ApplySci – Deep Tech Health + Neurotech

Category: Brain

  • Micromovement study for diagnosing autism severity

    http://news.medicine.iu.edu/releases/2013/12/jose-neuroscience.shtml Indiana University professor Jorge V. José and Rutgers professor Elizabeth Torres are building on findings involving the random nature of movements of people with autism.  Earlier research looked at the speed maximum and randomness of movement during a computer exercise that involved tracking the motions of youths with autism when touching an image on…

  • Thought controlled device helps stroke patients move limbs

    https://www.radiology.wisc.edu/research/currentProjects_details.php?id=368 http://www.sacbee.com/2013/12/01/5961969/novel-rehabilitation-device-improves.html Professor Vivek Prabhakaran at the University of Wisconsin is developing a device that combines a brain-computer interface with electrical stimulation of damaged muscles to help stroke patients relearn how to move limbs.  Eight patients who had lost movement in one hand have been through six weeks of therapy with the device. They reported improvements in…

  • Emotion detection via expression reading algorithms

    http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/01/technology/when-algorithms-grow-accustomed-to-your-face.html The emotion reading market, based on facial recognition aglorithms, is developing rapidly. Companies in this field include Affectiva and Emotient. Affectiva used webcams over two and a half years to accumulate and classify about 1.5 billion emotional reactions from people as they watched streaming video.  These recordings served as a database to create the company’s face-reading software,…

  • Glowing worm imaging system to study neural circuitry; can impact drug development

    http://www.pnas.org/content/110/45/E4266 Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Rockefeller University researcher in have developed a system to image brain activity in multiple awake and unconstrained worms. The technology makes it possible to study the genetics and neural circuitry associated with animal behavior.  It can also be used as a high-throughput screening tool for drug development targeting autism, anxiety,…

  • Signal enhances survival of new brain cells – can impact treatment of Alzheimers, Schizophrenia

    http://www.nature.com/neuro/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nn.3572.html Last year Johns Hopkins researchers reported that brain cells known as parvalbumin-expressing interneurons instruct nearby stem cells not to divide by releasing a chemical signal called GABA. In a new study, Professors Hongiun Song and Guo-li Ming wanted to find out how GABA from surrounding neurons affects the newborn neurons that stem cells produce. Many…

  • Smart foam measures football helmet impact

    http://news.byu.edu/archive13-nov-helmetsmartfoam.aspx Brigham Young University researchers have developed a “smart foam” helmet lining for immediate, real-time measurements of each hit that a football player endures. The measurements are communicated immediately to a hand-held device, telling coaches if a collision is capable of inducing a concussion, even if the player denies a problem. “ExoNanoFoam” is a  nano-enabled…

  • Monkeys in Nicolelis lab control both arms using brain activity

    http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/5/210/210ra154.short?rss=1 Duke’s Miguel Nicolelis continues to advance brain machine interface, and in his latest experiment, monkeys have learned to control the movement of both arms on an avatar using their brain activity. The findings  advance efforts to develop bilateral movement in brain-controlled prosthetic devices for severely paralyzed patients.  Until now brain-machine interfaces could only control…

  • IBM unveils prototype of “brain-inspired” computer

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24571219 The human brain is 10,000 times more dense and efficient than any computer today. IBM is using the brain as a design template, including using fluids to cool the machine and distribute electrical power. This could enable processing power that is densely packed into 3D volumes rather than spread out across flat 2D circuit boards…

  • Brain stimulation and touch sensitivity in prosthetic limbs

    http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2013/10/08/1221113110.abstract?sid=35f0c072-fa67-4ec8-9e83-17a292a83982 University of Chicago scientists have completed a study on stimulating a prosthetic limb wearer’s brain with electrical signals to replicate feelings of touch. The researchers used monkeys with electrodes connected to touch-associated areas of the brain. They completed touch exercises with their normal hand and an unstimulated brain. The same exercises were conducted with a prosthetic…

  • EEG discovered biomarker differentiates ADHD types, suggesting tailored treatments

    http://www.biologicalpsychiatryjournal.com/article/S0006-3223(13)00776-2/abstract University of Amsterdam Professor Ali Mazaheri and UC Davis researchers used EEG to discover a potential subtype differentiating biomarker in ADHD. The study was conducted in 57 children between 12 and 17 years, 23 without ADHD and 17 participants in each of the inattentive- and combined-type groups. The collaborative study was conducted between 2009 and…

  • Brain inspired computing trend continues as Qualcomm develops “neuro-inspired” chips

    http://www.qualcomm.com/media/blog/2013/10/10/introducing-qualcomm-zeroth-processors-brain-inspired-computing Similar to IBM’s “Brain on a Chip” and Intel’s “Neuromorphic Chip” initiatives, Qualcomm is developing “neuro-inspired” chips for robots, vision systems, brain implants and smartphones to more efficiently sense and process information. Qualcomm would like its Zeroth processor to mimic human-like perception and have the ability to learn as biological brains do.  They claim to replicate…

  • Brain imaging method improves resolution in PAG studies

    http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2013/09/25/1306095110.abstract The “mid­brain peri­aque­ductal gray region,” or PAG, is extra­or­di­narily dif­fi­cult to inves­ti­gate in humans because of its size and intri­cate struc­ture.  Northeastern University researcher Ajay Satpute is uses state-​​of-​​the art imaging to cap­ture this com­plex neural activity. His technique increases the spatial resoluion of fMRI.  As fMRI lacks temporal resolution, there is much room for improvement. Satpute’s goal…