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Nerve-stimulation device proves effective against epilepsy

Epilepsy is a common medical condition characterized by convulsions and short periods of confusion.

20 Mar 2009

New class of smart prosthetic implants may help prevent blindness

Blindness in millions of people with diseases that starve eye tissue and nerves of oxygen might be averted with a procedure being developed by researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the University of Southern California and the University of Tennessee.

20 Mar 2009

A nanotech coating for brain implants

Biomedical and materials engineers at the University of Michigan have developed a nanotech coating for brain implants that helps the devices operate longer and could improve treatment for deafness, paralysis, blindness, epilepsy and Parkinson's disease.

11 Mar 2009

Believers and non-believers have distinct brain differences

Believing in God can help block anxiety and minimize stress, according to new University of Toronto research that shows distinct brain differences between believers and non-believers.

4 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

Scientists develop mobile sleep lab for home use

Poor sleep can be attributed to many causes, including shift work, stress, snoring or even sleep apnea - a disorder in which the sleeper temporarily stops breathing.

22 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

True or false? How our brain processes negative statements

Every day we are confronted with positive and negative statements.

15 Feb 2009

That gut feeling may actually reflect a reliable memory

You know the feeling. You make a decision you're certain is merely a "lucky guess."

8 Feb 2009

Radiofrequency treatment better than ethanol injection for small liver tumors

A new review of four randomized controlled trials that directly compared two different treatments for small inoperable liver tumors has found that radiofrequency ablation (RFA) significantly improves patient survival compared to the standard therapy of percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI).

3 Feb 2009

Discovery of brain's memory 'buffer' in single cells

Individual nerve cells in the front part of the brain can hold traces of memories on their own for as long as a minute and possibly longer, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

27 Jan 2009

Musical babies - just days after they're born

Scientists have discovered that newborn babies are able to pick up a beat days after birth.

27 Jan 2009

ZOLL cleared to market new defibrillators

ZOLL Medical Corporation has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market and sell the new ZOLL R Series BLS and R Series Plus defibrillators.

23 Jan 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

Biologically tagged nanowires integrated onto circuit chips

A handheld, ultra-portable device that can recognize and immediately report on a wide variety of environmental or medical compounds may eventually be possible, using a method that incorporates a mixture of biologically tagged nanowires onto integrated circuit chips, according to Penn State researchers.

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

Implantable cardioverter defibrillators improve survival in older heart patients

Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) can improve survival in patients with heart damage - even those in their 70s - according to research reported in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

6 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

Physicians perform rare surgery to restore hearing to a deaf patient

Marisela Leon, 44, has neurofibromatosis type 2 -- a rare genetic condition that causes tumors to grow on nerves in the brain or spinal cord, but most commonly on the auditory nerve. Leon lost her hearing more than four years ago when surgery to remove a tumor damaged her auditory nerve.

22 Dec 2008