Neurology Archives

Non-Invasively Measuring Brain Temperature

by Wouter Stomp on May 31, 2011 •
8823rgl Non Invasively Measuring Brain Temperature

MMS Radiometric Sensing Transducer

Researchers at the Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters in Norfolk, Virginia, have developed a device that can non-invasively measure brain temperature. The device is about the size of a box of matches and rests on a patient’s head, passively detecting microwave emissions produced by the brain tissue beneath the skull. The device is able to measure the temperature of brain tissue 1.5 centimeters beneath the skull. It mainly would have application in monitoring cooling therapy, and would be used to prevent brain damage during cardiac arrest, total circulatory arrest, or for monitoring intracerebral temperatures in hypoxic newborns.The device is currently being evaluated on infants with Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy, and findings from a pilot study were presented at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies.

Having contacted the researchers, we received more details about the system:

The transducer is a non-invasive, passive system that is placed on the infant’s head and measures naturally occurring radiation in the microwave spectrum. It is important to stress that this is a passive system so therefore emits no signal, making its use completely harmless. We then quite accurately correlate this emission to temperature of the brain at depth. The pilot study at EVMS focuses on infants suffering from Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE) having been deprived of oxygen and experienced trauma at birth. The use of moderate systemic hypothermia (HT) in these cases has shown to decrease death and disability, in fact improving outcomes by as much as 50%. Conventional cooling systems reference rectal temperature to control cooling and rewarming over the course of the 72 hour hypothermia therapy. Application of the MMS thermometry system in this study has shown that there are differences between rectal and brain temperature, therefore the system and knowledge of actual brain temperature it provides will allow improved control of temperature management during clinical hypothermia if integrated into practice.

“We are pleased with the tremendous initial response to this early data and are proud of the potential impact that knowledge of brain temperature in these challenging neonatal cases may have on the ability to manage hypothermia treatment. We plan to proceed with gathering additional clinical evidence as well as exploring expanded opportunities for clinical application of the thermometry system”, Jeff Carr, Chief Operating Officer of MMS.

Press release: Researchers develop device to measure brain temperature non-invasively…

Related abstracts (.pdf) presented at Pediatric Academic Society (PAS/ASPR Joint Meeting) congress in Denver, CO April 30-May 3…

in the news... / Neurology / Rehab

Spinal Neurostimulation Helps Paraplegic Man Stand, Step, and Move Legs

by Scott Jung on May 20, 2011
Spinal Neurostimulation Helps Paraplegic Man Stand, Step, and Move Legs

When we last wrote about  UCLA’s attempts at using drugs and spinal neurostimulation to restore motor movement they had succeeded in bringing back leg movement in paraplegic rats. Since then, the drug component has been removed, the study has been expanded to include researchers from the University of Louisville as well as the California Institute of Technology, and the subject has changed to 25-year old Rob Summers who became completely paralyzed below the chest in a hit-and-run car accident in 2006.

Remarkably, the researchers have succeeded in restoring considerable movement to Summers’ paralyzed legs. The results were achieved using a Medtronic stimulator through continual direct “epidural electrical stimulation” of the lower spinal cord to mimic the signals that the brain normally sends to initiate movement. Because of the neurostimulator, along with extensive rehab and training sessions, Summers can stand on his own for four minutes, voluntarily can move his toes, ankles, knees and hips on command, and make repeated stepping motions on a treadmill.

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Neurology / Rehab

Bioness NESS L300 Plus System Gets Green Light in U.S.

by Gene Ostrovsky on May 10, 2011
Bioness NESS L300 Plus System Gets Green Light in U.S.

Bioness out of Valencia, California has received U.S. FDA approval for its NESS L300 Plus System, a combination of the NESS L300 Foot Drop System with a thigh stimulation device. Intended for patients with upper motor neuron injury, post stroke, and other conditions, the system helps with knee flexion and extension, as well as ankle dorsiflexion.
From the announcement:

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Neurology

University of Cambridge Professor Explains Human Brain Network With Twitter

by Scott Jung on May 10, 2011
University of Cambridge Professor Explains Human Brain Network With Twitter

Ed Bullimore, a professor at the University of Cambridge, recently gave a talk to an audience of eager Britons about the amazing complexity of the brain. He shared how it is known that the human brain contains billions of neural cells connected to each other by trillions of synapses. However, as Professor Bullimore is studying the brain from a network point-of-view, his description of the brain shifted as he explained how he reduced his vision of the brain to mathematical equations rather than a large number of biological parts.
Bullimore explained that by viewing the brain in this manner, he discovered that the organ has much in common with computer chips and stock markets in the way they process information. Brain networks represent a balance of efficiency of information transfer and connection cost. Moreover, different patterns of network connections in the brain correspond with different types of thinking, and age and neurological disorders can rapidly affect different network “configurations”.

