Tech & industry
A novel brain scanning technology that has created ‘neural fingerprints’ could enable early diagnosis of neurodegenerative conditions such as dementia. Stephanie Price speaks to Professor Matthew Brooks, chairman of Cerca Magnetics, which has developed the technology, to find out more. A spinout from the University of Nottingham, Cerca Magnetics has developed a lightweight, wearable Cerca [...]
Artificial intelligence has been used to predict brain stimulation settings that could improve walking in people with Parkinson’s disease. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), developed personalised algorithms to estimate which deep brain stimulation (DBS) settings would be most effective for each individual. In early tests, participants showed improvements in walking performance. [...]
A new study is investigating whether a brain-controlled computer game can help stroke survivors recover movement in their arms. Participants will wear a wireless headset that records brain activity as they imagine moving their affected arm, with those signals used to control a computer game. The research, led by Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), is recruiting [...]
Regular cycling may reshape brain activity in people with Parkinson’s disease, according to a pilot study that tracked neural changes using implanted brain stimulation devices. Researchers monitored participants with Parkinson’s before and after 12 dynamic cycling sessions over four weeks, using deep brain stimulation (DBS) implants to record signals from the subthalamic nucleus – a [...]
Light therapy is being trialled in Parkinson’s patients, with early signs suggesting it may slow the deterioration of damaged brain cells in some cases. The technique involves directing light beams at nerve cells deep in the brain to stimulate mitochondria – structures that generate energy within cells – and potentially restore function. Scientists [...]
A new treatment tested in mice could help limit brain damage caused when blood flow is restored after a stroke. Researchers are investigating how acidified disodium malonate (aDSM) may reduce injury caused by the sudden return of oxygen-rich blood to brain tissue after clot removal. Fewer than one in 10 stroke patients currently leave hospital [...]
A woman paralysed for two decades has written her name using only her thoughts, thanks to a brain implant being tested in a Neuralink clinical trial. Audrey Crews, who has been paralysed since the age of 16, achieved the milestone as part of a brain-computer interface (BCI) study that translates brain activity into external actions. [...]
Scientists have identified how the spinal cord regulates bladder emptying in humans, a discovery that could lead to new treatments for urinary incontinence. Using functional ultrasound imaging (fUSI), researchers visualised spinal cord activity in real time during bladder filling and emptying – the first time this has been directly observed in humans. Urinary incontinence, which [...]
An AI screening tool has shown promise in detecting early signs of Parkinson’s disease by analysing speech patterns, potentially supporting earlier diagnosis. Scientists at the University of Rochester developed the algorithm to detect subtle speech changes linked to Parkinson’s – a progressive neurological condition that affects movement and coordination. The system was trained on voice [...]
Dutch medtech company TrianecT has raised €1.35m to bring its ambulance-based stroke detection device, StrokePointer, to market. The portable system allows paramedics to assess stroke severity on scene and direct patients to centres equipped for specialist treatment. Stroke affects one in four people over 25 and accounts for a third of global healthcare costs. [...]
