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Polymer substance fully resists the body's natural attack response to foreign objects

It's a familiar scenario - a patient receives a medical implant and days later, the body attacks the artificial valve or device, causing complications to an already compromised system.

15 May 2013

Nearly 1/10 stroke patients suffer from chronic and debilitating pain

Nearly 1 in 10 stroke patients suffer chronic and debilitating pain, typically described as sharp, stabbing or burning. It's called central poststroke pain syndrome (CPSP). It was first described more than 100 years ago, and it is treatable with medications and magnetic or electrical stimulation of the brain.

9 May 2013

New form of electroconvulsive therapy could prevent adverse cognitive side effects

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is the most effective acute treatment for severe major depression. However, even with newer forms of ECT, there remains a significant risk of adverse cognitive effects, particularly memory problems.

7 May 2013

Virtual reality reveals new clues on how cells determine place

Leaving the house in the morning may seem simple, but with every move we make, our brains are working feverishly to create maps of the outside world that allow us to navigate and to remember where we are.

4 May 2013

Small device implanted in the brain predicts epilepsy seizures in humans

A small device implanted in the brain has accurately predicted epilepsy seizures in humans in a world-first study led by Professor Mark Cook, Chair of Medicine at the University of Melbourne and Director of Neurology at St Vincent's Hospital.

3 May 2013

Non-invasive brain surgery: an interview with Dr Andres Lozano, University of Toronto

MR-guided focused ultrasound is a new technique that involves focusing 1024 beams of ultrasound through the skull to a focal point in the brain, very much like using the sun and a magnifying glass to burn a hole in a sheet of paper.

22 Apr 2013

Research reveals how three-dimensional, volumetric, space is perceived in mammalian brains

Animals navigate and orient themselves to survive - to find food and shelter or avoid predators, for example. Research conducted by Dr. Nachum Ulanovsky and research student Michael Yartsev of the Weizmann Institute's Neurobiology Department, published today in Science, reveals for the first time how three-dimensional, volumetric, space is perceived in mammalian brains.

22 Apr 2013

Research shows infants experience automatic calming reaction when carried by their mothers

There is a very good reason mothers often carry their crying babies, pacing the floor, to help them calm down. New research published in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on April 18 shows that infants experience an automatic calming reaction upon being carried, whether they are mouse or human babies.

19 Apr 2013

Study exposes unexpected features of why humans sometimes make incorrect decisions

Making decisions involves a gradual accumulation of facts that support one choice or another. A person choosing a college might weigh factors such as course selection, institutional reputation and the quality of future job prospects.

17 Apr 2013

Electroconvulsive therapy improves quality of life in patients with severe depression

Patients whose severe depression goes into remission for six months following electroconvulsive therapy report a quality of life similar to that of healthy individuals, researchers say.

16 Apr 2013

Two innovative techniques reduce common complications of spinal cord stimulator implant

Two innovative techniques in the placement of an implanted spinal cord stimulator (SCS) are expected to reduce common complications at the implant site, according to new research revealed today.

15 Apr 2013

Illuminating deep mysteries of brain

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Washington University in St. Louis developed ultrathin, flexible optoelectronic devices - including LEDs the size of individual neurons - that are lighting the way for neuroscientists in the field of optogenetics and beyond.

12 Apr 2013

Physicians stimulate patients' medial forebrain bundles to reduce major depression

Researchers from the Bonn University Hospital implanted pacemaker electrodes into the medial forebrain bundle in the brains of patients suffering from major depression with amazing results: In six out of seven patients, symptoms improved both considerably and rapidly.

10 Apr 2013

fMRI: A non-invasive tool to map critical areas of brain before surgery

A new functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technique may provide neurosurgeons with a non-invasive tool to help in mapping critical areas of the brain before surgery, reports a study in the April issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

9 Apr 2013

Promising step toward safer, more comfortable implants

Researchers led by scientists at Case Western Reserve University have turned to an unlikely model to make medical devices safer and more comfortable-a squid's beak.

4 Apr 2013

Mayo Clinic physicians show tablet computers can be used to analyze EEG results outside of hospital

Mayo Clinic physicians in Arizona have shown that tablet computers can be used to analyze electroencephalogram or EEG results outside of the clinic or hospital.

30 Mar 2013

Living cells and cell fragments move in response to electric fields, scientists find

Like tiny crawling compass needles, whole living cells and cell fragments orient and move in response to electric fields - but in opposite directions, scientists at the University of California, Davis, have found. Their results, published April 8 in the journal Current Biology, could ultimately lead to new ways to heal wounds and deliver stem cell therapies.

30 Mar 2013

Researcher receives grant to enhance human tissue dissection, reduce blood transfusions during surgery

A George Washington University researcher recently received a grant to study ways to cut human tissue more efficiently, an effort that could minimize the need for blood transfusions and other products for patients during surgery.

27 Mar 2013

Study reveals that EEG identifies high frequency of seizures in hospital patients

Electroencephalogram, which measures and records electrical activity in the brain, is a quick and efficient way of determining whether seizures are the cause of altered mental status and spells, according to a study by scientists at the University of California, San Francisco.