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Neurology

Scientists Find That Computers With Schizophrenia Think Like Humans With Schizophrenia

by Scott Jung on May 9, 2011
Scientists Find That Computers With Schizophrenia Think Like Humans With Schizophrenia

Infecting a virus on your computer is a surefire way to make it go crazy, but what happens if you afflict it with schizophrenia?
A team of researchers at the University of Texas did exactly that, attempting to investigate the mechanisms of schizophrenia in patients by modeling the illness on a computer. They found that elevated levels of dopamine, the neurotransmitter that controls the brain’s reward and pleasure center, could cause the brain to lose the normal ability to forget or ignore stimuli and become overwhelmed, unable to piece together a coherent story.

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Neurology / Rehab

Smart Glove May Help Recover from Stroke, Improve Video Gaming Skills

by Gene Ostrovsky on Apr 27, 2011
Smart Glove May Help Recover from Stroke, Improve Video Gaming Skills

Students at McGill University in Quebec, Canada have developed an electronic glove that can monitor how well patients post stroke are playing video games. Sensors throughout the glove provide detailed information about hand motion and the system can send the data to a physician or rehab specialist.
From a McGill statement:

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Neurology

USC Engineers Create Functioning Synapse Using Carbon Nanotubes

by Scott Jung on Apr 27, 2011
USC Engineers Create Functioning Synapse Using Carbon Nanotubes

Electrical engineers at the Viterbi School of Engineering at the University of Southern California have developed an electrical circuit that reproduces the function of a synapse in the brain. Even more impressive, they’ve managed to make it out of carbon nanotubes, the extremely tiny structures that are becoming all the rage in the area of small-scale electronic circuits and semiconductors. It’s a huge milestone in a long and complex project that seeks to create a fully synthetic brain. Back in 2006, Alice Walker, a professor of electrical engineering and project leader, presented the challenge to build a circuit that acts like a neuron.
While the goal has been reached, there’s still a lot of research that needs to be done in order to create something on the scale of a brain. USC Viterbi researchers are currently investigating how to reproduce brain plasticity, the phenomenon by which the brain produces new neurons and adapts throughout life. In addition, there’s also the issue of fabricating and creating large networks of the synthetic synapses. Smaller networks of the synthetic neurons, though, could be useful in creating powerful and more intelligent brain prostheses.

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in the news... / Neurology / Oncology

Temporarily Opening Up the Blood-Brain Barrier Using Ultrasound Waves

by Wouter Stomp on Apr 27, 2011
Temporarily Opening Up the Blood-Brain Barrier Using Ultrasound Waves

The blood-brain barrier is a major hurdle for drugs targeted at areas within the brain. We previously reported on the use of focused ultrasound waves to penetrate the barrier almost five years ago, but since then some major advancements have been made. MIT Technology Review is reporting that a startup company called Perfusion Technology is now developing a technique that uses a slightly different approach, bathing the brain in ultrasound waves rather than creating focal defects. They use a specially designed headset to expose the entire brain to low-intensity ultrasound waves for an hour-long treatment session. After that chemotherapy or other large molecular drugs can be administered, allowing them to freely pass the blood-brain barrier. The effect has been shown to be temporary, with the blood-brain barrier returning to a functional state within a few hours. The image shows a section of a monkey’s brain after treatment with the device, and a brown chemical marker that has passed into large parts of the brain. The company’s method is simpler and cheaper than focused ultrasound techniques and obviates the need for injections with microbubbles. A possible disadvantage is the risk of bleeding, which became apparent with a similar device used in a study on stroke patients several years ago. The treatment is being developed for patients with brain tumors and the company hopes to complete preclinical animal studies in the next year to prepare for initial trials in humans.
Source: MIT Technology Review: Opening Up the Brain with Ultrasound…

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Neurology / Rehab

Tibion Bionic Leg for Active Robotic Stroke Rehabilitation

by Gene Ostrovsky on Apr 25, 2011
Tibion Bionic Leg for Active Robotic Stroke Rehabilitation

A couple years ago we wrote about a powered knee orthosis from Tibion Bionic Technologies developed for people with muscle problems, arthritis, and those post surgery to regain missing strength. A potential use of the Tibion bionic leg that was considered in the past was to help those suffering from the residual effects of a stroke to regain walking skills. Two years since, the company has reinvented its strategy, redesigned the device, and discovered that stroke patients can benefit greatly from the therapeutic advantages of the system.
The device is now indicated in the US for use by rehabilitation centers as a training aid in helping recover a proper walking gait. Software that controls the knee has been rewritten specifically to work for stroke rehab. The company says that its system is currently undergoing a 24 patient trial at New York Presbyterian hospital.

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