Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has historically been investigated as a treatment for mental diseases such as depression and rehab therapy for victims of brain injuries and impairments. Recently, though, researchers have been studying whether a little bolt of electricity to the brain can actually aid in learning. The latest study, a joint effort between the University of New Mexico and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), involves playing a military shooter game, designed to teach soldiers to react properly in stressful conditions by successfully gunning down enemies instead of allies.
Using a simple system consisting of electrodes, wires, wet sponges, and electricity delivered by standard 9-volt batteries, test subjects received either two milliamps or one-tenth milliamp jolts to the scalp. Subjects who received the two milliamp current were shown to increase performance twice as much as the subjects who received one-tenth of a milliamp.
While the results are shocking (pardon the pun), tDCS is not without its concerns. Researchers are still not completely sure about the science of tDCS, and whether or not even small amounts of current can have detrimental effects. Moreover, if tDCS does indeed prove to be safe and effective, it could raise ethical concerns, as “electrodoping” could give students an unfair advantage on exams. Discussions are apparently already circulating around the internet for creating homemade, but potentially dangerous tDCS devices.
Until then, gamers and students alike should stick to a safe and time-tested method of gaining success: practice!
Article in Nature: Neuroscience: Brain buzz…
Abstract: TDCS guided using fMRI significantly accelerates learning to identify concealed objects…
Previously on Medgadget: Australian Researchers Create “Thinking Cap”, Scheme to Breed Army of Nobel Laureates and Mad Scientists…
Neurology Archives
DARPA Study Uses Video Game to Research tDCS, Finds More Amps Mean More Frags
SMARTPATCH May Soon Reduce Post Stroke Shoulder Pain
MedCity News is reporting that SPR Therapeutics of Cleveland, Ohio is close to receiving FDA regulatory approval for its SMARTPATCH Peripheral Nerve Stimulation System aimed at treating shoulder pain in patients post stroke. The device utilizes percutaneous leads to stimulate muscle activity and in turn reduce pain.
From MedCity News:
mPower 1000: Where Stroke Rehab Meets Robotics, Android and Gaming
How do you enhance brain plasticity in patients recovering from stroke, so to improve their motor functions? This is the question that Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Myomo, Inc., the maker of an upcoming mPower 1000 neuro-robotic arm brace, is trying to answer. By utilizing some of today’s technologies, the company is embracing new solutions to make stroke rehabilitation more intuitive, and hopefully more efficacious. Not only does the new device pack some of the newest robotics, according to the latest company announcement, in order to improve motor functions in upper extremities, Myomo will be offering "the Myomo Mobility System, a comprehensive program that helps neurologically impaired people move their arms again, maintain their movement and return to routine daily activities… The system integrates Myomo’s PERL Technique, an evidence-based therapy program; an Android-based Connected Health Platform for tracking progress; and Games For Health for augmented therapy at home. Myomo’s neuro-robotic technology has been clinically proven effective in stroke patients from two days to 21 years post-stroke and is used in both clinical and home settings."
The gaming part of the rehabilitative regiment is based on a program developed by the University of Ulster in the UK, known as myGames, a scientifically engineered virtual environment that gives a patient "a series of realistic scenarios in which the virtual objects respond to the movement of the patient."
Neuros Medical’s Electrical Nerve Block Showing Significant Amputation Pain Reduction in Early Study
Neuros Medical of Cleveland, Ohio has developed patented Electrical Nerve Block technology for modulating peripheral nerves. The technology, which consists of a pacemaker-like device and leads stretching to the target nerve, was tested in a study involving five people with chronic amputation pain. Four of the participants reported significant, and some even complete, reduction of their pain.
From the announcement:
Jan Medical’s Sonar-based Brain Imaging System Might Rapidly Diagnose Ischemic Strokes
Currently, when patients display the symptoms of an ischemic stroke, they have to go to a hospital for brain imaging before a proper diagnosis can be made. Jan Medical, Inc. claims that its new portable brain imaging system, based on a very interesting technology, will solve this problem by allowing doctors to quickly diagnose strokes in patients in the office or in those who are en route in an ambulance. What’s more is that the system can potentially be used for monitoring cerebral vasospasm in patients who suffered an intracranial bleed.
The company also hopes that the system’s portability will allow for continuous monitoring of stroke patients so doctors can follow their recovery once they leave the hospital. The Mountain View, CA based company plans to present clinical trial data validating its system’s efficacy in detecting strokes later this week at the annual scientific meeting of the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR).
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Compose Beautiful Music With Just Your Thoughts
The world’s next great musical work of art may come from someone who can’t strum a guitar, let alone move altogether, thanks to composer Eduardo Miranda from the Interdisciplinary Centre for Computer Music Research (ICCMR) at the University of Plymouth. An instrument he invented allows paralyzed people to play music using only their thoughts.
The device consists of a specially developed EEG system. Users are trained to focus on a repeated stimulus, pushing a button, for example, which allows the system and the user to associate particular brain signals with specific tasks. The device detects the unique pattern in the EEG associated with the particular stimulus, and can trigger a musical note or melody when the pattern is detected. The user can even change the intensity, like pushing the button harder, by varying the intensity of attention.
NeuroFocus’ Wireless EEG Helmet Lets Advertisers See Into Your Mind
Berkeley, CA based NeuroFocus, Inc. has just announced its Mynd headset, which the company claims is the first device to wirelessly capture full-brain EEG readings. In addition to eliminating the need for gel electrodes, the Mynd headset can wirelessly transmit data via Bluetooth. While the headset was developed for use in marketing research, its technology might also be adapted for clinical use through a partnership with the European Tools for Brain-Computer Interaction consortium (TOBI).
Developed over the last three years, Mynd™ combines medical-grade technology with mobility, leapfrogging current neurological testing methods. For the first time, market researchers will be able to capture the highest quality data on consumers’ deep subconscious responses in real time wirelessly, revolutionizing mobile in-store market research and media consumption at home. NeuroFocus has also commenced building the world’s first full-brain home panels in addition to its labs. The European Tools for Brain-Computer Interaction consortium (TOBI) will utilize Mynd as their core platform to develop practical, medical-grade technology that will improve the quality of life for people with neurological disabilities.
NovoTTF System for Slowing Progression of GBM May Soon Be Available in U.S.
Novocure, a subsidiary of Jersey Isle based Standen Ltd., just received a non-binding recommendation from an FDA panel regarding its NovoTTF system for glioblastoma multiforme. The panel’s position will weigh heavily on FDA’s final decision on whether to clear the device that delivers electric currents in an attempt to disrupt tumor cells prior to division.
From the press release:
Photomodulation, Nitric Oxide, and Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease remains difficult to diagnose quantitatively and even more difficult to treat – today’s best treatments barely slow down the progression of symptoms. Clarimedix, a company out of Boulder, Colorado has taken an alternative approach to the traditional “plaques and tangles” theory and is focusing on the effect of light as a biomodulator and the idea that this cognitive syndrome may be the result of problems with perfusion to the brain.
The idea is that a light, emitted from a patch placed on the skin over the carotid artery, helps to modulate the release of nitric oxide, which is capable of increasing blood flow, reducing inflammation and triggering gene expression changes in the brain. This type of treatment would have many advantages over typical pharmacotherapy, especially the non-invasive, locally-delivered nature of the device. The company is hyping a breakthrough pre-clinical study that it will be releasing soon, but until then it remains on the list of ideas that seem like it could work – we eagerly await some hard numbers to validate this idea.
