Elemind Technologies Inc. may not (yet) be telepathic, but the new company certainly read the mood of investors well as it secured $12 million in seed funding before emerging from stealth this week. While the product has yet to be fully revealed, the company is developing a wearable neurotechnology platform that uses artificial intelligence to read and guide brainwaves using tailored sound stimulation.
Neuroimmune modulation using vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) reduced Crohn’s disease symptoms and improved patient quality of life, a study published in the Journal of Crohn’s and Colitis found. The research by Setpoint Medical Corp. could provide a better option for patients with the autoimmune disorder than biologics, which often fail to work over time and can cause significant adverse effects.
Over the last six years, more than 20,000 patients have been implanted with the Sprint PNS system to manage acute or chronic pain, SPR Therapeutics Inc. reported. The 20,000th patient was treated for low back and leg pain with the Sprint Extensa XT system, which like the company’s other systems is implanted for 60 days in a minimally invasive surgery. The system uses percutaneous peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) to recondition the central nervous system to provide long-term, significant relief from pain.
Swiss researchers have developed a battery powered device that directly activates gene expression in cell implants and as a proof of concept shown it is possible to stimulate insulin release and normalize blood sugar levels in a mouse model of type I diabetes.
The growing number of drugs gaining U.S. FDA approval for Alzheimer’s disease has kept their ability to reduce amyloid beta and tau proteins in the news, but the degenerative disease is not simply a matter of tangles and deposits. A loss of synaptic plasticity and disrupted neural networks underlie the signature impairment of memory and cognition – and those, researchers showed in a recent study in Brain, can be strengthened by non-invasive stimulation that addresses the brain’s electrical dysfunction.
A study conducted by Cognito Therapeutics Inc. demonstrated significant changes in white matter volume and myelination in patients with Alzheimer’s disease after six months of at-home, non-invasive gamma stimulation therapy in a presentation at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2023.
Cala Health Inc. expanded availability of its next-generation bioelectronic Kiq device for relief of action tremors to include individuals with Parkinson’s disease as well as essential tremor. The broad commercial launch of the FDA-cleared wrist-worn device will enable more patients to use the transcutaneous afferent patterned stimulation (TAPS) therapy, which studies show reduces tremors and improves performance of activities of daily living.
Abbott Laboratories received U.S. FDA approval for an expanded indication for its spinal cord stimulator (SCS) devices to include treatment of chronic back pain for individuals who have not had or are ineligible for back surgery. The FDA based its decision on the positive results from the DISTINCT study which showed that 85.2% of patients implanted with the SCS devices achieved significant reduction in back pain compared to 7.1% of those who received conservative medical management.
The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, the research arm of Northwell Health, landed a $3.4 million grant from the Wellcome Trust to evaluate the use of transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for schizophrenia. Feinstein will undertake a five-year, double-blind, randomized trial to see whether rTMS improves cognitive or other symptoms of schizophrenia. The technology currently has FDA approval for use in individuals with depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Researchers at the Neurorestore research center created a device that allows paralyzed patients with no sensation in their legs to walk again, providing hope for others with complete spinal injury. More remarkably, the team discovered the specific neurons that take over the signaling function between the brain and muscles to permit movement in response to the device’s electrical stimulation, offering a path forward for researchers, clinicians and patients affected by a wide range of neurological disorders.