Brain Stimulation News and Research

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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

Neurosurgeons perform world's first operation on 'habenula' to treat depression

A team of neurosurgeons at Heidelberg University Hospital and psychiatrists at the Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim have for the first time successfully treated a patient suffering from severe depression by stimulating the habenula, a tiny nerve structure in the brain.

8 Jan 2010

Loyola University Health System launches new program to study healthcare, costs and patient safety

Loyola University Health System has established a new Program in Health Services Research to study how doctors and nurses can provide better health care at lower costs to more people.

6 Jan 2010

Highlights from Mayo Clinic's Discovery's Edge research magazine

Here are highlights from the winter issue of Discovery's Edge, Mayo Clinic's research magazine.

24 Dec 2009

University of Florida obtains stimulus grant to establish ataxia consortium

University of Florida neurologists are trying to change that with the help of a $1 million Challenge grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to establish a nationwide network of physician-scientists with expertise in clinical ataxia research.

16 Dec 2009

Nexstim's Navigated Brain Stimulation System receives FDA clearance

Nexstim Oy, a medical device company, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the Navigated Brian Stimulation System for use in the assessment of the primary motor cortex for pre-procedural planning.

10 Dec 2009

DBS therapy offers hope for epilepsy patients

Long-term data from an investigational study of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) Therapy for Epilepsy was released this week by Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE:MDT) at the American Epilepsy Society Meeting (AES) in Boston.

7 Dec 2009

Neurologix completes Phase 2 clinical trial of Parkinson’s study

Neurologix, Inc. (OTCBB:NRGX), a biotechnology company engaged in the development of innovative therapies for the brain and central nervous system, announced the completion of all planned surgeries in an ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial of the company’s gene transfer approach to the treatment of advanced Parkinson’s disease.

4 Dec 2009

Second-quarter fiscal 2010 results announced by Medtronic

Medtronic, Inc. today announced financial results for its second quarter of fiscal year 2010, which ended Oct. 30, 2009.

24 Nov 2009

Multidisciplinary pediatric neurosurgery program launched

Responding to a growing need in central and northeast Pennsylvania for highly specialized care of pediatric brain tumors and other central nervous system disorders, Geisinger's Janet Weis Children's Hospital has launched a state-of-the-art and comprehensive pediatric neurosurgery program. The multidisciplinary program is led by pediatric neurosurgeon Amir Kershenovich, M.D., who says he is pleased to accept his challenging role.

24 Nov 2009

Stereotactic radiosurgery effective in eliminating Parkinson's disease tremors

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) offers a less invasive way to eliminate tremors caused by Parkinson's disease and essential tremor than deep brain stimulation (DBS) and radiofrequency (RF) treatments, and is as effective, according to a long-term study presented November 2, 2009, at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

3 Nov 2009

Deep brain stimulation can help patients with severe forms of depression

In deep brain stimulation, doctors specifically target the impaired function of certain areas of the brain with an electric brain pacemaker. For the purpose of this study, they implanted electrodes in what is known as the nucleus accumbens. That is an important part of the 'reward system' which ensures that we remember good experiences and puts us in a state of pleasant anticipation.

2 Nov 2009

Highlights of new cancer research to be presented at 51st ASTRO Annual Meeting

The following are highlights of new cancer research being presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology's (ASTRO) 51st Annual Meeting on November 1-5, 2009, in Chicago.

29 Oct 2009

Deep brain stimulation: New treatment option for people with severe Tourette syndrome

Deep brain stimulation may be a safe and effective treatment for Tourette syndrome, according to research published in the October 27, 2009, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

27 Oct 2009