http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Brain-computer interfaces are at the cutting edge for treatment of neurological and psychological disorder, including Parkinson's, epilepsy, and depression. Among the most promising advance is deep brain stimulation (DBS) — a method in which a silicon chip implanted under the skin ejects high frequency currents that are transferred to the brain through implanted electrodes that transmit and receive the signals. These technologies require a seamless interaction between the brain and the hardware. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-protein-based-coating-long-term-brain-function.html Neuroscience Tue, 31 Jul 2012 12:53:03 EST news262957978 Mayo Clinic researchers have found a novel way to monitor real-time chemical changes in the brains of patients undergoing deep brain stimulation (DBS). The groundbreaking insight will help physicians more effectively use DBS to treat brain disorders such as Parkinson's disease, depression and Tourette syndrome. The findings are published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-tool-track-real-time-chemical-brain.html Neuroscience Mon, 16 Jul 2012 00:00:02 EST news261573831 Magnetic fields generated by microscopic devices implanted into the brain may be able to modulate brain-cell activity and reduce symptoms of several neurological disorders. Micromagnetic stimulation appears to generate the kind of neural activity currently elicited with electrical impulses for deep brain stimulation (DBS) – a therapy that can reduce symptoms of Parkinson's disease, other movement disorders, multiple sclerosis and chronic pain – and should avoid several common problems associated with DBS, report Massachusetts General Hospital investigators. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-tiny-magnetic-modulate-neural-safer.html Neuroscience Tue, 26 Jun 2012 13:00:01 EST news259925679 Deep brain stimulation reduces binge eating in mice, suggesting that this surgery, which is approved for treatment of certain neurologic and psychiatric disorders, may also be an effective therapy for obesity. Presentation of the results will take place Sunday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-binge-deep-brain-surgery.html Surgery Mon, 25 Jun 2012 13:40:01 EST news259848552 A "brain pacemaker" called deep brain stimulation (DBS) remains an effective treatment for Parkinson's disease for at least three years, according to a study in the June 2012 online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-brain-pacemaker-effective-years-parkinson.html Neuroscience Wed, 20 Jun 2012 16:00:01 EST news259417149 A study on a handful of people with suspected mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) suggests that a device that sends continuous electrical impulses to specific "memory" regions of the brain appears to increase neuronal activity. Results of the study using deep brain stimulation, a therapy already used in some patients with Parkinson's disease and depression, may offer hope for at least some with AD, an intractable disease with no cure. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-deep-brain-mild-alzheimer-disease.html Neuroscience Mon, 07 May 2012 16:00:17 EST news255615020 Ever gone to the movies and forgotten where you parked the car? New UCLA research may one day help you improve your memory. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-scientists-memory-key-site-brain.html Neuroscience Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:24:37 EST news247944267 (Medical Xpress) -- A multi-site study of a new deep brain stimulation device for people with Parkinson’s disease has found the device to provide benefits to patients, potentially paving the way for unprecedented competition in the area of neurostimulation technology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-deep-brain-device-results.html Neuroscience Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:58:47 EST news246693519 Researchers from the University of Florida and 14 additional medical centers reported results today in the online version of The Lancet Neurology journal indicating that deep brain stimulation — also known as DBS — is effective at improving motor symptoms and quality of life in patients with advanced Parkinson's disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-parkinson-treatment-positive-results-clinical.html Neuroscience Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:30:01 EST news245499913 A new study shows that deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a safe and effective intervention for treatment-resistant depression in patients with either unipolar major depressive disorder (MDD) or bipolar ll disorder (BP). The study was published Online First by Archives of General Psychiatry. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-deep-brain-results-unipolar-bipolar.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 02 Jan 2012 16:00:17 EST news244731888 Major depressive disorder is a major public health problem that affects 7% of the population during any 12-month period and affects around 1 in 6 people throughout their lifetime. A Seminar published Online First by the Lancet reviews recent developments relating to this seriously disabling condition, and concludes that most patients need several sequential treatment steps for remission of their major depression. The Seminar also explains why deep brain stimulation is a treatment that holds promise for the future. It is written by Professors David J Kupfer, Ellen Frank, and Mary L Phillips, all of University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, PA, USA. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-patients-sequential-treatment-remission-major.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 19 Dec 2011 18:30:01 EST news243520712 An estimated 300,000 people in North America are afflicted with dystonia, a disorder characterized by a progressive loss of motor control. Patients with generalized dystonia grapple with involuntary muscle spasms that lead to uncontrolled twisting and turning in awkward, sometimes painful postures. Although cognition, intelligence and life span are often normal, the disorder can have a devastating impact on quality of life, as its victims frequently struggle to perform simple activities of daily living. