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Advance Study to evaluate safety and benefit of DBS-f for patients with mild Alzheimer's

The first U.S. patient to enroll in Functional Neuromodulation's ADvance Study was successfully implanted with a deep brain stimulation (DBS) system. ADvance will evaluate the safety and potential clinical benefit of DBS of the fornix (DBS-f), a major inflow and output pathway in the brain's memory circuit, for patients with mild Alzheimer's.

7 Dec 2012

First U.S. patient treated with deep brain stimulation for Alzheimer's at Johns Hopkins

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine in November surgically implanted a pacemaker-like device into the brain of a patient in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, the first such operation in the United States. The device, which provides deep brain stimulation and has been used in thousands of people with Parkinson's disease, is seen as a possible means of boosting memory and reversing cognitive decline.

6 Dec 2012

Highlights for December 2012 issue of GSA’s Genetics journal

Listed below are the selected highlights for the December 2012 issue of the Genetics Society of America's journal, Genetics.

5 Dec 2012

St. Jude Medical’s Portico transcatheter heart valve receives European CE Mark approval

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, today announced it has received European CE Mark approval for its 23 mm Portico Transcatheter Aortic Heart Valve and Transfemoral Delivery System.

20 Nov 2012

St. Luke's unveils Discovery IGS 730 Hybrid OR from GE Healthcare

St. Luke's University Hospital unveiled the Discovery IGS 730 Hybrid OR from GE Healthcare today, becoming the first hospital in the United States to offer this exciting new technology.

17 Nov 2012

Novel electrotherapy reduces energy needed to re-establish normal rhythm in the heart

Implantable defibrillators currently on the market apply between 600 and 900 volts to the heart, almost 10 times the voltage from an electric outlet, says Ajit H. Janardhan, MD, PhD, a cardiac electrophysiology fellow at the Washington University's School of Medicine.

13 Nov 2012

Cardiac arrhythmias: an interview with Dr Andrew Grace

Cardiac arrhythmias are disturbances of the heartbeat. The heart can either go too slowly, which might make people collapse or exhausted; or too quickly.

8 Nov 2012

Landmark study could lead to fewer inappropriate shocks from implanted defibrillators

Loyola University Medical Center is among the centers participating in a landmark study that could lead to fewer inappropriate shocks from implanted defibrillators.

8 Nov 2012

New energy-harvesting device can power pacemakers

An experimental device converted energy from a beating heart to provide enough electricity to power a pacemaker, in a study presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2012.

4 Nov 2012

Routine ECG can help doctors identify patients at higher risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes

Canadian scientists have determined that routine electrocardiogram results for patients with atrial fibrillation - the most common form of irregular heart beat - can help doctors identify those at higher risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes, including death.

29 Oct 2012

Focused ultrasound technology safe, effective in treating patients with tremor-dominant Parkinson's

The Focused Ultrasound Foundation today announced a new clinical trial investigating the use of focused ultrasound technology in treating patients with tremor-dominant Parkinson's disease.

25 Oct 2012

Navigating the Labyrinth of Traumatic Brain Injury to Discover a Secondary Neurological Condition

Working with individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) every day, I see the debilitating effects and long-term struggles firsthand.

9 Oct 2012

New ways of how biological clock's neurons use electrical activity to keep behavioral rhythms in order

Biologists from New York University have uncovered new ways our biological clock's neurons use electrical activity to help keep behavioral rhythms in order. The findings, which appear in the journal Current Biology, also point to fresh directions for exploring sleep disorders and related afflictions.

6 Oct 2012

QRS prolongation associated with increased rates of heart-failure mortality

A new study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden demonstrates that a change in the ECG wave called the QRS prolongation is associated with a higher rate of heart-failure mortality.

5 Oct 2012

Issa threatens to subpoena HHS documents related to Medicare Advantage bonuses

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, alleges that the Department of Health and Human Services is using an $8 billion Medicare bonus payment demonstration project to mask the health law's cuts to Medicare Advantage plans in advance of the election.

29 Sep 2012

Cameron Health receives FDA approval for subcutaneous implantable defibrillator system

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved a heart defibrillator that helps to restore regular heart rhythms with leads that can be implanted just under the skin (subcutaneously) instead of connected directly into the heart.

29 Sep 2012

Biologists reveal one way that biological clocks control neuronal activity

Biologists at New York University have uncovered one way that biological clocks control neuronal activity - a discovery that sheds new light on sleep-wake cycles and offers potential new directions for research into therapies to address sleep disorders and jetlag.

26 Sep 2012

Boston Scientific receives regulatory approval to market RELIANCE 4-FRONT in Europe and Asia

Boston Scientific Corporation has received regulatory approval to market the RELIANCE 4-FRONT lead, its next generation implantable defibrillation lead now available in Europe and Asia. Defibrillation leads are insulated wires that connect an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) or cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator to the heart for treatment of heart failure and sudden cardiac arrest.

24 Sep 2012

Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation: an interview with Dr Leon Ekchian, President and CEO of NeuroSigma

Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation (TNS) is a novel medical treatment in which mild electrical signals stimulate branches of the trigeminal nerve in order to change the activity of targeted brain regions. The trigeminal nerve is the largest cranial nerve, and provides sensation to the face and head. Because it is a large sensory nerve, the trigeminal offers a high-bandwidth pathway for electrical signals to enter the brain. The brain areas targeted by TNS are known to play key roles in seizures, mood, and attention.

14 Sep 2012

Changes in Troponin I protein can lead to cardiac muscle malfunction and precipitate heart failure

A new Johns Hopkins study has unraveled the changes in a key cardiac protein that can lead to heart muscle malfunction and precipitate heart failure.

13 Sep 2012