Pulses News and Research

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U of A researchers use ultrashort laser pulses to connect neurons

A research team based in the University of Alberta Faculty of Engineering has developed a method of connecting neurons, using ultrashort laser pulses--a breakthrough technique that opens the door to new medical research and treatment opportunities.

10 Feb 2016

Understanding crucial role of 'healthy' brain in preventing memory failures linked to Alzheimer's disease

The mechanisms underlying the stability and plasticity of neural circuits in the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for spatial memory and the memory of everyday facts and events, has been a major focus of study in the field of neuroscience. Understanding precisely how a "healthy" brain stores and processes information is crucial to preventing and reversing the memory failures associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common form of late-life dementia.

2 Feb 2016

Laser-based fabrication method reduces costs for cancer screening and research

In a move that slashes 90 percent of the cost of mass-producing metastatic microtumors and therapeutic microtissues for screening and research, Rice University bioengineers have adapted techniques from the "maker" movement to reprogram a commercial laser cutter to etch up to 50,000 tiny "microwells" per hour into sheets of silicone.

27 Jan 2016

Mayo Clinic adds robots to prevent C-diff bacteria

Mayo Clinic has added robots in its fight against Clostridium difficile (C-diff) bacteria. In the U.S., C-diff is one of the most common infections patients can get while receiving care at a health care facility. C-diff can cause a variety of symptoms, including potentially deadly diarrhea. A recent national report shows some progress in reducing C-diff infections; however, more work remains.

20 Jan 2016

RIKEN researchers discover how to reverse abnormal axonal development

Researchers at the RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Japan have discovered how to reverse the abnormal axonal development characteristic of CFEOM3, a congenital disease that affects the muscles that control eye movements.

19 Jan 2016

UW-led effort aims to develop implantable devices that promote brain plasticity, reanimate paralyzed limbs

In the next decade, people who have suffered a spinal cord injury or stroke could have their mobility improved or even restored through a radically new technology: implantable devices that can send signals between regions of the brain or nervous system that have been disconnected due to injury.

30 Dec 2015

Pacemaker Induced Transient Asynchrony could help slow down progression of heart failure

Johns Hopkins has demonstrated in animals that applying a pacemaker's mild electrical shocks to push the heart in and out of normal synchronized contraction for part of each day may be an effective way to slow down the progression of heart failure, a disorder that afflicts millions of Americans.

24 Dec 2015

Bern study sheds light on the brain mechanism of arousal

Scientists from Bern have discovered a mechanism which is responsible for the rapid arousal from sleep and anesthesia in the brain. The results of their study suggest new strategies for the medical treatment of sleep disorders and recovery of consciousness in vegetative states.

22 Dec 2015

Central thalamus tunes the brain to different states of activity and arousal

Scientists showed that they could alter brain activity of rats and either wake them up or put them in an unconscious state by changing the firing rates of neurons in the central thalamus, a region known to regulate arousal.

18 Dec 2015

New analysis provides insight into the way water and DNA interact

In a biological system, the ratio of water-to-non-water molecules, known as the hydration level, influences both the arrangement of biomolecules and the strength of the electric interactions that occur between biomolecules, free ions, and functional groups, which are groups of atoms within molecules that strongly influence the molecules' chemical properties.

15 Dec 2015

Specific deep-brain circuit's firing frequency can alter forebrain activity, alertness levels

Adjusting a specific deep-brain circuit's firing frequency immediately and dramatically alters rats' forebrain activity and alertness levels, Stanford University School of Medicine investigators have shown.

11 Dec 2015

World’s First and Only Upgradeable, Non-Rechargeable, Burst-Enabled MR-Conditional SCS System

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company and an international leader in chronic pain therapy development, today announced the European launch of the Proclaim™ Elite Spinal Cord Stimulation System, the first and only upgradeable and non-rechargeable spinal cord stimulation (SCS) system approved to deliver burst stimulation from St. Jude Medical

2 Dec 2015

Dopamine measurements provides information crucial for human choice

Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute scientists have reported measurements of dopamine release with unprecedented temporal precision in the brains of people with Parkinson's disease. The measurements, collected during brain surgery as the conscious patients played an investment game, demonstrate how rapid dopamine release encodes information crucial for human choice.

24 Nov 2015

Mechatronic engineers create bracelet that makes mobility simpler and safer for blind people

The technological development has international recognition and has sparked interest for industrial production by a manufacturer in the medical sector.

22 Nov 2015

Researchers develop novel technology for chronic arthritis

Joint inflammation (arthritis) is a common problem in medical practice and can be due to a variety of causes. Many types of inflammatory disorders affecting the joints belong to the diverse group of rheumatic diseases.

6 Nov 2015

Innovative optoelectronic implantable device helps access brain microcircuits

Brown University researchers have created a new type of optoelectronic implantable device to access brain microcircuits, synergizing a technique that enables scientists to control the activity of brains cells using pulses of light.

13 Oct 2015

FDA allows marketing of new EarLens Contact Hearing Device

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today allowed marketing of a new hearing aid that uses a laser diode and direct vibration of the eardrum to amplify sound. The combination of laser light pulses and a custom-fit device component that comes in direct contact with the eardrum is designed to use the patient's own eardrum as a speaker and enables amplification over a wider range of frequencies for some hearing impaired persons.

9 Oct 2015

Good sleep patterns are good for your heart

A recent study has shown that poor sleeping habits may increase the risk of heart disease. Young and middle-aged adults who slept too long or too little or had poor sleep quality were found to be more likely to show early signs of heart disease than their peers who had adequate, good quality sleep.

11 Sep 2015

Innovative technologies offer hope to people living with chronic pain

More than 100 million people in this country have pain that won't go away. Many of these chronic pain sufferers fail to get relief from pills, shots and even surgery, while others temporarily trade the pain for side effects such as drowsiness or digestive problems.

11 Sep 2015

Finding better treatment for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis

In an effort to find a better treatment for spinal curvature in children and young people, the EU's "StimulAIS" project is focused on electrostimulation of muscles. Fraunhofer scientists worked with partners from industry and research to develop a prototype implant that would do the job.

3 Sep 2015