Brain Stimulation News and Research

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Deep-brain stimulation boosts PD patients’ driving performance

Deep-brain stimulation reduces errors among patients with Parkinson’s disease undergoing a driving simulator test, a study shows.

14 Jan 2014

Ultrasound can modulate brain activity to heighten sensory perception in humans

Whales, bats, and even praying mantises use ultrasound as a sensory guidance system - and now a new study has found that ultrasound can modulate brain activity to heighten sensory perception in humans.

13 Jan 2014

New ways to treat substance abuse, neurological diseases and mental illnesses

Researchers at the University at Buffalo have found a way to change alcohol drinking behavior in rodents, using the emerging technique of optogenetics, which uses light to stimulate neurons.

7 Jan 2014

Parkinson's disease patients from lower socioeconomic status less likely to receive DBS

Among Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, female, black, Asian and patients are substantially less likely to receive proven deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery to improve tremors and motor symptoms, according to a new report by a Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania researcher who identified considerable disparities among Medicare recipients receiving DBS for Parkinson's disease.

5 Jan 2014

Parkinson's disease patients may find difficulties in recognizing emotions

Patients affected by Parkinson's disease may experience, in addition to the more obvious motor symptoms (such as tremors and stiffness), difficulties recognizing emotions in the facial expressions and speech prosody (intonation) of other people. A number of investigations have shown that even deep brain stimulation, a treatment that has become widely used in recent years, may cause similar disorders.

20 Dec 2013

Study investigates about emotions that affects patients with Parkinson's disease

Is it the disease itself or the treatment that impairs the perception of emotions? A study conducted with the collaboration of the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) of Trieste investigates the origins of the difficulty recognizing certain emotions that affects patients with Parkinson's disease.

19 Dec 2013

Deep brain stimulation may have beneficial effect on driving ability for Parkinson's disease patients

Deep brain stimulation may have a beneficial effect on driving ability for people with Parkinson's disease, according to a new study published in the December 18, 2013, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Deep brain stimulation uses a surgical implant similar to a pacemaker to send electrical impulses to the brain.

19 Dec 2013

Researchers gain better understanding of neurochemical basis of addiction with optogenetics

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center researchers are gaining a better understanding of the neurochemical basis of addiction with a new technology called optogenetics.

16 Dec 2013

Neuroscientists use new technique to enhance a form of self-control through brain stimulation

If you have ever said or done the wrong thing at the wrong time, you should read this. Neuroscientists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and the University of California, San Diego, have successfully demonstrated a technique to enhance a form of self-control through a novel form of brain stimulation.

14 Dec 2013

Names of 2014 Breakthrough Prize winners in Fundamental Physics and Life Sciences unveiled

The names of the 2014 Breakthrough Prize winners in Fundamental Physics and Life Sciences were unveiled at an exclusive ceremony at the NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, CA. At a total awarded amount of $21 million, sponsored by Sergey Brin & Anne Wojcicki, Jack Ma & Cathy Zhang, Yuri & Julia Milner and Mark Zuckerberg & Priscilla Chan, the prizes aim to celebrate scientists and generate excitement about the pursuit of science as a career.

13 Dec 2013

Researchers discover new mechanism in brain which controls tics in children with TS

A mechanism in the brain which controls tics in children with Tourette Syndrome (TS) has been discovered by scientists at The University of Nottingham.

12 Dec 2013

Neurosurgery in Parkinson's disease: Social adjustment, quality of life and coping strategies

Subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation can significantly improve the motor features of the Parkinson's disease in carefully selected patients. However, effects of subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation on the social adjustment, coping strategies and mental health-related quality of life of these patients remain unclear.

5 Dec 2013

VISIUS iMRI and ClearPoint guidance platform make DBS surgery an option for children with dystonia

IMRIS Inc. and MRI Interventions, Inc. today announced that Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas, is the first U.S. pediatric hospital to offer asleep deep brain stimulation surgery to children suffering from dystonia by utilizing the combination of MRI Interventions' ClearPoint Neuro Intervention System and an IMRIS VISIUS Surgical Theatre for real-time intraoperative image guidance and procedure visualization.

4 Dec 2013

Research: Smallest parts of brain play crucial role in decision making

One of the smallest parts of the brain is getting a second look after new research suggests it plays a crucial role in decision making.

25 Nov 2013

Boston Scientific gets CE Mark approval for Vercise Deep Brain Stimulation System

The Boston Scientific Corporation Vercise Deep Brain Stimulation System has received CE Mark approval for the treatment of intractable primary and secondary dystonia, a neurological movement disorder characterized by involuntary muscle contractions.

19 Nov 2013

Study: Hospitals vary in management of children with traumatic brain injury

Hospitals vary in management of children with traumatic brain injury—particularly in monitoring and preventing the harmful effects of increased intracranial pressure (ICP), according to a study in the November issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

12 Nov 2013

New headpiece can improve brain stimulation technique to treat depression

A brain stimulation technique that is used to treat tough cases of depression could be considerably improved with a new headpiece designed by University of Michigan engineers.

30 Oct 2013

Study shows precision medicine provides better treatment options for mentally ill person

A multidisciplinary team led by a geneticist and psychiatrist from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory's (CSHL) Stanley Institute for Cognitive Genomics today publish a paper providing a glimpse of both the tremendous power and the current limitations of what is sometimes called "precision medicine."

5 Oct 2013

Scientists move closer to growing therapeutic brain cells in laboratory

Bethesda, MD-A group of really brainy scientists have moved closer to growing "therapeutic" brain cells in the laboratory that can be re-integrated back into patients' brains to treat a wide range of neurological conditions.

1 Oct 2013

NIH budget slashing may stall future pain research funding

Multi-faceted pain research discoveries within the last decade are bringing new hope for the estimated 100 million Americans with chronic pain. Unfortunately, translation of these scientific advances into clinical practice could be stalled without sufficient funding for both basic science and clinical pain research, according to the American Pain Society.

12 Sep 2013