DEEP TECH HEALTH + NEUROTECH
For the first time, there is an autonomous sensing and stimulating unit sitting in a specific brain region and ensuring that neuronal activity in that region is controlled. The closed-loop system is called NeuralTree and was developed by Mahsa Shoaran and EPFL colleagues, to overcome the lack of control caused by epileptic activity or tremor, […]
Danilo Mandic and Imperial College colleagues have developed a novel in-ear PPG device for continuous blood glucose level measurement, using the infrared wavelength of a pulse oximeter. In a recent proof of concept study, non-diabetic, pre-diabetic, type I diabetic, and type II diabetic states were considered. Recordings spanned 9 days, in both fasting and post carbohydrate consumption […]
Yu Takagi, Shinji Nishimoto and Osaka University colleagues have published a study which demonstrates that AI can read brain scans and re-create largely realistic versions of images a person has seen. Future applications could include enabling communication of people with paralysis, recording dreams, and understanding animal perception, among others. Additional training was used on the existing text-to-image generative […]
University of Washington’s Valerie Daggett, Dylan Shea, and colleagues, have developed a lab test that can measure levels of amyloid beta oligomers in blood samples. Known as SOBA, the test detected, in a study of 310 subjects, oligomers in the blood of Alzheimer’s patients, but not in most of the control group, which had no […]
UCSD professor Sheng Xu has developed a wearable ultrasound device that can continuously monitor and assess the structure and function of the human heart for 24 hours, during normal daily activity. This could eliminate the need for highly trained technicians and bulky devices. Signs of cardiac diseases are transient and unpredictable, and imaging can detect […]
David Baker, Fiorenzo Omenetto, and University of Washington and Tufts colleagues have developed a garment-printed biopolymer sensor which detects bacteria, toxins, and dangerous chemicals. To work, a chemical activator must be sprayed after potential exposure. If the target is present, the sensor generates light. The intensity of emitted light provides a quantitative measure of the […]
Google’s deep learning technology detected tuberculosis with similar accuracy to radiologists in a Radiology study. 165,174 chest radiographs from 22,284 patients in four countries were scanned. In detecting active tuberculosis, its sensitivity was higher (88 percent versus 75 percent) and its specificity was noninferior (79 percent versus 84 percent) compared to nine radiologists. Costs were […]
Aviv Mezer and Hebrew University colleagues used quantitative MRI to identify cellular changes in Parkinson’s disease. Their method enabled them to look at microstructures in the striatum, which is known to deteriorate during disease progression. Using a novel algorithm developed by Elior Drori, biological changes in the striatum were revealed, and associated with early stage […]
In a recent study, Boston University professor Robert Reinhart used tACS to stimulate brain activity in 150 people aged 65-88, resulting in memory improvements for one month. Stimulating the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex improved long-term memory, while stimulating the inferior parietal lobe, with low-frequency electrical currents, boosted working memory. Participants were asked to recall 20 words […]
MIT’s Dina Katabi has developed a non-contact, neural network-based system to detect Parkinson’s disease while a person is sleeping. By assessing nocturnal breathing patterns, the series of algorithms detects, and tracks the progression of, the disease — every night, at home. A device in the bedroom emits radio signals, analyzes their reflections off the surrounding […]