Electrode News and Research

RSS

'Phantom' images brain keeps for visual comparisons stored in brain's neural network

Brain research over the past 30 years has shown that if a part of the brain controlling movement or sensation or language is lost because of a stroke or injury, other parts of the brain can take over the lost function - often as well as the region that was lost.

4 Nov 2010

New noninvasive technique provides low-level electrical stimulation to reduce pain

A simple, noninvasive technique providing low-level electrical stimulation of the brain produces significant pain-reducing effects in humans, reports the November issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

4 Nov 2010

Eye implant restores some vision in retinitis pigmentosa

According to a new scientific breakthrough, a device - a tiny, three-by-three millimetre microchip, has allowed patients with inherited blindness to detect objects with their eyes, unlike a rival approach that uses an external camera. The procedure details are outlined in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

3 Nov 2010

Retina Implant's microchip restores useful vision in patients blind due to retinitis pigmentosa

Retina Implant AG, a leading developer of subretinal implants for the visually impaired, today announced the publication of a peer-reviewed study in Proceedings of the Royal Society B discussing the technical and clinical results obtained during their first human clinical trial.

3 Nov 2010

We can consciously control neurons inside our head

Every day our brains are flooded by stimulation - sounds, sights and smells. At the same time, we are constantly engaged in an inner dialogue, ruminating about the past, musing about the future. Somehow the brain filters all this input instantly, selecting some things for long- or short-term storage, discarding others and focusing in on what's most important at any given instant.

29 Oct 2010

Individuals can consciously control neurons inside the head, study finds

Five years ago, neuroscientist Christof Koch of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), neurosurgeon Itzhak Fried of UCLA, and their colleagues discovered that a single neuron in the human brain can function much like a sophisticated computer and recognize people, landmarks, and objects, suggesting that a consistent and explicit code may help transform complex visual representations into long-term and more abstract memories.

28 Oct 2010

Researchers develop software tool to study wiring of brains

A team of researchers at the Eindhoven University of Technology has developed a software tool that physicians can use to easily study the wiring of the brains of their patients. The tool converts MRI scans using special techniques to three-dimensional images. This now makes it possible to view a total picture of the winding roads and their contacts without having to operate.

28 Oct 2010

Inovio announces publication of minimally-invasive intradermal device in journal Gene Therapy

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. a leader in the development of therapeutic and preventive vaccines against cancers and infectious diseases, announced today that a peer-reviewed research article describing the development of a new intradermal, minimally-invasive DNA vaccine delivery device was published in the prestigious journal Gene Therapy.

25 Oct 2010

New ear implant for Meniere’s disease

Meniere’s disease is a disease that affects the inner ear – a region responsible for balance. It affects 1% of Americans and can be quite disabling since it leads to attacks of vertigo. At present medications can not completely cure the condition and surgery is often unsuccessful.

24 Oct 2010

UW Medicine patient receives implantable device for vestibular problems

A University of Washington Medical Center patient on Thursday, Oct. 21, will be the world's first recipient of a device that aims to quell the disabling vertigo associated with Meniere's disease.

21 Oct 2010

Retina Implant's first clinical trial results presented at 2010 AAO annual meeting

Retina Implant AG, a leading developer of subretinal implants for the visually impaired, is proud to announce Co-Founder and Chairman Eberhart Zrenner, M.D. was invited to present the exciting results of clinical trials he has been leading since 2005 by the American Academy of Ophthalmology at this year's annual meeting that took place October 16-19 at McCormick Place in Chicago, Ill.

20 Oct 2010

'Sister' mitral cells may broadcast 2 distinct channels of information on odors to cortex

A team co-led by neuroscientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) has shed light -- literally -- on circuitry underlying the olfactory system in mammals, giving us a new view of how that system may pull off some of its most amazing feats.

19 Oct 2010

Integra launches CRW Precision Arc Stereotactic System for neurosurgery

Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corporation announced today the launch of the CRW Precision™ Arc Stereotactic System, a multi-purpose stereotactic system used for localizing intra-cranial targets and precisely directing instruments to the target in cases such as brain biopsy, tumor resection, and Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgeries.

18 Oct 2010

Experts reach consensus about DBS treatment for Parkinson's disease

Since the late 1990s, deep brain stimulation (DBS) has proven to be a lifeline for some patients suffering from Parkinson's disease, a cruel neurological disorder that can cause lack of control over movement, poor balance and coordination, and rigidity, among other symptoms.

14 Oct 2010

Specialized bacterial filaments shown to conduct electricity

Some bacteria grow electrical hair that lets them link up in big biological circuits, according to a University of Southern California biophysicist and his collaborators.

12 Oct 2010

FDA designates NeuRx Diaphragm Pacing System as HUD device for ALS patients

Synapse Biomedical Inc. announces today that they have received the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) designation of the NeuRx Diaphragm Pacing System (DPS) as a Humanitarian Use Device (HUD) for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients with a stimulatable diaphragm who are experiencing chronic hypoventilation and has now submitted for Humanitarian Device Exemption (HDE) approval.

11 Oct 2010

Researchers reveal neural responses associated with empathy for others' pain

Witnessing a person from our own group or an outsider suffer pain causes neural responses in two very different regions of the brain. And, the specific region activated reveals whether or not we will help the person in need. Researchers at the University of Zurich studied the brain responses of soccer fans and now have neurobiological evidence for why we are most willing to help members of our own group.

8 Oct 2010

Two-day symposium marks an extraordinary decade for Brown Institute for Brain Science

Just as intense concentration allows a sharp mind to perform at its peak, a research institute that concentrates pre-eminent scientists from 11 academic departments can push back the frontiers of knowledge in a complex research area: the human brain.

8 Oct 2010

New microtechnology approach may prevent pelvic autonomic nerve injury in rectal cancer surgical procedure

Surgeons in Germany have found that using microtechnology to elec-tronically stimulate and monitor pelvic autonomic nerves may help prevent problems after a surgical procedure for rectal cancer, such as bladder, urinary and fecal incontinence, and sexual function disorders, according to a study reported at the 2010 Annual Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons.

7 Oct 2010

Diamond-coated electrodes for implantable devices

Diamonds adorning tiaras to anklets are treasures but these gemstones inside the body may prove priceless.

6 Oct 2010