Qynapse, a firm headquartered in Paris, France, won FDA clearance for its QyScore software that analyzes brain MRIs for biomarkers of central nervous system diseases. It’s intended to help diagnose and monitor diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and multiple sclerosis, though it doesn’t do it on its own. The technology already received EU clearance back […]
Tag: Neurology
World’s First Portable MRI Cleared by FDA
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has revolutionized medicine, but MRI scanners are so demanding that access to them is still a challenge. MRI machines typically require specially built rooms with magnet quench vent pipes, entry systems that check people for metals attracted to magnets, and specific protocols to ensure safety. Patients, therefore, have to be brought […]
neuroQWERTY for Diagnosing, Tracking Parkinson’s Wins FDA Breakthrough Device Designation
Parkinson’s disease doesn’t have many treatment options, but early detection and monitoring of its progression can bring important benefits to patients. However, most Parkinson’s patients are rarely assessed by movement disorder specialists and those only suspected of having the disease don’t have any tools to help them detect changes in movement while outside a clinic. […]
Chip Recreates Blood-Brain Barrier to Study Delivery of Drugs to Brain
The blood-brain barrier is one of the greatest challenges that modern medicine has to overcome if we want to be able to fight neurological diseases using drugs. Animal models serve a purpose, but they’re not very good at replicating the human blood-brain barrier (BBB) as results often don’t translate during clinical trials. A better way […]
Flashing Light Into Eyes Lowers Buildup of Alzheimer’s Amyloid Plaques
A few years ago scientists discovered that directing flashing light at 40 Hertz (cycles per second) into the eyes and noises into the ears of mice with Alzheimer’s disease led to a marked decline in amyloid plaques in their brains. The mechanism making this happen was pretty much a matter of speculation, so researchers at […]
Abbott Infinity First Brain Stimulator to Target GPi to Treat Parkinson’s
Abbott has announced that the FDA has given the company the first ever approval for a device to treat Parkinson’s by delivering deep brain stimulation (DBS) to the internal globus pallidus (GPi), an area associated with motor function. The Infinity DBS system, originally developed by St. Jude Medical that became part of Abbott, already has […]
Abbott’s Low Dose Neurostimulation for Chronic Pain: CES 2020
Abbott is a giant medical technology company, but it kept understated at CES. We had a chance to learn a bit of what the company is doing at the world’s premiere gadget conference, which is the Proclaim XR low dose neuromodulation implant. The Proclaim XR spinal cord stimulator can run for ten years using its […]
Percept PC Deep Brain Neurostimulator with BrainSense Cleared in Europe
Medtronic obtained the European CE Mark for its Percept PC neurostimulator that uses smart feedback technology to deliver deep brain stimulation to treat Parkinson’s and other neurologic diseases. The so-called BrainSense technology powering the Percept PC can record brain signals at the same time that it delivers therapy. It is compatible with full-body MRI scans […]
InterStim Micro Neurostimulator and SureScan MRI Leads Cleared in Europe for Incontinence Control
Medtronic won EU regulatory clearance to introduce its InterStim Micro neurostimulator and InterStim SureScan MRI leads. The devices are used to deliver sacral neuromodulation therapy to treat overactive bladder (OAB), fecal incontinence, and non-obstructive urinary retention. The InterStim Micro is a much tinier version of Medtronic’s InterStim II neuromodulator, as it is 80% smaller, but […]
Bioness StimRouter Cleared in Europe to Treat Fecal Incontinence
Bioness, a Valencia, California firm, won European regulatory approval for its StimRouter neuromodulation system to treat fecal incontinence. Previously cleared in the EU as a tool for managing chronic pain and overactive bladder, the new indication significantly expands the stated capabilities of this novel neuromodulation system. For the management of fecal incontinence, the StimRouter system […]
Robotic Trunk Support Device for Rehabilitation Post Spinal Cord Injury
Researchers at Columbia University have developed a robotic device that can help people with spinal cord injuries to improve their trunk control, allowing them to sit more stably and expand their range of motion when sitting. The device consists of a motorized belt that attaches to the torso, and which applies forces as users complete […]
Medtronic Stealth Autoguide System for Cranial Procedures FDA Cleared
The Stealth Autoguide, a cranial robotic platform from Medtronic, has just been cleared by the FDA. The system provides accurate and partially automatic positioning and advancing of instruments and tool guides when operating on the brain. It consists of a StealthStation Image Guidance system and the Midas Rex high-speed drill, along with software that offers […]
Flexible Sensor to Help Diagnose and Treat Swallowing Disorders
Swallowing disorders can be debilitating, even causing nutritional deficiencies in some patients. They can also be difficult to diagnose and require the use of expensive equipment that is only found in select hospitals. Exercises can help those that are diagnosed with certain conditions, but even those exercises require the use of costly devices. Researchers at […]
Nanoparticles to Spot Vascular Calcification in Atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis affects most of us by a certain age, and it is the underlying cause of most cardiovascular diseases. The condition results in arteries being coated with plaques and fatty deposits, as well as being chronically inflamed. While vascular constrictions aren’t good for anyone, it is the thrombi (blood clots) that detach from these formations […]
Hopkins Engineers Create Smallest, Most Powerful Microendoscope
Some of the latest technologies for studying the brain allow scientists to see which neurons fire in response to different stimuli. While this capability is pretty remarkable, it requires scientists to be able to see into the parts of the brain they’re studying. Microendoscopes exist for such tasks, but they can never be small enough […]
Aptar’s Nasal Unidose Device Helps Stop Epileptic Seizures
AptarGroup, a company based outside of Chicago, Illinois, has announced that the FDA recently approved a medication (NAYZILAM (midazolam)) for treatment of acute repetitive epileptic seizures and that the company’s Unidose Liquid System was chosen as the delivery mechanism for this rescue drug. The Unidose Liquid System doesn’t require priming and can be used with […]
Neural Feedback Technique to Improve Attention
Many people suffer from an inability to focus on tasks that require a great deal of attention. Drugs such as Ritalin are available to help mitigate symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and related conditions, but these medications come with a number of side effects, including long term dependence. Now, researchers at MIT have developed a […]
Canon Unveils Aquilion ONE / PRISM Edition Spectral CT Scanner
At the RSNA 2019 conference in Chicago, Canon Medical showed off its brand new Aquilion ONE / PRISM Edition spectral CT scanner, a system that takes advantage of artificial intelligence technologies. The device relies on Canon’s Advanced intelligent Clear IQ Engine (AiCE) along with its Deep Learning Spectral Reconstruction imaging algorithms to improve capabilities when […]
Silicon Chips as Artificial Neurons
Researchers at the University of Bath in the UK have developed low-power silicon chips that mimic the electrical activity of neurons. This breakthrough could enable the small chips to function as artificial neurons in numerous implants and medical devices, and the technology has significant potential in treating a wide range of chronic diseases, including neurodegenerative […]
Microelectrode Spinal Implants to Control Paralyzed Limb Function
Researchers from the University of Alberta in Canada have used novel platinum/iridium microelectrodes to create a functional map of the lower spinal cord in monkeys, demonstrating how different segments of the spinal cord control lower limb movement. This development may one day be used for rehabilitation of patients with paralysis. The spinal cord is a […]