Siemens Healthineers is releasing a couple of AI-driven and cloud-based software applications, one for the brain and one for the prostate, that automate a great deal of the manual tasks that radiologists have to perform. Both of the applications can be used with data coming from any MRI machine, so can be deployed by just […]
Tag: Neurology
SOMATOM On.site: A Portable CT Scanner for Bedside Head Exams
At the ongoing RSNA conference in Chicago, a gathering of the world’s radiologists, Siemens Healthineers introduced its SOMATOM On.site CT scanner that can be wheeled right into patient rooms for bedside exams. Currently, patients requiring a head CT have to be taken to wherever the scanner is, but the mobility of the SOMATOM On.site allows [ (Read more...)
Wireless Skin VR System For Prosthetic Users
Researchers from City University of Hong Kong and Northwestern University have developed a wearable “skin” that can impart a sense of touch through vibrations on the user’s skin beneath. The device is powered and controlled wirelessly, and could provide a sense of touch for prosthetic users and aid in rehabilitation. Imparting a s (Read more...)
Protective Membrane for Pacemakers to Make Replacement Surgeries Easier
Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a cellulose membrane to cover and protect implantable devices, such as pacemakers. The material can reduce fibrotic build up and make subsequent surgical removal of implants much easier. So far, the pouch-like device has been tested successfully in pigs, and the researchers hope to apply for clinical trials (Read more...)
New Device Improves Speech of People with Parkinson’s
Many people with Parkinson’s disease tend to talk more quietly and less clearly than before the disease struck them. Speech therapy can help in many cases, but a device recently developed at Purdue University automatically activates an internal mechanism in users that to spurs them to speak louder and more intelligibly. The SpeechVive device, (Read more...)
Quadriplegics Can Grasp, Lift Objects Using Transcutaneous Neurostimulation
Transcutaneous electrical muscle stimulation is used in a variety of clinical applications, including as a rehabilitation tool to help people with limited mobility. It is effective for maladies such as certain types of urinary incontinence, for example, but getting the muscles of the arm to move in unison and with appropriate strength via electrica (Read more...)
Injectable Electrodes for Neuromodulation
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have developed an injectable flexible electrode that can aid in neuromodulation therapy, potentially replacing more rigid electrodes that do not mesh well with soft tissues. The injectable material consists of a silicone gel and small metal particles, and it forms a flexible bolus when injected aro (Read more...)
Peptoid-Coated Magnetic Beads to Diagnose Prion Diseases, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s
Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have developed synthetic peptide-coated magnetic beads that can be used to detect the presence of misfolded proteins in blood samples. Misfolded proteins are a factor in a number of diseases, including prion diseases, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s. To date it has been difficult to dete (Read more...)
Video Game Uses Brain Wave Monitoring to Treat ADHD
While there are a number of drugs to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), they can have some pretty serious side effects. Researchers in Singapore at the country’s Institute of Mental Health (IMH), Duke-NUS (National University of Singapore) Medical School, and A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), have devel (Read more...)
Magnetic Scanner Small Enough for Kids to Study Brain Development
As kids grow, their brains undergo a development process that is poorly understood. Children can have short attention spans, move around a lot, and are not easy to get into and then keep still inside a stationary scanner. Now, a collaboration of scientists from University of Nottingham, University of Oxford, and University College London has [&hell (Read more...)
Nanoparticles Cross Blood-Brain Barrier to Treat Stroke
Ischemic strokes can cause havoc in the brain, but early and properly directed treatment can mitigate a lot of damage. While there are a number of options to unclog blocked arteries, the potential to provide additional drug therapy remains mostly unexplored because of the difficulty in getting medications past the blood-brain barrier. Now, research (Read more...)
Optical Nanoprobes Monitor Neural, Cardiac Cell Activity
Monitoring neurons and other excitable cells in vivo for research and clinical applications has usually required the use of electrode arrays. These are quite limited in their electrode density and the area that they can cover. Moreover, the amount of signal generated by the neurological system overwhelms any attempts at building large scale electro (Read more...)
Neuromodulation for Tinnitus Relief: Interview with Neuromod Devices CEO Dr. Ross O’Neill
Our nervous system plays a central role in how we sense things in our environment, and modulating the signals that pass through our nerves can manipulate our brain in various ways. Neuromodulation is commonly used for pain relief and is being researched to help restore movement, sight, hearing, and cognitive function for those who are […]
Facial Recognition Software IDs Individuals from MRI Brain Scans
Clinical researchers regularly share data with other scientists. Typically, a great deal of effort is expended to make sure that individuals cannot be identified from the data that are generated from them. When sharing imaging information, such as MRI and CT scans, researchers remove names, patient numbers, and other metadata that can potentially b (Read more...)
World First: Man Controls Two Powered Prosthetic Arms with His Mind
There has been a lot of progress over the past few years in the field of brain-computer interfaces, a technology that may give severely paralyzed people the ability to use robotic arms and legs. As anyone with two arms knows, one is not enough for many tasks. So researchers at Johns Hopkins University have successfully […]
HUMM Releases First Affordable Patch for Improving Working Memory: Exclusive Interview
We previously interviewed Humm, a San Francisco-based neuroscience company, when they had first released their Edge headset – an electrical stimulation device that helped users by boosting their working memory. Humm is focused on helping people continue to learn and grow throughout their lives. The idea behind their innovations is that throug (Read more...)
Soft Auditory Brainstem Hearing Implants from Platinum Kirigami
People who have hearing loss because of inner ear damage or from a poorly functioning auditory nerve are not helped by cochlear and middle ear implants. Auditory brainstem implants (ABI), which bypass most of the hearing system and send signals directly to the auditory brainstem, are the best option for such patients. But currently these […]
(Read more...)Peptide Particles Ferry Drugs Across Blood-Brain Barrier
Most drugs, genetic materials, and other therapeutic agents are very difficult to use inside the brain because of the blood-brain barrier. There have been attempts to use ultrasound and microbubbles to create temporary passages through the barrier, including as a possible therapy for Alzheimer’s disease, but this is approach is not easy or id (Read more...)
Microfluidic Device for Rapid Lyme Disease Diagnosis
Researchers at Columbia University have developed a microfluidic device that can diagnose Lyme disease in as little as 15 minutes. The device is particularly accurate in identifying antibody biomarkers that are present during early stage Lyme disease, raising hopes that it could be useful in detecting cases of early infection in a doctor’s of (Read more...)
Medtronic’s Tiny New InterStim Micro Neurostimulator Submitted to FDA
Medtronic has filed for FDA approval for its InterStim Micro neurostimulator and the accompanying InterStim SureScan MRI leads. The rechargeable device delivers sacral neuromodulation therapy to treat conditions such as overactive bladder, fecal incontinence, unobstructed urinary retention, and urinary urge incontinence. Along with the InterStim Mi (Read more...)