For most people, meal time is something to look forward to. But for the millions of people with hand tremors and irregular hand movements caused by Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor, spinal cord injuries, or just old age, using utensils can turn an enjoyable meal into a frustrating experience. Liftware hopes to resolve that frustration. The […]
Tag: Neurology
Halo Neuroscience’s Headset Zaps Your Brain To Train It
While it is just a couple of milliamps of positive electric current (about what a 9-volt battery produces), as an engineer who has had to worry about maximum electrical current tolerances for creating safe medical devices, I admit that the thought of zapping my brain using a headset initially made me feel uneasy. However, after […]
FDA Clears Canon Medical’s Vantage Galan 3T XGO Edition MRI for Better Brain Imaging
Canon Medical Systems, previously known as Toshiba, won FDA clearance for its Vantage Galan 3T XGO Edition MRI scanner. The device sports the company’s Saturn X Gradient system that purportedly provides a 30% better signal-to-noise ratio when performing brain diffusion weighted imaging (DWI). The company touts that fewer breath holds have to be done when performing cardiac […]
Embrace Seizure Detection System Cleared in U.S.
The Embrace seizure monitoring watch from Empatica, a company with offices in Cambridge, MA and Milan, Italy, won clearance from the FDA. The device is worn like a watch, continuously monitoring not only the wrist movements, but also electrodermal activity that signals stress, to detect signs of an oncoming or existing seizures. An artificial intelligence-based […]
KineQuantum Uses Virtual Reality for Real Physical Rehabilitation
Physical rehabilitation can be tedious and boring, and evaluation of a patient’s progress fraught by poor metrics and subjectivity. At the recent CES 2018 in Las Vegas we discovered a new virtual reality-based evaluation, rehab, and follow-up platform that makes it fun and convenient to assess patients, administer various game-based training regimens, and to assess […]
Artificial Brain Synapses Replicated in a Chip
Our brains mainly consist of brain cells and the connections between them, making them quite modular and incredibly adaptable. Brain synapses, the connections between neurons, seem to be responsible for at least some of the computational magic that allows us to think, move, and respond to all sorts of stimuli. Being able to replicate the […]
Masimo SedLine for Improved Brain Monitoring Under Anesthesia FDA Cleared
Masimo won FDA clearance for its Next Generation SedLine brain function monitoring, a system for assessing the brain while under anesthesia. Next Generation SedLine relies on four EEG (electroencephalography) leads that acquire brain signals from both sides of the brain. The new version of the offering includes an improved signal processing engine that can help anesthesiologists […]
Deep Brain Stimulation Shown Effective at Slowing Down Alzheimer’s Symptoms
At Ohio State University, clinical researchers have successfully tested deep brain stimulation as a possible treatment option to slow down the onset of Alzheimer’s symptoms. Three patients with the disease had a Medtronic deep brain stimulator implanted, with leads reaching into the frontal lobe where a lot of advanced cognitive tasks are done. Following initiation […]
GYENNO Gait Aid Helps Avoid Gait Freeze in Parkinson’s Patients
GYENNO, a Chinese company that develops technologies to help people with Parkinson’s and other movement disorders, was showing off its Gait Aid Equipment package at the recent CES 2018 conference in Las Vegas. The company believes that Gait Aid, which consists of a number of devices that work together to influence how people walk, will help […]
Ultrathin Needle for Delivering Drugs to Specific Brain Regions
Researchers at MIT have developed a miniaturized cannula that employs a needle as thin as a human hair to directly deliver drugs to highly specific brain regions, even as small as one cubic millimeter. This direct dosing approach could allow doctors to target specific brain circuits, potentially helping to reduce side-effects in the rest of […]
Brain-Computer Interface Lets Users Learn to Move Cursor in Seconds
Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) allow severely disabled people to control wheelchairs, robotic arms, and of course computers. While much progress has been achieved toward improving the accuracy and precision of these devices, they have required long periods of tedious training for users to get acquainted with the technology. The computer has to be taught to understand each […]
RAPAEL, a Futuristic Pegboard, Turns Boring Rehab Into a Game
At CES 2018 in Las Vegas, NEOFECT, a South Korean firm, was showing off its RAPAEL Smart Pegboard, a new take on a simple rehab device. Pegboards are commonly used in rehabilitation settings to practice hand dexterity, as well as to assess an individual’s state and progress. They’re particularly useful for those recovering from a stroke, […]
QuickCool System Spares Brain from Lack of Oxygen During Emergencies
Decrease in perfusion, which happens during heart attacks and other critical conditions, can cause irreversible damage to the brain. Cooling the brain as soon as possible has been shown to reduce such damage, but doing so is often hindered by the cooling equipment itself. A new product is slated to soon come out that was […]
Medgadget @ CES 2018: Prevent Head Impact Monitor Helps Detect Concussions
Prevent Biometrics is showing off its head impact monitoring technology at CES this year. We stopped by their booth to checkout an electronic mouthguard that can detect unusual movements of the head, and which provides assessments of such impacts on a paired smartphone or tablet. The technology may help detect concussions and prevent subsequent brain […]
Device Delivers Sound and Electric Stimulation to Reduce Tinnitus
At the University of Michigan, scientists have developed a non-invasive technology to treat tinnitus, in most sufferers, by training the brain to “desynchronize” and to begin responding properly to real sounds. Their approach involves stimulating touch sensitive nerves using electrodes attached to the skin, while producing sounds, heard through headphones, that coordinate with the electric […]
Developed: Brain-on-a-Chip Featuring Multiple Cell Types
Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have developed a way to create “brain-on-a-chip” devices that can be used to study brain function, how various chemical compounds influence it, and what can be done to protect the brain from toxic chemicals, etc. The technology may help lessen the need for laboratory animals, speed up drug development, […]
Robotic Pelvic Assist Device Helps Parkinson’s Patients Improve Their Stability While Walking
Researchers at Columbia University have developed a system called the Tethered Pelvic Assist Device (TPAD), which can help Parkinson’s patients to improve their gait stability after just one training session. Fall rates in adults with advanced Parkinson’s disease are twice as high as those in healthy adults of a comparable age. Finding strategies to reduce […]
Bioelectronics for Neurological Diseases: Interview with Will Rosellini, CEO of Nexeon
Nexeon Medsytems is a medical device company focused on providing innovative neurostimulation products for patients suffering from debilitating neurological diseases, including Parkinson’s and essential tremor. It was founded in 2005 with the goal of changing how innovative ideas in the medical device industry move from concept to reality, with a focus on creating solutions for clinicians […]
Microfluidic Device for Pushing Flexible Electrodes Deep Into Brain
In order to place electrodes deep into the brain without disrupting too much tissue, they must be stiff and as narrow as possible. There are a number of recently developed materials that are incredibly narrow and electrically conductive, such as carbon nanotubes and graphene, but they’re quite pliable when made at scales of a few […]
Boston Scientific’s Vercise Neurostimulation System Approved for Parkinson’s in U.S.
Boston Scientific won FDA approval for its Vercise Deep Brain Stimulation System for treatment of Parkinson’s. The implantable stimulator can be programmed in a variety of ways to target different regions of the subthalamic nucleus. This may help to reduce the symptoms of Parkinson’s by delivering therapy in an optimal way for each patient. The […]