Brain Stimulation News and Research

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Experts report lasting benefits of deep brain stimulation in patients with hereditary dystonia

In what is believed to be the largest follow-up record of patients with the most common form of hereditary dystonia - a movement disorder that can cause crippling muscle contractions - experts in deep brain stimulation report good success rates and lasting benefits.

20 Jun 2013

Vercise DBS System shows improvement in motor scores for patients with Parkinson's disease

Patients with Parkinson's disease using the Boston Scientific Corporation Vercise DBS (deep brain stimulation) System showed a significant improvement in motor scores according to interim data from the VANTAGE DBS study.

18 Jun 2013

Research: Deep brain stimulation is associated with weight loss trend in morbidly obese patients

The first use of deep brain stimulation to the brain's so-called "feeding center" - the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) - was associated with a weight loss trend in morbidly obese patients whose stimulation was tuned to increase metabolism with novel guidance from metabolic chamber data, according to a pilot study presented at the International Neuromodulation Society's 11th World Congress by Dr. Michael Oh of the Department of Neurosurgery at the Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pa.

14 Jun 2013

NACC recommendations address established pain therapies and preview potential future advances

Recommendations of the Neuromodulation Appropriateness Consensus Committee (NACC), announced at the 11th World Congress of the International Neuromodulation Society (INS), address established therapies and preview emerging and potential future advances.

13 Jun 2013

Columbia psychiatry researchers suggest possible approaches to treat or prevent OCD

Columbia Psychiatry researchers have identified what they think may be a mechanism underlying the development of compulsive behaviors. The finding suggests possible approaches to treating or preventing certain characteristics of OCD.

11 Jun 2013

Large study of deep brain stimulation underway for Alzheimer's disease treatment

Together, Butler Hospital and Rhode Island Hospital are participating in The ADvance Study, a clinical trial investigating the use of deep brain stimulation as a treatment for patients with Alzheimer's disease.

10 Jun 2013

Surgeon develops new way to perform deep brain stimulation

The surgeon who more than two decades ago pioneered deep brain stimulation surgery in the United States to treat people with Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders has now developed a new way to perform the surgery - which allows for more accurate placement of the brain electrodes and likely is safer for patients.

6 Jun 2013

Alim Louis Benabid receives 2013 Robert A. Pritzker Prize for Leadership in Parkinson's Research

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF) announced that Alim Louis Benabid , MD, PhD, is the recipient of the 2013 Robert A. Pritzker Prize for Leadership in Parkinson's Research.

1 Jun 2013

Blinding and blinding assessment rarely documented in trial reports

A paper published in the current issue of P&P? tests the widely accepted assumption in drug trials: neither evaluators nor patients know whether the patient is getting drug or placebo (double blindness).

28 May 2013

Boston Scientific's GUIDE DBS System gets CE Mark approval

Boston Scientific Corporation has received CE Mark approval for use of the GUIDE DBS System, the world's first deep brain stimulation visualization system.

28 May 2013

Non-invasive brain stimulation techniques improve memory

Non-invasive brain stimulation techniques aimed at mental and neurological conditions include transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression, and transcranial direct current (electrical) stimulation, shown to improve memory.

20 May 2013

Transcranial random noise stimulation allows the brain to work more efficiently, say researchers

In the future, if you want to improve your ability to manipulate numbers in your head, you might just plug yourself in. So say researchers who report in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on May 16 on studies of a harmless form of brain stimulation applied to an area known to be important for math ability.

18 May 2013

Kinesia ProView™ launched to visualize motor symptom severity response to deep brain stimulation (DBS) in Parkinson’s patients

Great Lakes NeuroTechnologies announced today the product launch of Kinesia ProView™ to visualize motor symptom severity response during programming of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for Parkinson’s disease. Kinesia ProView provides a standardized platform to quantitatively assess how symptoms such as tremor, bradykinesia, and dyskinesias change in response to specific DBS settings during outpatient programming procedures.

15 May 2013

Nicotine in peppers and tomatoes may provide protective effect against Parkinson's disease

New research reveals that Solanaceae-a flowering plant family with some species producing foods that are edible sources of nicotine-may provide a protective effect against Parkinson's disease. The study appearing today in Annals of Neurology, a journal of the American Neurological Association and Child Neurology Society, suggests that eating foods that contain even a small amount of nicotine, such as peppers and tomatoes, may reduce risk of developing Parkinson's.

9 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

UC Berkeley vision scientists pinpoint how the brain tracks fast-moving objects

How does San Francisco Giants slugger Pablo Sandoval swat a 95 mph fastball, or tennis icon Venus Williams see the oncoming ball, let alone return her sister Serena's 120 mph serves? For the first time, vision scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have pinpointed how the brain tracks fast-moving objects.

9 May 2013

Brain Stimulation News and Research

Experts report lasting benefits of deep brain stimulation in patients with hereditary dystonia

Vercise DBS System shows improvement in motor scores for patients with Parkinson's disease

Research: Deep brain stimulation is associated with weight loss trend in morbidly obese patients

NACC recommendations address established pain therapies and preview potential future advances

Columbia psychiatry researchers suggest possible approaches to treat or prevent OCD

Large study of deep brain stimulation underway for Alzheimer's disease treatment

Surgeon develops new way to perform deep brain stimulation

Alim Louis Benabid receives 2013 Robert A. Pritzker Prize for Leadership in Parkinson's Research

Blinding and blinding assessment rarely documented in trial reports

Boston Scientific's GUIDE DBS System gets CE Mark approval

Non-invasive brain stimulation techniques improve memory

Transcranial random noise stimulation allows the brain to work more efficiently, say researchers

Kinesia ProView™ launched to visualize motor symptom severity response to deep brain stimulation (DBS) in Parkinson’s patients

Nicotine in peppers and tomatoes may provide protective effect against Parkinson's disease

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

UC Berkeley vision scientists pinpoint how the brain tracks fast-moving objects

Brain scan studies may provide clues about how the device improves depression

New form of electroconvulsive therapy could prevent adverse cognitive side effects

DBS appears to reduce caloric intake and weight loss in obese animal models

Transcranial magnetic stimulation benefits in Parkinson’s disease

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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