Electrical stimulation and chemical pharmaceuticals are the two ways that doctors and scientists routinely use to manipulate neural cells. Chemicals have their side effects, are slow to take effect, and are usually systemically delivered, while electrical stimulation usually requires invasive wires, is limited in its resolution, and is nearly impossible to administer within certain parts […]
Tag: Neurology
Micro-LEDs and Solar Panels Wirelessly Power Medical Implants
Researchers at the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology in South Korea have developed a method to wirelessly power implanted devices using light. The technique involves a micro-LED patch to transmit light through the skin and a photovoltaic system on implanted devices that can turn this light into electricity. This technology could help researchers to […]
Smart Algorithm for Seizure Detection and Classification
To monitor, treat, and better understand how seizures arise and develop, scientists and clinicians have been looking for more objective measures and analyses of brain activity. Currently, a typical electroencephalography (EEG) recording of brainwaves throughout a seizure is of limited value as it requires quite a bit of processing to get a sense of what […]
Bridge, The Opioid Withdrawal Therapy Device, Released by Masimo
Masimo has announced that it’s making the Bridge device available, the first electronic therapeutic solution for tackling opioid withdrawals. Originally developed by Innovative Health Solutions, a Versailles, Indiana firm, the Bridge delivers neuromodulation to a set of occipital and cranial nerves (V, VII, IX, and X) via electrodes attached near the ear. The therapy helps […]
Robotic Transcranial Doppler for Stroke Detection and Risk Assessment in COVID: Interview with Diane Bryant, Neural Analytics
Emerging evidence suggests that COVID-19 patients are at a higher risk of stroke and promptly diagnosing and treating such patients is a priority in hospitals across the world. Moreover, identifying which COVID-19 patients are at increased risk of developing a stroke is also important, and may help with preemptive treatment and monitoring. The Lucid Robotic […]
Kyocera Helps Develop Wearable for Remote Rehab Monitoring During COVID Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a slew of new challenges for clinical facilities, including how to deliver as much care as possible at a distance. The Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) Medical Hospital is working with Kyocera to be able to deliver rehab therapy to patients while closely monitoring […]
Go-2 Spinal Stimulator Helps Return Leg Function: Interview with Jan Öhrström, Chairman of the Board, GTX Medical
GTX Medical, a medtech company with offices in The Netherlands and Switzerland, has announced that it received Breakthrough Device Designation for the Go-2 system, an implant that provides targeted epidural spinal stimulation therapy for patients with spinal cord injuries. The device aims to allow such patients to regain leg motor function and neurological control. At […]
ReActiv8 Neurostimulator Treats Cause of Back Pain, Now FDA Approved
Mainstay Medical, an Irish firm, just won FDA approval to introduce its ReActiv8 neurostimulator that works to address the underlying causes of back pain. Most existing pain reducing implants work to simply mask the pain by delivering electrical signals to the relevant nerves. The ReActiv8 instead stimulates the multifidus muscle, that lies next to the […]
Battery-Free Neural Stimulator Powered by a Magnetic Field
Researchers at Rice University have developed an implantable neural stimulator that is both wireless and battery-free. The device is powered by an externally applied magnetic field and could be used as part of a system to treat a wide variety of diseases and conditions, including epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, and chronic pain. At present, battery powered […]
M.Blue 2-in-1 Hydrocephalus Valve Unveiled
Aesculap, a part of B.Braun, and Miethke are releasing the M.blue adjustable gravitational hydrocephalus valve. The device features a valve that has both gravitational capability and a fixed differential pressure component, the only one of this kind. This allows the M.blue to automatically adjust the valve, within a certain range, based on the orientation of […]
Tattoo Electrodes Make Long Term EEG Brain Monitoring Possible
Electroencephalography (EEG) is widely used to study brain activity, but the electrodes that are typically used to record brainwaves on the scalp make it impractical to use EEG for extended periods of time. They are usually hard, require a gel to be applied, and are applied en masse using a tightly worn head cap. Now, […]
Nevro Receives EU Approval for Senza Omnia Spinal Cord Stimulation System
Nevro, a Silicon Valley-based company, announced that it has received CE mark approval for its Senza Omnia Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) system for management of chronic pain. The device was FDA approved for chronic pain in November 2019. Nevro touts its device as the first and only that is designed to deliver all frequencies from 2 […]
Wearable Device to Prevent Sudden Death from Epilepsy
A spin-off of Purdue University is developing a wearable band to prevent sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). The fatal condition is poorly understood, but preventing seizures and mitigating any seizures that do develop may help to save the lives of those living with epilepsy. Neurava, a firm founded by two grad students at Purdue […]
High-Resolution 3D Mouse Brain Map for Neuroscience Researchers
Researchers at the Allen Institute in Seattle have created a 3D Mouse Brain Atlas, which functions as a spatial map of the brain and allows neuroscientists to contextualize their results based on specific brain landmarks. Strikingly, the resolution of the map is so high that it is possible to locate individual cells, providing an enormous […]
New Fluorescence Microscopy Technique for Nanostructure Visualization Within Cells
Researchers at Purdue University have developed a new technique to dramatically enhance the resolution achievable when imaging intracellular structures with super-resolution fluorescence microscopy. The technique uses the distortions created by a specimen to pinpoint the location of individual molecules, and thereby infer the location of intracellular structures. The technique could be particularly useful in studying […]
Soft Actuator and Sensor for Underactive Bladder Treatment
Researchers at the National University of Singapore have developed a soft sensor and actuator to monitor bladder volume and help empty it on-demand. The device is intended to be implanted on the bladder surface during a surgical procedure to treat patients who cannot completely empty their bladders voluntarily. Patients can suffer from an underactive bladder […]
microLED Neural Probes to Study Brain Activity in Living Animals
Optogenetics is a fast evolving technique that allows scientists to activate specific neurons within the brains of living laboratory animals using flashes of light. It may also be effective at recovering sight, as well as achieving other impressive feats (see flashbacks below). To best study and manipulate complex brain activity using optogenetics, particularly activity that […]
Synaptive Evry, an MRI for Any Space, Cleared by FDA
Synaptive Medical is reporting that its Evry MRI scanner has won FDA clearance. The device is designed to make magnetic resonance imaging of the head more accessible, cheaper, and easier to manage than many current systems that require specially-built facilities, safety procedures, and costly regular helium refills. The Evry is a medium power (0.5 Tesla) […]
Brain-Computer Interface Lets Man with Complete Spinal Cord Injury Feel and Move His Hand
Spinal cord injuries can leave people paralyzed and without a sense of touch in much of the body. While there’s been a tremendous amount of work in the past decade to overcome paralysis by using brain-computer interfaces to bypass damaged spinal cords, providing a sense of touch is a necessity for truly proper treatment. As […]
Lungpacer Diaphragm Pacer Gets FDA Emergency Use Authorization for COVID-19
Lungpacer Medical, based in Vancouver, Canada, announced that its Diaphragm Pacing Therapy (DPT) System received FDA Emergency Use Authorization for use in weaning COVID-19 patients off of ventilators. Patients on prolonged mechanical ventilation may experience diaphragm disuse atrophy and ventilator-induced diaphragmatic dysfunction (VIDD), which makes it harder for patients to breathe on their own and […]