Brain Stimulation News and Research

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New book explores neurobiology of pleasure

A sense of pleasure generated by the brain's hedonic neural systems is fundamental to daily life, and indeed has been essential to the evolution and survival of humans and most animals, say Morten Kringelbach and Kent Berridge, editors of Pleasures of the Brain. The rewards we experience through sensations such as food, sex and social interaction are driving forces necessary to maintain life, they argue.

20 Aug 2009

Trial to begin on alternative treatment for depression

The University of New South Wales (UNSW) and The Black Dog Institute are seeking participants for a trial of a new, non-invasive form of brain stimulation therapy for depression, known as Direct Current Stimulation (DCS).

27 Jul 2009

Magnetic brain stimulation improves skill learning

The use of magnetic pulses to stimulate the dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) region of the brain results in an improved ability to learn a skilled motor task. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Neuroscience show that skilled movements can be stored as memories in the PMd and that magnetic stimulation of this area can facilitate this learning process.

6 Jul 2009

Deep brain stimulation for psychiatric disorders

Pioneering therapeutic trials to investigate the effectiveness of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in hard-to-treat depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and Tourette's syndrome are underway at multiple medical centers around the world, according to a review in the June 2009 issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

30 Jun 2009

Shedding some light on Parkinson's treatment

A research team lead by Karl Deisseroth in the bioengineering department at Stanford University has developed a technique to systematically characterize disease circuits in the brain.

16 Apr 2009

Deep brain stimulation effective for patients with primary generalized dystonia

A new study from Mount Sinai School of Medicine finds that deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a safe and effective treatment for patients with primary generalized dystonia (PGD).

14 Apr 2009

St. Jude Medical announces first European patient implants of Libra deep brain stimulation systems for Parkinson’s Disease

St. Jude Medical, Inc. has announced the first patient implants of its Libra deep brain stimulation (DBS) system for treating the symptoms of Parkinson's disease, a progressive neurological disorder that affects a person's control over his or her movements and speech.

29 Mar 2009

Insights into Parkinson's disease and deep-brain stimulation

About the only thing doctors have understood about deep-brain stimulation, which is widely used to treat Parkinson's disease symptoms, is that somehow it works for many patients.

20 Mar 2009

Novel stimulation method sparks hope for Parkinson's disease sufferers

A novel stimulation method, the first potential therapy to target the spinal cord instead of the brain, may offer an effective and less invasive approach for Parkinson's disease treatment, according to pre-clinical data published in the journal Science by researchers at Duke University Medical Center.

20 Mar 2009

University of Florida doctors test targets for Parkinson surgery

Doctors may be able to tailor a specialized form of brain surgery to more closely match the needs of Parkinson patients, according to results from the first large-scale effort to compare the two current target areas of deep brain stimulation surgery, or DBS.

15 Mar 2009

Researchers develop 'wireless' activation of brain circuits

Traditionally, stimulating nerves or brain tissue involves cumbersome wiring and a sharp metal electrode.

23 Feb 2009

FDA approves humanitarian device exemption for deep brain stimulator

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a humanitarian device exemption for the first implantable device that delivers intermittent electrical therapy deep within the brain to suppress the symptoms associated with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

20 Feb 2009

Mild brain stimulation may enhance motor skills in traumatic brain injury, stroke

People who received a mild electrical current to a motor control area of the brain were significantly better able to learn and perform a complex motor task than those in control groups.

19 Jan 2009

Electrical stimulation of the brain offers hope for Parkinson's sufferers

Electrical stimulation of the brain -- a treatment in which a pacemaker-like device sends pulses to electrodes implanted in the brain -- is riskier than drug therapy but may hold significant benefits for those with Parkinson's disease who no longer respond well to medication alone.

14 Jan 2009

Deep brain stimulation helps advanced Parkinson's disease patients

Patients with advanced Parkinson disease (PD) who received deep brain stimulation treatment had more improvement in movement skills and quality of life after six months than patients who received other medical therapy, but also had a higher risk of a serious adverse events, according to a study in the January 7 issue of JAMA.

6 Jan 2009

Carbon nanotubes show promise in emerging field of neuro-engineering and neuroprosthetics

Research done by scientists in Italy and Switzerland has shown that carbon nanotubes may be the ideal "smart" brain material.

22 Dec 2008

Researchers reduce production of alpha-synuclein in the brain - offers hope for Parkinson's disease

Mayo Clinic researchers have developed a method to reduce the production of alpha-synuclein in the brain.

17 Nov 2008

Promising clinical trial for patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) affects 2% of the population and is considered a psychiatric disorder. It is the number four psychiatric pathology in terms of frequency following phobias, disorders relating to alcohol and drugs, and depression.

12 Nov 2008

Pulsed ultrasound used to remote control brain circuits

In a twist on nontraditional uses of ultrasound, a group of neuroscientists at Arizona State University has developed pulsed ultrasound techniques that can remotely stimulate brain circuit activity.

29 Oct 2008

Brain stimulation improves dexterity

Applying electrical stimulation to the scalp and the underlying motor regions of the brain could make you more skilled at delicate tasks. Research published today in the open access journal BMC Neuroscience shows that a non-invasive brain-stimulation technique, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), is able to improve the use of a person's non-dominant hand.

28 Oct 2008