Category: Brain
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Military shockwave sensor used for sports concussion detection
Early detection of concussion can enable more rapid treatment and better outcomes. The Linx IAS sensor detects head impact severity during sports training. It was built upon military technology that measures the impact of explosion shockwaves on the brain. The sensor is part of fabric headband. Concussive forces are transmitted to an app that rates each blow…
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Glass app helps autistic kids understand expressions, emotions
Dennis Wall, Catalin Voss, and Nick Haber of Stanford’s Wall Lab are developing Google Glass software to help autistic children recognize and understand facial expressions and emotions. Head motion tracking sensors, a microphone, and an eye tracking infrared camera analyze a wearer’s behavior during social interactions. Real time social cues are provided, and responses, including eye contact details,…
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Study: Cancer drug improves Parkinson’s cognitive, motor functions
A small, early stage trial (with no control group) at Georgetown has found that a small dose of the leukemia drug nilotinib (brand name “Tasigna” by Novartis) produced “meaningful clinical improvements” in 10 out of 11 patients. The potential impact is significant, and the researchers believe that expanded studies will validate the promising results. During the trial, participant…
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Sensors allow more natural sense of touch in prosthetics
Stanford’s Zhenan Bao is developing technology that could restore a more natural sense of touch in prosthetics. Her flexible, thin plastic sensors send signals to the brain that more closely resemble nerve messages of human skin touch sensors. The disruptive technology has not yet been tested on humans, and researchers still need to find a safe way to…
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Bipolar mood detection via smartphone
In July, ApplySci described a Northwestern developed phone app that monitors behavior patterns to detect depression. Now, Venet Osmani at CREATE-NET has announced a similar phone based concept with a focus on bipolar disorder. A small study has shown that mood changes can be accurately spotted as they occur, facilitating earlier treatment and better…
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Implant captures neural signals, leaves surrounding tissue intact
Lund professor Jens Schouenborg has developed implantable multichannel electrodes that can capture signals from single neurons over a long period — without causing brain tissue damage. While not yet tested on humans, Schouenborg believes that the discovery will make it possible to understand brain function in both healthy and diseased individuals. Potential applications include Parkinson’s and chronic…
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DARPA peripheral nerve modulation project launches
In September, 2014, ApplySci described DARPA’s proposed ElectRX (Electrical Prescriptions) project. The agency has now selected 7 research teams to begin work on the program, which is lead by Douglas Weber. The goal is to develop a closed-loop system to treat disease by modulating the activity of peripheral nerves. The teams will work to develop a…
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Cheap, accessible mini-brain for biomedical research
Brown University‘s Diane Hoffman-Kim, Yu-Ting Dingle and Molly Boutin have developed a cheap method for developing a 3D mini brain for biomedical research. The central nervous system tissue sphere can produce electrical signals and form synapses. Applications include drug testing, neural tissue transplant testing, and stem cell experiments. The mini-brains are not the first or most sophisticated working cell…
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Brain-to-brain link allows one person to read another’s thoughts
University of Washington researchers used a direct brain-to-brain connection to enable pairs of participants to play a question-and-answer game by transmitting signals from one brain to the other over the Internet. The experiment is thought to be the first to show that two brains can be directly linked to allow one person to guess what’s on another person’s mind.…
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Virtual coaching for TBI patients
The Office of Naval Research is developing MOVER (Mobile, Virtual Enhancements for Rehabilitation) to help TBI patients maintain therapy regimens. Confusion, forgetfulness or depression can prevent injured veterans from completing necessary exercises for rehabilitation. Featured movements include including lunges, knee raises and squats, which are standard for TBI therapy. When a user turns on a…
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Sonogenetics: Neuron stimulation via ultrasound
Salk‘s Sreekanth Chalasani‘s “sonogenetics” technique uses ultrasound to stimulate individual brain cells. A nature paper describes the technology as tested on worms. The goal is noninvasive stimulation of specific cell types or individual neurons in humans, with out using implanted electrodes or fiber-optic cables. Current optogenetics therapies rely on inserting light-sensitive channel proteins into neurons. When hit…
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Sport performance game app to train the brain
Games are increasingly recognized as a method of enhancing cognitive abilities. HeadTrainer is meant to improve the brain with 5-10 minutes of daily gameplay. The sports games were designed to exercise 5 cognitive skills: decision making, processing speed, focus, memory, and visual/spatial awareness. Developer Deborah Attix of Duke University focused on testing and training the brain with…