Brain Stimulation News and Research

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Brain stimulation effective for treating depression

Brain stimulation treatments, like electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), are often effective for the treatment of depression. Like antidepressant medications, however, they typically have a delayed onset.

22 Jul 2014

Findings fuel idea that processes of active movement and sensory processing are connected

A new study by researchers at the University of Oregon published today in the journal Neuron describes a brainstem circuit in mice that may help explain how active movement impacts the way the brain processes sensory information.

17 Jul 2014

DBS improves motor and non motor symptoms of patients with early Parkinson's disease

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has become a well-recognized non-pharmacologic treatment that improves motor symptoms of patients with early and advanced Parkinson's disease.

26 Jun 2014

GW clinical trial aims to identify novel modalities to reduce seizures in MTLE patients

A first-of-its-kind clinical trial at the George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates employs low-frequency deep brain stimulation to potentially help reduce epileptic seizures in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) - the most common type of focal epilepsy that often necessitates surgical resection of the temporal lobe, risking memory function.

26 Jun 2014

U-M researchers detail new discoveries about basic biology of dystonia

Twist and hold your neck to the left. Now down, and over to the right, until it hurts. Now imagine your neck - or arms or legs - randomly doing that on their own, without you controlling it.

18 Jun 2014

Navigated brain stimulation system may help improve motor function for people recovering from stroke

Researchers at Shepherd Center are studying whether stimulating the brain before rehabilitation could yield greater gains in motor function for people recovering from stroke.

5 Jun 2014

New research program to understand and treat debilitating psychiatric disorders

Scientists and physicians at UC San Francisco (UCSF) are leading a $26 million, multi-institutional research program in which they will employ advanced technology to characterize human brain networks and better understand and treat a range of common, debilitating psychiatric disorders, focusing first on anxiety disorders and major depression.

28 May 2014

Neural engineers to develop techniques for dynamic deep brain stimulation

Deep brain stimulators, devices that zap Parkinson's disease tremors by sending electrical current deep into nerve centers near the brain stem, may sound like they are cutting-edge, but Rice University's Caleb Kemere wants to give them a high-tech overhaul.

28 May 2014

New optical approach to brain scanning for patients with electronic implants

Scientists have advanced a brain-scanning technology that tracks what the brain is doing by shining dozens of tiny LED lights on the head. This new generation of neuroimaging compares favorably to other approaches but avoids the radiation exposure and bulky magnets the others require, according to new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

20 May 2014

New potential treatment for paraplegic patients

People with severe injuries to their spinal cord currently have no prospect of recovery and remain confined to their wheelchairs. Now, all that could change with a new treatment that stimulates the spinal cord using electric impulses.

16 May 2014

Research: Stimulation of certain population of neurons within brain can alter learning process

Stimulation of a certain population of neurons within the brain can alter the learning process, according to a team of neuroscientists and neurosurgeons at the University of Pennsylvania.

14 May 2014

GLNT to use $1.5M NIH award to expand Parkinson’s monitoring technology to mobile apps

Great Lakes NeuroTechnologies announced today they will be using a $1.5M award from NIH to expand their Parkinson’s monitoring technology to mobile applications. Repositioning GLNT’s Kinesia product line with mobile apps strategically aligns with growing trends in domestic and international healthcare landscapes regarding accessibility, costs, reimbursement, and regulatory policies.

16 Apr 2014

Electrode placement affects subthalamic nucleus stimulation outcomes

Researchers have identified factors associated with motor, cognitive and mood outcomes after deep-brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus in a large cohort of patients with Parkinson’s disease.

4 Apr 2014

Researcher to test brain stimulation, gait training to improve patients' ability to walk after stroke

A University of Illinois at Chicago researcher will test whether brain stimulation combined with gait training can improve patients' ability to walk after a stroke, under a $1.5 million grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

18 Mar 2014

Research roundup: Medicaid eligibility; tracking discontinued randomized trials; decline in work-based insurance

Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), changes in income and family circumstances are likely to produce frequent transitions in eligibility for Medicaid and health insurance Marketplace coverage for low- and middle-income adults.

17 Mar 2014

New insights into how human brain responds to chronic pain

University of Adelaide researchers say new insights into how the human brain responds to chronic pain could eventually lead to improved treatments for patients.

13 Mar 2014

Viewpoints: Obama's budget punts on entitlements; Medicaid debate rankles states

There is a lesson in this unexpected juxtaposition nevertheless: No nation can safely base its tax and spending plans on inflexible commitments. Political life, both domestic and international, is too unpredictable. Yet U.S. government spending is mostly on autopilot. The government is scheduled to lay out $3.8 trillion this fiscal year -; 70 percent of which will go to mandatory-spending programs, chiefly Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and interest on the federal debt. Mr. Obama's plan for fiscal 2015 does not change this; it would increase overall spending slightly, paying for it with selected tax increases, while shifting money among priorities here and there. But these tweaks would take place within the same 30 percent of discretionary spending that the current budget contains (3/4).

6 Mar 2014