NR Times explores the latest advancements in neurotechnology.
First trial of innovative stent for Treating Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension
Serenity Medical, a NeuroTechnology Investors (NTI) portfolio company, has announced the publication of The River Study: the first multicentre trial of a novel venous sinus stent for the treatment of Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH).
The publication reports one-year results for Serenity Medical’s River stent, a novel venous sinus stent, in patients with IIH who are refractory or intolerant to medications for this difficult-to-treat condition with no cure. Most IIH patients progressively develop stenosis of the venous sinuses draining the cerebral blood from the brain.
Without intervention, this stenosis may continue to worsen through a positive feed-back loop, creating a vicious cycle that increases the intracranial pressure even further.
The River Study one-year results met the primary safety endpoint with a rate of major adverse event of 5.4 per cent. Significant improvements were observed in opening CSF pressure, headaches, papilledema, pulsatile tinnitus, visual symptoms, and Quality of Life scores.
Spinal cord stimulation restores neural function
The University of Pittsburgh reports that a new drug-free, minimally invasive intervention targets the root cause of progressive loss of neural function in spinal muscle atrophy (SMA), an inherited neuromuscular disease.
An intervention, which involves electrical stimulation of the sensory spinal nerves, can gradually reawaken functionally silent motor neurons in the spinal cord and improve leg muscle strength and walking in adults with SMA.
Early results from a pilot clinical trial in three human volunteers with SMA show that one month of regular neurostimulation sessions improved motoneuron function, reduced fatigue and improved strength and walking in all participants, regardless of the severity of their symptoms.
The study is the first to show that a neurotechnology can be engineered to reverse degeneration of neural circuits and rescue cell function in a human neurodegenerative disease.
US$5m to advance next-generation brain implants
The University of California San Diego reports that a team at the Jacobs School of Engineering has been awarded a US$5m grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop next-generation brain implants that can record brain activity with unprecedented resolution and speed across different brain regions.
The technology aims to advance neuroscience by providing clearer insights into brain function and overcome key limitations of existing brain-monitoring devices.
The project builds on the team’s previous work on a neural implant that captures real-time information about activity deep inside the brain while sitting on its surface. This thin, transparent and flexible implant, called Neuro-clear, houses a dense array of graphene electrodes, offering a powerful alternative to current neural interface technologies.
FDA approval for the world’s first Adaptive deep brain stimulation system for people with Parkinson’s
Medtronic has announced it has received FDA approval of BrainSense Adaptive deep brain stimulation (aDBS) and BrainSense Electrode Identifier (EI).
Medtronic has enhanced its Percept DBS neurostimulators with exclusive BrainSense Adaptive technology, introducing aDBS for people living with Parkinson’s. This feature personalises therapy based on a patient’s brain activity in real time, both in clinical settings and in daily life.
It provides enhanced therapy personalisation for symptom control that automatically adjusts, minimizing the need for patients to manually adjust stimulation.
BrainSense aDBS and EI are currently available in Europe, and patient programmings in the United States will begin at select healthcare systems over the coming weeks with availability nationwide in the coming months.
Advances in Mobile Optical Brain Activity Monitoring
A new editorial in Frontiers explores advances in Mobile Optical Brain Activity Monitoring.
The editorial explains that the research topic underlines the transformative potential of portable fNIRS and related optical techniques for investigating brain function in real-world and dynamic settings, and features eight contributions from leading laboratories, highlighting cutting-edge advancements in the field.
