Brain Stimulation News and Research

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Ventral striatum plays important role in circuitry of reward-oriented behavior: Researchers

An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older - about one in four adults - suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder every year, which equates to approximately 57.7 million adults. Severe psychiatric illness affects a much smaller number of people - about 6 percent, or 1 in 17. Worldwide, an estimated 340 million people suffer from an episode of major depression every year.

5 May 2010

Tel Aviv University researcher pioneers 3-D occupational therapy for children with disabilities

It was her love of ballet that led her to work with children who have motor disabilities. The retired dancer, now an occupational therapist, is pioneering a new "virtual" method to analyze movement patterns in children ― and more effectively treat those with debilitating motor disorders.

28 Apr 2010

Study supports use of Fisher Wallace Cranial Stimulator for treating depression, anxiety and insomnia

Fisher Wallace Laboratories today announced the results of a brain stimulation study involving the Fisher Wallace Cranial Stimulator, a portable medical device that treats depression, anxiety and insomnia. The study, published in The Neuroscientist and authored by Dr. Felipe Fregni, assistant professor in neurology at Harvard Medical School, analyzes a decade's worth of research on the brain stimulation technology used by the Fisher Wallace Cranial Stimulator.

13 Apr 2010

New devices pave way for applications in cardiology and neurology

A team of cardiologists, materials scientists, and bioengineers have created and tested a new type of implantable device for measuring the heart's electrical output that they say is a vast improvement over current devices. The new device represents the first use of flexible silicon technology for a medical application.

26 Mar 2010

St. Jude Medical's Brio DBS system for treating Parkinson’s disease receives Australian TGA approval

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, today announced regulatory and reimbursement approval from the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration of its Brio™ deep brain stimulation system for treating the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

23 Mar 2010

ETP releases presentation highlights of 2010 Epilepsy Pipeline Update Conference

The Epilepsy Therapy Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to accelerating new therapies for people living with epilepsy, today released presentation highlights following its successful 2010 Epilepsy Pipeline Update Conference held in San Francisco. Sponsored by ETP, this conference brings together leading clinical investigators, emerging CNS companies and academic innovators with investors and business development partners to facilitate professional collaboration, funding and partnerships that will accelerate patient access to new treatments.

18 Mar 2010

SANTE study: Deep brain stimulation can reduce seizures

A recent study organized by Stanford University researchers found patients with refractory partial and secondarily generalized seizures had a reduction in seizures after deep brain stimulation. This multi-center clinical trial determined that the benefits of stimulation of the anterior nuclei of thalamus for epilepsy (SANTE) persisted and by 2 years there was a 56% reduction in seizure frequency.

18 Mar 2010

UCL scientists explore decision-making process of human brain

The more difficult the decision we face, the more likely we are not to act, according to new research by UCL scientists that examines the neural pathways involved in 'status quo bias' in the human brain.

16 Mar 2010

FDA Neurological Devices Panel recommends approval of DBS Therapy for epilepsy

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration Neurological Devices Panel today voted seven to five to recommend approval with conditions of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) Therapy for Epilepsy from Medtronic, Inc. as adjunctive treatment for partial-onset seizures in adults with medically refractory epilepsy.

15 Mar 2010

Study shows encouraging results of DBS in psychiatric disorder treatment

Psychosurgery is making a comeback. Recently published case series have shown encouraging results of so-called deep brain stimulation (DBS) in treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder, depressive disorders, and Tourette syndrome.

5 Mar 2010

Parkinson's patients find facial and vocal expression difficult to read; deep brain stimulation seems to make it worse

Scientists are beginning to find out why people with Parkinson's disease often feel socially awkward. Parkinson's patients find it harder to recognize expressions of emotion in other people's faces and voices, report two studies published by the American Psychological Association.

4 Mar 2010

MIT Technology Review recognizes Medtronic for taking leadership in developing DBS Therapy

Medtronic, Inc. today announced that it has been selected as one of Massachusetts Institute of Technology Technology Review's 50 most innovative companies. Known as TR50, the first annual list includes companies that Technology Review believes have demonstrated superiority in inventing technology and in using it both to grow their own business and transform how we live.

4 Mar 2010

Study indicates GABA neurotransmitters could play a key role in major depressive disorder

The next advance in treating major depression may relate to a group of brain chemicals that are involved in virtually all our brain activity, according to a study published today in Biological Psychiatry.