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-mystery-dystonia-advanced-imaging.html Neuroscience Mon, 14 Nov 2011 09:27:11 EST news240485223 (Medical Xpress) -- What drives addicts to repeatedly choose drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, overeating, gambling or kleptomania, despite the risks involved? http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-scientists-brain-circuitry-linked-healthy.html Neuroscience Sun, 30 Oct 2011 14:00:31 EST news239200577 The American Academy of Neurology is releasing an updated guideline on how to best treat essential tremor, which is the most common type of tremor disorder and is often confused with other movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease. The guideline is published in the October 19, 2011, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-aan-guideline-essential-tremor.html Neuroscience Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:22:21 EST news238260125 Parkinson's disease (PD) is a devastating and incurable disease that causes abnormal poverty of movement, involuntary tremor, and lack of coordination. A technique called deep brain stimulation (DBS) is sometimes used to improve motor symptoms in patients with advanced disease. Now, a study published by Cell Press in the October 20 issue of the journal Neuron describes a new and more effective DBS paradigm that makes real-time adjustments in response to disease dynamics and progression and may be better for managing symptoms of advanced PD. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-next-generation-brain-treatment-parkinson-disease.html Parkinson's & Movement disorders Wed, 19 Oct 2011 12:42:38 EST news238246939 Take your time. Hold your horses. Sleep on it. When people must decide between arguably equal choices, they need time to deliberate. In the case of people undergoing deep brain stimulation (DBS) for Parkinson's disease, that process sometimes doesn't kick in, leading to impulsive behavior. New research into why that happens has led scientists to a detailed explanation of how the brain devotes time to reflect on tough choices. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-deep-brain-tough-choices.html Neuroscience Sun, 25 Sep 2011 13:18:25 EST news236175492 Stimulating a specific region of the brain leads to the production of new brain cells that enhance memory, according to an animal study in the September 21 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The findings show how deep brain stimulation (DBS) — a clinical intervention that delivers electrical pulses to targeted areas of the brain — may work to improve cognition. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-electrical-brain-boosts-birth-cells.html Neuroscience Tue, 20 Sep 2011 17:40:22 EST news235759190 Henry Ford Hospital became the third hospital in the United States to perform a Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) procedure inside an Intraoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging scanner, or iMRI. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-dbs-parkinson-disease-imri.html Parkinson's & Movement disorders Mon, 19 Sep 2011 11:24:15 EST news235650226 One of the biggest financing rounds for furthering the work of a doctoral student has just been completed at EPFL. The microscopic electrodes developed by André Mercanzini – which are currently in clinical trials – could revolutionize Deep Brain Stimulation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-epfl-deep-brain-spin-off-million.html Neuroscience Thu, 25 Aug 2011 10:09:40 EST news233485768 While deep brain stimulation has gained recognition by referring physicians as a treatment for Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders, just half of the patients they recommend are appropriate candidates to begin this relatively new therapy immediately, researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and The Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York say. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-doctors-increasingly-aware-deep-brain.html Neuroscience Tue, 16 Aug 2011 09:20:18 EST news232705145 One decade after receiving implants that stimulate areas of their brains, patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) appear to sustain improvement in motor function, although part of the initial benefit wore off mainly because of progressive loss of benefit in other functions, according to a report published Online First by Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-deep-brain-effects-years-patients.html Neuroscience Mon, 08 Aug 2011 16:20:01 EST news232031065 Neurologist Michele Tagliati, MD, director of the Movement Disorders Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, served on an elite international task force commissioned by the Movement Disorder Society to provide insights and guidance on deep brain stimulation for dystonia, an uncommon condition that causes sustained, sometimes crippling muscle contractions. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-cedars-sinai-movement-disorders-expert-international.html Neuroscience Thu, 21 Jul 2011 10:35:55 EST news230463335 (Medical Xpress) -- University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics has become the second academic medical center in the country where neurosurgeons can perform deep-brain stimulation (DBS) in an intra-operative MRI (iMRI) suite. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-approach-parkinson-surgery.html Other Wed, 25 May 2011 11:14:43 EST news225540840 A new MRI device that guides surgeons as they implant electrodes into the brains of people with Parkinson's disease and other neurological disorders could change the way this surgery, called deep brain stimulation, is performed at medical centers across the country, according to a group of doctors at University of California, San Francisco. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-04-ucsf-neurosurgeons-device-brain-implants.html Neuroscience Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:52:24 EST news221917930 Deep brain stimulation, a surgical procedure to suppress faulty nerve signals, allowed 77 percent of patients to stop the medications used to treat their essential tremors within one year following the surgery, University of South Florida researchers report. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-04-patients-drugs-essential-tremor-deep.html Neuroscience Thu, 07 Apr 2011 09:56:51 EST news221388993