Brain Surgery News and Research

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Paralyzed man moves robotic hand using mind

In a remarkable advance, a paralyzed man - Tim Hemmes - has managed to move a robot hand attached to his wheelchair only with the use of his mind. He was left paralyzed after a motorcycle accident. Moving a robot hand towards his girlfriend was a success for both the man and for the team of scientists at the University of Pittsburgh, who led and monitored the experiment.

11 Oct 2011

Troy High School teacher receives top prize in national ING Unsung Heroes awards program

ING, a leading provider of employer-sponsored retirement plans for educators, businesses, and government and not-for-profit entities, announced that Rebecca Brewer, a biology teacher at Troy High School in Troy, Mich., has received the top prize in the national 2011 ING Unsung Heroes awards program. Through this program, ING awards educators throughout the U.S. grants for innovative teaching ideas.

11 Oct 2011

Henry Ford Hospital performs DBS procedure inside iMRI to treat Parkinson's

Henry Ford Hospital became the third hospital in the United States to perform a Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) procedure inside an Intraoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging scanner, or iMRI.

20 Sep 2011

Ultrasonic neuromodulation can be quickly applied in neurocritical care situations

The discovery that low-intensity, pulsed ultrasound can be used to noninvasively stimulate intact brain circuits holds promise for engineering rapid-response medical devices.

9 Sep 2011

UCSF neurosurgery shows promise against severe epilepsy

Two-thirds of people with severe and otherwise untreatable epilepsy were completely cured of their frequent seizures after undergoing neurosurgery at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center, according to a new study that examined 143 of these patients two years after their operations.

22 Jul 2011

NHS facing heavier loads as waiting times rise

According to Sir Richard Thompson, President of the Royal College of Physicians, health service providers are struggling to cope with rising demand especially among the elderly, with the result that planned tests and operations are being delayed. He made his statement as Department of Health statistics showed the proportion of inpatients waiting more than 18 weeks for treatment has risen by 29 per cent since the general election, with those needing orthopedic or brain surgery experiencing the worst delays.

14 Jul 2011

Novartis Afinitor Phase III trial on tuberous sclerosis meets primary endpoint

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation announced today Phase III trial results that showed more than one-third of patients taking Afinitor tablets experienced a 50% or greater reduction in the size of their subependymal giant cell astrocytomas, non-cancerous brain tumors associated with tuberous sclerosis complex.

8 Jul 2011

Freeze-dried gene therapy system safe and effective for treating brain cancer

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have developed a technique that delivers gene therapy into human brain cancer cells using nanoparticles that can be freeze-dried and stored for up to three months prior to use. The shelf-stable particles may obviate the need for virus-mediated gene therapy, which has been associated with safety concerns.

7 Jul 2011

Pipeline Embolization Device safe and effective for patients with brain aneurysms

Physicians at Rush University Medical Center are offering a new and effective treatment to patients suffering from complex brain aneurysms. The recently FDA-approved technology called the Pipeline Embolization Device (PED) gives doctors the ability for the very first time to treat some of the most complex and dangerous brain aneurysms using minimally invasive techniques.

3 Jun 2011

Adipose-derived stem cell procedure restores skull defects after brain surgery

Stem cells derived from abdominal fat—used along with a synthetic bone grafting material—are a potentially valuable new approach to repairing skull defects after brain surgery, according to a study in the June issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

2 Jun 2011

Elekta to highlight Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion radiosurgery solution at AANS 2011

At the 2011 American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) Annual Meeting, April 9-13 at the Colorado Convention Center, Elekta (booth #1717) will highlight characteristics of Leksell Gamma Knife® Perfexion™ that separate the system from other radiosurgery solutions.

From Elekta 8 Apr 2011

New platinum coil technology makes minimally invasive surgery for brain aneurysms safer and cheaper

Loyola University Hospital is the first center in the Midwest to use new technology that makes minimally invasive surgery for life-threatening brain aneurysms significantly safer and cheaper.

25 Mar 2011

UC Berkeley, UCSF partner to help develop neural prostheses for brain repair

Neuroscientists and engineers at UCSF and UC Berkeley have joined forces to help pioneer a new frontier of brain repair - the development of devices that would allow patients with such conditions as stroke, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury and Lou Gehrig's disease to control prosthetics through thoughts alone.

25 Mar 2011

CVT more common than previously thought, disproportionally affects pregnant women

A rare and often underreported form of stroke that involves veins instead of arteries is more common than previously thought, according to the American Heart Association's first scientific statement on diagnosing and managing cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT).

4 Feb 2011

Brain surgeon partners with NASA's JPL to design high-tech surgical instruments

Internationally renowned brain surgeon Hrayr Shahinian, M.D., a pioneer in minimally invasive brain surgery, has announced that he is teaming with scientists and technologists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., to design the next generation of high-tech surgical instruments - technology that also will be useful for planetary exploration.

2 Feb 2011

Showman surgeon in an ethical tangle

Dr. Charlie Teo had stirred the hornet’s nest of ethical issues by offering to allow a person to spend a day in his company, including the possibility of watching his intricate excision of brain tumors, as a prize in a charity auction held at the Concord Function Centre to raise funds for childhood cancer research. The prize fetched about $1,500.

27 Jan 2011

Ruptured brain aneurysm treated through the nose

During breakfast one Sunday, Alfreda Cordero was struck suddenly and violently by the worst headache she had ever experienced. A day later, she would make medical history as the first person to have a ruptured brain aneurysm treated through the nose.

14 Jan 2011

Proteins that unlock the mystery of over 100 brain diseases

An Anglo-American team of researchers have made a medical breakthrough after identifying a large collection of nerve proteins that are involved in around 130 brain diseases including Alzheimer’s and autism.

20 Dec 2010

Marin announces new joint venture with Mt. Tam Spine Center and UCSF Neurosurgery

Marin General Hospital has announced a new joint venture that provides a single point of access in Marin for world-class, comprehensive multidisciplinary and cross-disciplinary treatment and management of spine and brain disorders and disease.

15 Dec 2010

Innovative neural probe senses and stimulates individual brain cells

Imec, together with its partners within the European FP6 Program NeuroProbes, has created a new neural probe enabling electrical and chemical recording and stimulation of single neurons in the brain. Applications of the new technology are vast, ranging from tools for fundamental research on the functioning of the brain, to instruments for more precise diagnosis of brain seizures before brain-surgery.

17 Nov 2010