2 Mar 2010

Recovery of consciousness in traumatic brain injury patients

The recovery of consciousness following traumatic brain injury and recent advances in neuroimaging and deep brain stimulation will be discussed at the 14th Annual Swartz Foundation Mind/Brain Lecture at Stony Brook University on Monday, March 15, 2010 at 4:30 p.m. in the Staller Center for the Arts.

25 Feb 2010

Medtronic third-quarter revenues up by 10%

Medtronic, Inc. today reported financial results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2010, which ended January 29, 2010.

23 Feb 2010

New revolutionary treatment for patients suffering from movement disorders

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), a new treatment being offered at Geisinger Medical Center (GMC) and Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center (GWV), can dramatically reduce symptoms of movement disorders.

9 Feb 2010

Electrode devices emerge as potential stimulation treatments for depression

Approximately ten to thirty percent of patients with depression do not respond to drug treatments commonly used for the disorder, and this has spurred a search for alternatives. According to Kalorama Information's report "Electrical and Magnetic Neurostimulation," electrode devices that stimulate nerves have emerged as a solution and there is competition among notable device companies to provide the most effective stimulator.

28 Jan 2010

Scott & White conducts DBS research for Parkinson's patients

At Scott & White Memorial Hospital, a multi-disciplinary team of neurosurgeons, neurologists, neurophysiologist, neuropsychologists and a movement disorders specialist are offering hope to some Parkinson's patients with a treatment called Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS). DBS involves placing a thin wire that carries electrical currents deep within the brain on Parkinson's patients who are no longer benefitting from medications, and have significant uncontrollable body movements called dyskinesia. Scott & White is also performing research into the effects of DBS on the non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease including "drenching sweats," bladder dysfunction, depression, hallucination, anxiety, and dementia as well as intestinal disorders, loss of sense of smell, and sleep disturbances.

27 Jan 2010

Testing DBS for treating severe long-term depression

Bewernick and colleagues administered DBS treatment in ten patients with severe long-term depression who had not responded to multiple other antidepressant treatments, including psychotherapy, drug treatments and electroconvulsive treatment. After one year of DBS, all patients showed some improvement, and half of them experienced significant improvement in their symptoms of depression, astonishing considering they had not responded to any prior antidepressant treatment. In addition, the patients showed reduced ratings of anxiety and had only minor side effects. Importantly, none of their overall brain functioning was impaired by the DBS treatment.

27 Jan 2010

Neurosurgical journals influence neurosurgeons and their patients

A compendium of articles in the Journal of Neurosurgery (JNS) provides evidence that specialty medical journals are not only an invaluable resource to physicians and researchers, but to the media and public. Clinical and basic science papers do not have to be published in large, high-impact publications to garner attention, and in fact when it comes to specialized areas of medicine such as neurosurgery, publications devoted to the subspecialty produce many citation classics. "Citation classic" is a term given to articles that have been cited more than 400 times.

18 Jan 2010

Brain Stimulation News and Research

Ventral striatum plays important role in circuitry of reward-oriented behavior: Researchers

Tel Aviv University researcher pioneers 3-D occupational therapy for children with disabilities

Study supports use of Fisher Wallace Cranial Stimulator for treating depression, anxiety and insomnia

New devices pave way for applications in cardiology and neurology

St. Jude Medical's Brio DBS system for treating Parkinson’s disease receives Australian TGA approval

ETP releases presentation highlights of 2010 Epilepsy Pipeline Update Conference

SANTE study: Deep brain stimulation can reduce seizures

UCL scientists explore decision-making process of human brain

FDA Neurological Devices Panel recommends approval of DBS Therapy for epilepsy

Study shows encouraging results of DBS in psychiatric disorder treatment

Parkinson's patients find facial and vocal expression difficult to read; deep brain stimulation seems to make it worse

MIT Technology Review recognizes Medtronic for taking leadership in developing DBS Therapy

Study indicates GABA neurotransmitters could play a key role in major depressive disorder

Recovery of consciousness in traumatic brain injury patients

Medtronic third-quarter revenues up by 10%

New revolutionary treatment for patients suffering from movement disorders

Electrode devices emerge as potential stimulation treatments for depression

Scott & White conducts DBS research for Parkinson's patients

Testing DBS for treating severe long-term depression

Neurosurgical journals influence neurosurgeons and their patients

Discover how SciY empowers scientists

Why use light scattering to analyze proteins and viral vectors?

Changing the landscape of R&D to build clinical success from the ground up

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