 3.0.”
  • This will give us the resources to help more patients with TMS.
  • This will also enable us to educate more people about Web3.
• Purchase new equipment to gather second order TMS based physiological data that can be used to develop biomarkers.
  • Redistribute value created from this back to the community.

There is a lot more that goes into this, but the ultimate direction is toward eliminating reliance on health insurance companies. Just like banks are being disintermediated, this too, can and should be done.

The retained tokens (25% of crowdfund sale) will be reserved for potential future airdrops towards:

• Web3 Community.
• More people locally in my community who might be interested in Web3.
• Physicians and Psychiatrists who are the victims of moral injury, and are interested in onboarding Web3.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6752815/

• Resident physicians and medical students.
  • Residency training has grown to become malignant and is comparable to indentured servitude, and things have only gotten worse since the pandemic. These people are the foundation of our healthcare system. We must build better systems to support them.
  • A quick glance through the subreddit speaks volumes:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Residency/

Now that Layer 2 scaling solutions are live on Ethereum, we – DAOs – can coordinate at scale to build our own system and empower each other with this technology.

Every DAO can develop systems to monetize the attention of its constituents through education and other valuable activities resulting in positive-sum outcomes.

Decentralized Governance is not easy and also requires a lot of bandwidth. According to this DAO report, most people could meaningfully participate in only 1-2 DAOs.

Lots more to discuss about Stim 2 Earn (many other forms of non-invasive brain stimulation; NIBS) and Learn 2 Earn but let’s do that elsewhere because we must front-run the institutions to ensure this technology does not fall into the wrong hands, just like we must protect the right to non-custodial wallets…

https://twitter.com/punk6529/status/1486847620492505090

So join the conversations or simply ape in to support Heal 2 Earn!