Smarter rehab

ABILITY Neurotech has announced it has received Investigational Medical Device Dossier (IMDD) approval from the Medical Research Ethics Committee (MREC) NedMec in the Netherlands to initiate the first chronic implantation study of the company’s fully implantable wireless optical-link ECoG BCI in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). ABILITY is a clinical-stage brain-computer interface (BCI) company [...]

VR could help brain and spinal patients practise rehabilitation earlier and more often after serious injury or surgery, research suggests. An early-stage study looked at whether virtual reality technology could support patients recovering on busy hospital wards, where therapy time is often limited. Researchers wanted to see whether the approach could give patients [...]

An AI partnership aims to find blood-based RNA patterns that could support earlier MS diagnosis and track disease progression. Decode Health and Circular Genomics will work together to analyse circular RNA, stable genetic molecules that may signal disease activity. The companies hope the approach could help doctors diagnose multiple sclerosis earlier and monitor how the [...]

A brain-controlled exoskeleton tested in an early study may one day help people with spinal cord injury walk again. The system used brain signals to control a robotic walking exoskeleton and sent artificial leg sensations back through direct electrical stimulation, creating a two-way link. Researchers said this type of setup may help address key limits [...]

3D brain sensors tailored to each person could improve monitoring and treatment of neurodegenerative disease, researchers say. Traditional brain sensors, known as bioelectrodes, are tiny devices that track signals in the brain. They are usually made from stiff materials in a one-size-fits-all design that struggles to match the brain’s complex structure. Researchers have developed a [...]

An AI tool used to assess stroke scans was linked to better stroke care and improved long-term outcomes in a large trial. The system used AI-assisted imaging analysis to classify the causes of a stroke alongside evidence-based treatment recommendations, and was tested against usual care in routine clinical practice. The trial involved 21,603 patients with [...]

A brain implant detected walking in people with Parkinson's at home with more than 95 per cent accuracy, a study has found. Researchers said the findings could help pave the way for more personalised and responsive therapies for Parkinson's, which is caused by the loss of nerve cells that produce dopamine, a chemical involved in [...]

Wearable devices may help identify multiple sclerosis patients at greater risk of worsening disability and loss of brain volume, a study suggests. Researchers found people whose activity patterns changed were more likely to have worsening disability and loss of brain volume than those whose patterns changed less or not at all. The study shows an [...]

As more people seek mental health advice from AI chatbots, new research suggests the systems are not yet ready and can fall short of professional psychotherapy ethics standards. Researchers from Brown University, working with mental health professionals, found repeated problematic behaviour even when the chatbots were prompted to use established psychotherapy approaches. In tests, chatbots [...]

By Tuned Global Music in the medicine and research space has proved to have significant therapeutic benefits, treating conditions including dementia, Parkinson’s disease, PTSD and ADHD. Now, with the evolution of music technology and AI, the potential to heal the mind through music has become even more powerful. At a recent industry event, three experts [...]