Conductive polymers are a fascinating category of materials that are particularly exciting for biomedicine because of their flexibility, conductivity, and biocompatibility. Existing conducting polymers, though, can only be applied to other materials using traditional methods that are not suitable for 3D printing. Now, researchers at MIT have develo (Read more...)
Tag: Neurology
BiWaze Cough System Receives FDA Clearance to Help Clear Secretions
ABM Respiratory Care, a company with offices in USA, Singapore, and India, announced that it has received FDA 510(k) clearance to market its BiWaze Cough System, a device for removing secretions in patients who are unable to cough or clear secretions effectively. The BiWaze Cough System consists of a touch-screen device connected to a non-invasive (Read more...)
Gold Nanoparticles Help Uncover Fine Structure of Amyloid Fibrils
A team of scientists, based at Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) with collaborators at Ulm University in Germany, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in Italy, and MIT, have developed custom nanoparticles for high-resolution detection of amyloid fibrils, those associated with Alzheimer’s and Parkinon’s. The newly (Read more...)
SX-One MicroKnife Makes Carpal Tunnel Release a Minimally Invasive Procedure: Interview with CEO Dr. Darryl Barnes
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a fairly common diagnosis in the United States, affecting approximately three to six percent of adults. Symptoms include pain, numbness, and tingling along the thumb, index, and middle fingers. For severe or refractory cases, the best treatment is surgery. However, because open surgery requires anesthesia and many weeks of (Read more...)
Iris Needle Guidance for Lumbar Punctures: Interview with Dev Mandavia, CEO of Ethos Medical
Ethos Medical, a startup founded by Georgia Tech alumni, has developed the Iris needle guidance system to assist clinicians in successfully performing lumbar punctures. The system allows a clinician to visualize the needle traveling through tissue in real time. Tracking the needle path in this way is intended to improve the success rate and reduce (Read more...)
Accurate Eye-Tracking and AI to Detect Neurological Diseases: Interview with Co-Founders of C. Light
Being diagnosed with any number of neurological diseases can be scary, not only due to the progressive nature of many of these conditions, but also because they often cannot be detected until their later stages of progression. Following the failure of a variety of potential therapies for Alzheimer’s within clinical trials in the past few [&he (Read more...)
TriGUARD 3 Wins CE Mark for Cerebral Protection During Transcatheter Heart Procedures
Keystone Heart Ltd. announced that is has received the European CE Mark for its TriGUARD 3, a device designed to minimize the risk of cerebral damage by deflecting embolic debris away from cerebral circulation during transcatheter aortic valve implantation and other transcatheter heart procedures. According to the announcement, the TriGUARD&nb (Read more...)
zEEG, An Easy-to-Wear EEG Headset
The electroencephalogram (EEG) is used to detect electrical activity in the brain in order to evaluate a variety of neurological conditions. However, EEGs are difficult to perform due to an involved setup process that requires technicians to place individual electrodes onto a patient’s head. Zeto, a Santa Clara, California company, hopes to s (Read more...)
ProtEmbo for Reducing Strokes Caused by TAVR Procedures: Interview with Founders
During transcatheter aortic valve replacements (TAVR), there is a risk of cerebrovascular events due to embolic debris breaking off from vessel walls and migrating to the brain. While microembolization during the procedure is a universal phenomenon, the majority of patients experience no symptoms. However, a clinically-evident stroke is a serious a (Read more...)
NeuroPace RNS System for Epilepsy Gets FDA Approval for MRI Labeling
Mountain View-based NeuroPace today announced it has received FDA approval for MRI labeling for its RNS System, a closed-loop brain-responsive neurostimulation system designed to prevent seizures in adults refractory to antiseizure medications. The approval applies specifically to the RNS-320 model of the RNS neurostimulator. Because MRI scans are (Read more...)
Symmetry VNS Wins EU CE Mark for Difficult-to-Treat Depression
LivaNova announced today that Symmetry, a device for vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy, has received CE Mark approval for difficult-to-treat depression. Symmetry is a small device that stimulates the vagus nerve to improve symptoms of depression and quality of life. After surgical implantation, the device regularly sends mild electric pulses to (Read more...)
Phagenyx Helps Treat Difficulty Swallowing After Stroke
Dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing, can dramatically decrease a person’s quality of life and lead to poor nutritional intake. Neurological oropharyngeal dysphagia is due to damage to the nerves that control the muscles related to swallowing, often caused by strokes or other neurological conditions. The Phagenyx System is a neurostimulation d (Read more...)
Notion Brain Computing Platform: Interview with AJ Keller, CEO of Neurosity
Neurosity, a neurotech company based in New York, has developed the Notion brain computing platform. The system has a huge range of potential medical applications, including monitoring a patient’s mental health, to diagnosing concussions, to allowing paralyzed patients to control electric wheelchairs. The headset can do this because it incorp (Read more...)
ALPHASTROKE, A Better Way to Diagnose Strokes: Interview with CEO Matt Kesinger
Strokes affect nearly 800,000 Americans per year. One of the most important prognostic factors is the time from symptom onset to treatment. Currently, strokes are usually diagnosed by first-responders using a quick physical exam — a subjective method that can result in incorrect diagnoses, delayed treatment, and poor outcomes. Forest Devices (Read more...)
Wearable Magnetic Stimulator for Stroke Recovery
Stroke can result in a variety of debilitating conditions caused by damaged neural connections within the brain. Researchers at the Eddy Scurlock Stroke Center at Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas have now successfully tested a wearable, multifocal, transcranial, rotating, permanent magnet stimulator (TRPMS) to boost neural activity near injured (Read more...)
Tactile Enhancement to Compensate for Loss of Sensation
A variety of medical conditions, including diabetic neuropathy, infections, and injuries, can lead to a reduced ability to feel touch with one’s skin. This can be frustrating and uncomfortable, but it can also result in an inability to walk in comfort, notice wounds and injuries, and deal with everyday tasks. Now researchers in China are [&he (Read more...)
Tozuda Head Impact Sensor: Interview with Jessie Garcia, Tozuda CEO and Founder
Tozuda, a company based in Philadelphia, has developed a head impact sensor that can be attached to a sports helmet, such as those worn by football or hockey players, and which will indicate if a dangerous impact has occurred. The sensor undergoes a simple color change if an impact that is powerful enough to cause […]
Brain Implant Powered and Controlled by Magnetic Fields
Neural implants may provide treatment options for a wide variety of ailments, including Parkinson’s and epilepsy, but such devices have to work for long periods of time in a very difficult environment inside the cranium. One challenge is providing power to brain implants and another is communicating with such implants to control their functio (Read more...)
Magnetoencephalography Machine to Map Brain Activity FDA Approved
Compumedics, a company based outside of Melbourne, Australia, has won FDA approval for its Orion LifeSpan Magnetoencephalography (MEG) single Dewar system. MEG is a promising imaging technique that uses superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) to detect ionic currents produced by excited neurons, giving a window into the live activity (Read more...)
Smart Jumpsuit Tracks Infant Movements to Spot Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Researchers at the University of Helsinki have developed a smart jumpsuit for children as young as five months, that tracks body movement in great detail. The system may allow clinicians to identify neurodevelopmental disorders in children more easily, potentially allowing for earlier intervention and support for such children. At present, assessin (Read more...)