Thursday, August 14, 2008
The Robot And Its Biological Brain
Scientists from the University of Reading have cultured cells from rat brains and used the matrix to control a robot's movement, keeping it from hitting the wall.
The robot's biological brain is made up of cultured neurons which are placed onto a multi electrode array (MEA). The MEA is a dish with approximately 60 electrodes which pick up the electrical signals generated by the cells. This is then used to drive the movement of the robot. Every time the robot nears an object, signals are directed to stimulate the brain by means of the electrodes. In response, the brain's output is used to drive the wheels of the robot, left and right, so that it moves around in an attempt to avoid hitting objects. The robot has no additional control from a human or a computer, its sole means of control is from its own brain.The researchers are now working towards getting the robot to learn by applying different signals as it moves into predefined positions. It is hoped that as the learning progresses, it will be possible to witness how memories manifest themselves in the brain when the robot revisits familiar territory.
Professor Kevin Warwick from the School of Systems Engineering, said: "This new research is tremendously exciting as firstly the biological brain controls its own moving robot body, and secondly it will enable us to investigate how the brain learns and memorises its experiences. This research will move our understanding forward of how brains work, and could have a profound effect on many areas of science and medicine."
Video from the New Scientist:
University of Reading press release: Robot with a Biological Brain: new research provides insights into how the brain works...
More at the New Scientist...
(hat tip: Drudge Report)
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Monday, August 11, 2008
Color Changing Crystals for Detecting Brain Trauma
University of Pennsylvania Professor Shu Yang has developed a crystalline material which may aid in the diagnosis of brain trauma for soldiers in the field. The crystal patch, which can be applied to a soldier's uniform, will change shape and therefore color when a shockwave hits the material. Researchers are still unsure as to how color changes correlate to the severity of brain damage and to neurological damage. However,shockwaves from bomb blasts can cause damage to the brain that cannot be detected by CT scanning or MRI. These crystalline-patches can potentially solve this problem and allow for the adequate and prompt treatment of these soldiers. The technology itself seems promising and has the potential to save many soldiers who have brain injuries that may not be apparent on CT or MRI scans.
From BBC News:
MRI scans pick up structural damage, such as bleeds on the brain, excess fluid or skull fractures.
But a shockwave, such as that caused by a bomb can cause damage on a cellular level, with microscopic tears in the brain.This would not be picked up on a scan but like any brain injury can cause long-term problems with symptoms such as headaches, behaviour change and memory loss.
When a shock wave hits the material, which would be in the form of a thin film, like a small sticker, the crystals would change shape and thus colour.
"Depending on the damage, you'll have different colour intensities," said Professor Yang [Shu Yang, University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia]. "Based on that information we can extract how much force the soldier has received."
More from BBC News...
Image: Sample image from Dr Yang's lab demonstrating the wrinkles created within the material after a bit of mechanical interference.
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Thursday, August 7, 2008
Neuro-Eye Therapy, a Vision Training Program, Improves Sight of Stroke Victims
At the University of Aberdeen in Scotland a new program has been setup to help restore vision in patients that lost part of their ability to see due to a stroke.
From the press release:
Dr Arash Sahraie, Reader in Visual Neuroscience at the University of Aberdeen, explained: "The basic principles behind Neuro-Eye Therapy are similar to those of physiotherapy following a stroke. If muscles are affected following brain injury, patients are asked to repeat a pattern of limb movements in order to improve their mobility."In the same way, after daily use of the Vision Rehabilitation ProgramTM over a six month period, patients have reported an improvement in their sight as well as a range of other benefits, including being able to get about more easily, both inside and outside their homes, and finding reading much less of a struggle."
"The device used in Neuro-Eye Therapy is simple to set up in the home or office and requires no prior expertise or experience of computer use," said Dr Sahraie.
"The daily task involves looking at a computer screen and deciding whether or not an image is presented within the blind area by pressing a button. Initially patients can only guess whether the image was presented, but over time patients experience an improvement in their vision."
University of Aberdeen: Ground breaking eye therapy for stroke victims developed...
Program page: Vision Rehabilitation Programme...
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New Imaging Technique Used to Visualize Brains
At the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston researchers are using an MRI technique called diffusion spectrum imaging to create three dimensional models of the brains of animals and humans.
MIT Technology Review describes this promising imaging modality:
It uses magnetic resonance signals to track the movement of water molecules in the brain: water diffuses along the length of neural wires, called axons. Scientists can use these diffusion measurements to map the wires, creating a detailed blueprint of the brain's connectivity.On the medical side, radiologists are beginning to use the technology to map the brain prior to surgery, for example, to avoid important fiber tracts when removing a brain tumor. Wedeen and others are now using diffusion imaging to better understand the structures that underlie our ability to see, to speak, and to remember. Scientists also hope that the techniques will grant new insight into diseases linked to abnormal wiring, such as schizophrenia and autism.
