Brain Stimulation News and Research

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Pitt study delves deeper into how electrical stimulation activates neurons

Electrical stimulation of the brain is common practice in neuroscience research and is an increasingly common and effective clinical therapy for a variety of neurological disorders. However, there is limited understanding of why this treatment works at the neural level.

8 Jan 2019

Pacemaker in the brain could help patients with epilepsy and Parkinsons

Engineers and researchers at the University of California, Berkeley have developed a neurostimulator that can act as a pacemaker within the human brain.

1 Jan 2019

New study describes various gene therapy strategies for treating Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor and nonmotor deficits majorly caused by the loss of dopaminergic cells in the Substantia Nigra pars compacta as well as the destruction of nigrostriatal pathway.

28 Dec 2018

Real-time neurofeedback controls Parkinson’s brainwaves

A neurofeedback system enables Parkinson’s disease patients to voluntarily control brainwaves associated with symptoms of the disorder, according to new research published in eNeuro. It remains to be determined whether such a system can provide symptom relief.

From Society for Neuroscience 19 Dec 2018

Researchers use brain connectome to reassess neuroimaging findings of Alzheimer's disease

Already affecting more than five million Americans older than 65, Alzheimer's disease is on the rise and expected to impact more than 13 million people by 2050.

17 Dec 2018

Researchers find effective new target for mood-boosting brain stimulation

Researchers have found an effective target in the brain for electrical stimulation to improve mood in people suffering from depression.

3 Dec 2018

Recently diagnosed cancer patients more likely to drink alcohol and use tobacco, finds study

Recently diagnosed cancer survivors are more likely to drink alcohol, use tobacco, and frequent tanning beds than people in later stages of recovery, according to a research team from the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute and Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.

27 Nov 2018

Musical training shapes brain areas responsible for synchronizing rhythm and behavior

Drummers and brass players are better able to judge the timing of visual stimuli than members of the color guard, according to a naturalistic study of the world-class drum corps Bluecoats published in eNeuro.

From Society for Neuroscience 23 Nov 2018

The brain uses two clocks to predict the future

That moment when you step on the gas pedal a split second before the light changes, or when you tap your toes even before the first piano note of Camila Cabello's "Havana" is struck. That's anticipatory timing.

21 Nov 2018

NIH awards $3.5 million to continue development of robotic system for treating brain tumors

Researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Albany Medical College, along with corporate partners GE Global Research and Acoustic MedSystems Inc., have received a five-year, $3.5 million award from the National Institutes of Health through the National Cancer Institutes' Academic-Industrial Partnership program, to continue development of an innovative robotic system that, operating within an MRI scanner, can deliver a minimally invasive probe into the brain to destroy metastatic brain tumors with high-intensity therapeutic ultrasound under real-time guidance.

13 Nov 2018

Targeting one brain region with alternating current could decrease symptoms of chronic pain

For the first time, researchers at the UNC School of Medicine showed they could target one brain region with a weak alternating current of electricity, enhance the naturally occurring brain rhythms of that region, and significantly decrease symptoms associated with chronic lower back pain.

9 Nov 2018

NIH increases funding through the BRAIN Initiative

The National Institutes of Health announces funding of more than 200 new awards, totaling over $220 million, through the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies Initiative, an exciting trans-agency effort to arm researchers with revolutionary tools to fundamentally understand the neural circuits that underlie the healthy and diseased brain.

2 Nov 2018

ConnectToBrain project seeks to improve techniques for brain stimulation in current clinical use

The costs associated with neurological diseases amount to 1000 billion euros per year in Europe alone.

23 Oct 2018

New tool may reveal how the brain structure impacts brain activity, human behavior

The architecture of each person's brain is unique, and differences may influence how quickly people can complete various cognitive tasks.

19 Oct 2018

Non-invasive brain stimulation sheds light on neurobiology underlying implicit bias

BIDMC Research Briefs showcase groundbreaking scientific advances that are transforming medical care.

16 Oct 2018

Vagus nerve stimulation can reverse brain inflammation after surgery, mice study shows

For adults over age 65, surgical complications can dampen not only their physical health but also their mental sharpness, with more than half of high-risk cases declining into delirium.

12 Oct 2018

Neuroscientists use brain lesion network mapping to identify anatomical origins of free will

Long the domain of philosophy and religion, free will has also been defined by scientists as a combination of two cognitive processes - the desire to act (or volition) and the sense of responsibility for our actions (or agency.)

3 Oct 2018

Researchers develop way to measure different types of fear of falling in patients with Parkinson’s

Parkinson's disease, a progressive nervous system disorder that affects movement, causes one of the highest risks of falling among all neurological conditions. Due to this, many patients develop a fear of falling, even if they have never fallen.

25 Sep 2018

Tiny sensors can measure dopamine levels in the brain for more than a year

Dopamine, a signaling molecule used throughout the brain, plays a major role in regulating our mood, as well as controlling movement. Many disorders, including Parkinson's disease, depression, and schizophrenia, are linked to dopamine deficiencies.

12 Sep 2018

Novel decoding technology could predict mood variations from brain signals

By developing a novel decoding technology, a team of engineers and physicians at the University of Southern California and UC San Francisco have discovered how mood variations can be decoded from neural signals in the human brain--a process that has not been demonstrated to date.

10 Sep 2018