News • Mental disorders
Imaging method maps alterations in brain
Scientists have developed a neutron-based method to study brain slices and gain a better understanding of neurological diseases.
Neurology
News • Large study
Blood test for Alzheimer’s highly accurate
When combined with genetic risk factors, the test was up to 93 percent accurate at identifying people at risk of Alzheimer's dementia.
News • Accelerator installation
Radiosurgery: Andalusian centre to use robotic, AI-guided Cyberknife
GenesisCare announced the establishment of the Accuray CyberKnife S7 robotic accelerator that delivers radiosurgery treatment guided by AI and synchronized with real-time imaging.
News • MS biomarker
Blood marker gives new insights into multiple sclerosis
Nerve damage in multiple sclerosis can be detected via the concentration of neurofilament light chain in the blood. This could offer valuable information on future disease course and therapy effectiveness.
News • Neuropeptide research
Fluorescent biosensor to shed light on narcolepsy
Researchers in Zurich have developed a fluorescent orexin biosensor to observe on of the brain's signaling molecules "live" to gain insights into constant daytime sleepiness (narcolepsy).
News • Pediatric patient
High-intensity focused ultrasound used for brain surgery
Children's National Hospital successfully performed the first-ever high-intensity focused ultrasound surgery on a pediatric patient with neurofibromatosis. This is the youngest patient to undergo HIFU treatment in the world.
News • Phantom sounds
Objective marker for tinnitus found in the brain
There has to date been no reliable objective method of diagnosing tinnitus. Now, Swedisch researchers may have found a way to measure changes in the brain associated with constant tinnitus.
News • Interventional neurology
Key criteria for the success of robotic surgery
A literature review fleshes out key issues currently preventing the proliferation of robotic procedures, specifically their use in image-guided interventional procedures in the brain.
News • Brain study
Diagnosing neurological diseases before symptoms occur
Cleveland Clinic has launched a landmark study to better understand why millions of people around the world suffer from brain diseases, with the goal of pinpointing disease biomarkers early, well before clinical symptoms present themselves.
News • Without causing neurological damage
Injections of zika virus destroys brain tumors
In both the mice and organoids, cytokines suppressed tumor growth after treatment, and defense cells migrated to the brain region affected by the tumor, alerting the immune system to its existence.
Article • Smart textiles
Haptic technology will change healthcare
At Medica 2021, Elitac Wearables exhibited its latest innovations in wearables, which feature haptic feedback and integrated sensors. We spoke with Merijn Klarenbeek, the company’s CEO, about the medical applications of wearable electronics and sensors.
News • Sex differences
Cardiovascular risks may be worse for women’s cognition
New study results show that though men are more likely to have heart conditions, the impact on their memory and thinking skills is lower.
News • Gravity
How living in outer space effects the eyesight
Researchers have studied the Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome (SANS). For that they compared brain scans before and after spaceflight.
Sponsored • Fully synchronised group measuring
Bittium – NeurOne
‘Bittium NeurOne is one of the quickest and most accurate EEG measuring devices in the world designed for clinical and research use,’ the manufacturer reports. ‘Bittium NeurOne system enables fully synchronised group measuring of up to 30 people simultaneously, for example in different types of psychological studies. ‘The solution is optimised for use with transcranial magnetic…
Sponsored • Smart textiles
Elitac Wearables – NeuroShirt
The NeuroShirt, developed from Elitac Wearables in collaboration with the University Medical Centre Utrecht (NL), is a patent-pending smart shirt that helps guide neurosurgeons during complicated skull-base surgeries. It connects to the neuronavigation system and continuously indicates both the distance and direction of critical structures through haptic feedback (vibrations). ‘This way,’ the…
News • Neurodegeneration
Scientists identify the cause of Alzheimer’s progression in the brain
For the first time, researchers have used human data to quantify the speed of different processes that lead to Alzheimer’s disease and found that it develops in a very different way than previously thought. Their results could have important implications for the development of potential treatments.
Article • Neuro- and spine surgery
Perfection in the networked OR: robot, neuro-navigation and VR headsets
At their workplace, neurosurgeons often have to make compromises since most ORs were not designed with the specific needs of their discipline in mind. To address this issue the University Hospital in Essen, Germany, equipped an OR especially for neuro- and spine surgery. The aim is nothing less than revolutionizing the field with the help of digitalisation and cutting-edge technology.
News • Neurology
The 'thermostat' that prevents our brain from overheating
The mechanisms by which the body measures temperature and regulates its own body heat are vital, but still poorly understood. The discovery of the first heat sensor on nerve cells in the skin, for which the U.S. molecular biologist David Julius received this year's Nobel Prize for Medicine, was therefore pioneering. However, a very similar heat sensor, the protein TRPM2, is active not only in the…
News • Neurology research
Stroke: Women remain underrepresented in clinical trials
A new study shows that women are underrepresented in stroke clinical trials relative to the number who have strokes in the general population. The research is published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. “Making sure there are enough women in clinical studies to accurately reflect the proportion of women who have strokes may have implications for future…
News • 3D microelectrodes
Promising approach for pain relief without side effects
Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have developed a completely new stimulation method, using ultra-thin microelectrodes, to combat severe pain. This provides effective and personalised pain relief without the common side effects from pain relief drugs. The study, which was conducted on rats, has been published in the research journal Science Advances.
News • Advanced neuro-imaging
High-definition MRI reveals previously hidden territory of the human brain
Neuroscientists at Technische Universität Dresden discovered a novel, non-invasive imaging-based method to investigate the visual sensory thalamus, an important structure of the human brain and point of origin of visual difficulties in diseases such as dyslexia and glaucoma. The new method could provide an in-depth understanding of visual sensory processing in both health and disease in the near…
News • Virtual insights
World's first augmented reality neuromodulation spinal surgery
The first augmented reality (AR) spinal surgery in the world has taken place at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH). Surgeons at NNUH utilised the latest video technology and augmented reality (AR) googles with the assistance of a neurosurgical colleague in Wales providing extra support with a complex spinal cord stimulation procedure. The NNUH is one of the biggest neuromodulation…
News • For discoveries of receptors for temperature and touch
Nobel Prize in Medicine goes to David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2021 was awarded jointly to two scientists who made important discoveries regarding our receptors for temperature and touch. Our ability to sense heat, cold and touch is essential for survival and underpins our interaction with the world around us. In our daily lives we take these sensations for granted, but how are nerve impulses initiated so that…
News • Bioengineering
Lab-grown muscle offers insights for neuromuscular diseases
In the fight against diseases like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), biomedical engineering researchers at the University of Southern California have created a powerful lab model to better see how our muscles and neurons connect.
News • Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
New predictive biomarkers for ALS identified
Some blood lipid biomarkers linked to cardiovascular disease risk are also associated with a lower risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) suggest the findings of a large epidemiology study. ALS is the commonest form of motor neuron disease - a progressive nervous system disease that destroys nerve cells responsible for voluntary movement such as walking and talking.