Researchers at the Wyss Center in Geneva and collaborators have developed novel imaging and labeling techniques to view the internal structure of brain spheroids, and observe the morphology of single neurons in 3D. Brain spheroids, which the researchers term “mini brains,” are a cluster of different types of brain cells, and are cultured from induced […]
Tag: Neurology
Sensor Converts Forearm Signals to Control Prosthetic Hands
Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley have developed a wearable sensor that can measure electrical signals in the forearm and use AI to correlate them with hand gestures, such as the movements of individual fingers. The team demonstrated that the system can control a robotic prosthetic hand and that it may provide a way […]
FDA Clears Most Powerful Clinical MRI
GE Healthcare won FDA clearance for its SIGNA 7.0T MRI scanner, currently the most powerful device available for clinical applications. A high end scanner’s magnetic field typically tops out at 3 Tesla, but the new device goes all the way up to 7 Tesla to provide an unprecedented look at highly detailed anatomy. Certainly intended […]
Smartphone Test for Quick Stroke Diagnosis
Researchers at Penn State and Houston Methodist Hospital have developed a tool to aid doctors in rapidly diagnosing strokes. The technology uses a smartphone to record a patient’s speech and facial movements, and a machine-learning algorithm then processes these data to identify whether a stroke probably occured. The researchers have shown that their system is […]
FlowSense Monitors Hydrocephalus Shunts: Exlusive with Anna Lisa Somera, CEO of Rhaeos
Hydrocephalus patients have an excess of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain, which needs to be drained away through a ventricular shunt. However, these shunts regularly fail, with potentially life-threatening results. At present, there isn’t an easy way to check that a shunt is still working, and clinicians typically use brain MRI/CT scans to see if […]
Body Sensors Printed Directly on Skin at Room Temperature
Biomedical sensors typically perform their best when they’re placed in close proximity to the body. While wearables, such as wrist-worn heart rate monitors, are common these days, they are very limited by where they can be placed on the body, have poor signal quality, and are often uncomfortable to wear for extended periods. Now, researchers […]
Neurostimulation of Tongue Relieves Tinnitus Symptoms
Tinnitus, the sensation of ringing in the ears, is one of the most common medical conditions. Approximately 15% of the population suffers from it, but the nature of this malady makes it difficult to study and find therapeutic options. Now, a multinational collaboration of researchers has shown that a neurostimulation system made by Neuromod Devices […]
Wireless Brain Implant to Give Sight to Blind
Scientists in Australia are gearing up for clinical trials of a brain implant that may restore limited sight in blind people. Developed at Monash University in Melbourne, the Gennaris system involves bypassing the eye completely and targeting the vision center of the brain. A person would wear a pair of glasses outfitted with a camera […]
Wireless EEG for Fast Prep and Easy Use: Q&A with Aswin Gunasekar, CEO of Zeto
Electroencephalography (EEG) devices are incredibly helpful in diagnosing and monitoring certain brain disorders, such as epilepsy and strokes. However, they are not particularly user-friendly or convenient, with specialized technicians performing time consuming procedures, such as skin preparation, to get patients ready to undergo the procedure. A combination of messy gels and wires also makes for […]
ReStore Exosuit Shows Positive Trial Results for Stroke Rehab
Soft exosuits that provide assistive force during movement could be a game changer for patients with mobility issues. Such devices can help enhance rehabilitation and assist patients while they perform everyday tasks. The idea with such technology is that the soft suit feels almost like a piece of clothing and applies force gently and evenly […]
Electrocorticography Implant for Plug and Play Brain-Computer Control
Researchers at UC San Francisco have used an electrocorticography (ECoG) implant to develop a brain-computer interface that does not need to be recalibrated and retrained each time it is used, allowing an experienced user to plug in and begin using the system at any time. The technique could allow for brain controlled prosthetic limbs or […]
Elon Musk’s Neuralink Shares More About Its Implantable Brain Stimulator
Neuralink, one of Elon Musk’s newest ventures, was founded in 2016 but little has been known about the startup other than that it would somehow actualize Musk’s vision of a revolutionary implantable brain device. During a webcast last week, Musk and his team unveiled a bit more about what the company has been up to, […]
Swoop Portable MRI Cleared in U.S. for Bedside Scans
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become an integral part of medical care throughout much of the world, but access to this technology remains limited. Conventional MRI scanners need dedicated rooms with entry protocols, quench venting, and safety measures, and patients have to be taken to where the machine is located, often at a distant corner […]
Neurostimulation Device Reduces Withdrawal Symptoms of Kids Born Addicted to Opioids
Children born to mothers addicted to opioids suffer through withdrawal in their first few weeks of life. Morphine is commonly used in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) to alleviate symptoms while the kids are weaned from drug dependency. This typically takes two to four weeks, all the while the children are kept in the NICU. […]
Somatom On.site Portable CT Scanner FDA Cleared
Siemens Healthineers won FDA clearance for the company’s SOMATOM On.site mobile head CT scanner. The device can be easily brought in directly into patient rooms thanks to its powered wheels and an on-board battery. Normally, patients have to be moved to the CT scanner, wherever it may be within a hospital. With the SOMATOM On.site, […]
NexStride Helps Overcome Freeze of Gait in Parkinson’s
People with Parkinson’s disease and some other neurological disorders often suffer from a condition known as freezing of gait. For poorly understood reasons, initiating a step is often a challenge. Patients report a feeling of disassociation between one’s will to move and the legs not responding accordingly. This is both frustrating and can lead to […]
TIGERTRIEVER XL Cleared in EU to Remove Large Stroke Clots
Israel’s Rapid Medical has won European regulatory clearance to introduce its TIGERTRIEVER XL device for removing large ischemic stroke-causing clots from intracranial vessels. The company calls its line of devices “stentrievers,” as these look and operate similar to stents but can retrieve clots out of the body. The TIGERTRIEVER XL can be used to remove […]
InterStim Micro and SureScan MRI Leads Approved in U.S. for Incontinence Control
Medtronic has landed FDA approval for its InterStim Micro neurostimulator and the matching InterStim SureScan MRI leads that are used to treat overactive bladder, fecal incontinence, and non-obstructive urinary retention. The InterStim Micro is a miniaturized version of Medtronic’s InterStim II neuromodulator, being 80% smaller, but it is rechargeable. Thanks to a technology called Overdrive, […]
Vagus Nerve Stimulator Gets FDA Emergency OK for Asthmatics with COVID
People stricken with COVID-19 exhibit a wide range of symptoms. Some are barely affected while others suffer dire consequences. People with asthma are in particular danger, as SARS-CoV-2 is a respiratory virus that can make breathing even more difficult. Now, the FDA has issued an Emergency Use Authorization for the gammaCore Sapphire CV non-invasive vagus […]
Spinal Cord Stimulators Give Robotic Prostheses a Sense of Touch
Upper arm prostheses that give their users a sense of touch have been developed in the past (see flashbacks below). These require careful surgical placement of electrodes near the remaining nerves within the stump and precise stimulation of said nerves. Now researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have achieved a remarkable feat of using existing […]