Video of a normal human brain:
More from MIT Tech Review...
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Monday, August 4, 2008
NeuroPace: Maybe First Since Jesus to Prevent and Treat Epilepsy
We recently profiled the work by NeuroVista, a company developing an implantable oncoming epileptic seizure detector. NeuroVista seems to be very secretive about its work, and their technology has yet to begin any clinical trials.
In response to our NeuroVista story, we were contacted by NeuroPace, a Mountain View, California firm that's working on essentially the same problem, but is already wiring up patients' brains in a multi-hospital study. Unlike NeuroVista, NeuroPace's RNS™ System is touted not only to detect an oncoming seizure, but is also designed to send an electric signal in attempt to disrupt the gathering electrical storm inside the brain.
From NeuroPace about their device:
The implantable components are the RNS neurostimulator and leads (tiny wires containing electrodes). The RNS neurostimulator is a battery-powered, microprocessor-controlled device that is placed within the skull and beneath the scalp by a surgeon. It is connected to one or two leads that are placed within the brain or resting on the brain surface in the area of the seizure focus. The RNS neurostimulator and leads are implanted by a neurosurgeon during a two- to five-hour procedure.External components include a programmer and a data transmitter. Both devices use proprietary software that enable communication with an implanted RNS neurostimulator.
Physicians use the programmer to non-invasively program the detection and stimulation parameters of an implanted RNS neurostimulator. Additional features of the programmer include the ability to view the patient's electrocorticographic (ECoG) activity (electrical activity in the cerebral cortex) in real-time. Patients use the data transmitter at home to transmit ECoGs and other information that has been stored in the RNS neurostimulator to a secure Web-based patient data management system. Physicians can review and analyze this information over the Web in-between the patient’s office appointments to help with patient management.
By continuously monitoring brain electrical activity, and after identifying the “signature” of a seizure’s onset, the RNS System can deliver brief and mild electrical stimulations with the intention of suppressing the seizure.
RNS System clinical trial information page...
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Monday, July 28, 2008
New Device May Warn of Oncoming Seizures
Xconomy Seattle is profiling research by NeuroVista, a Seattle firm that's trying to develop a device capable of predicting the onset of an epileptic seizure through EEG brainwave monitoring. The firm is still mostly tight lipped about its implantable system, but if the technology produces a viable commercial device, epileptics may finally have the ability to take some measures to reduce the severity of an attack, and take safety measures to prevent accidental trauma.
From Xconomy:
NeuroVista gathered hundreds of high-resolution EEG readouts from patients who had severe enough epilepsy that they were hospitalized for more than a week and continuously monitored. NeuroVista's computers mined the massive reams of data to detect statistical abnormalities that can't be spotted by a neurologist's eye, and built them into its algorithms. Then comes the engineering challenge. Getting the electrode to be sensitive and durable enough for long-term use, making a telemetry device small enough to be implantable yet with enough battery power to transmit a lot of data, and then having an easy-to-wear receiver that can warn patients of the coming storm.
More from Xconomy Seattle...
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Friday, July 25, 2008
Eye Activated Device Controller Goes Mobile
NTT DoCoMo, a Japanese mobile phone operator, is experimenting with a new method of controlling mobile devices without using one's hands. The system currently controls a mobile music player by sensing the electric fields eyes make when they move, similarly to how an EEG monitors the brain. To skip to the next track, the user looks right twice with his eyes; to raise volume simply roll your eyes up. This is all well and good, but we can speculate about a future world where everyone dials their phones by making facial gestures and then talks using a Bluetooth headset, a sight that in the past could only have been witnessed in mental wards.
More at the Daily Mail...
(hat tip: Engadget)
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Copying Nature for More Convincing Prosthesis
An EU funded project called SENSOPAC, which aims to develop new artificial robotic limbs, has been mimicking nature to take advantage of what has essentially stood the test of time. The newly built arm in many ways copies the human arm, and the developers are building a microchip brain that they hope to model on certain aspects of ours.
To mimic the skin’s sensing capabilities, researchers at the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), guided by physiology results from Umeå University, in Sweden, created a thin flexible material filled with a form of carbon whose resistance changes with pressure. This approach let them combine information from sensors in different parts of the skin in order to minimise the number of information-carrying wires.“We can soon integrate hundreds of detector elements and get the information out with just five wires,” says van der Smagt [Patrick van der Smagt, coordinator of SENSOPAC --ed.]. “And we have the ability to distinguish between shape, the amount of force, and the direction of force.”
The human arm and hand can generate and control a remarkable range of force, from the delicate touch of a watchmaker to the power of a javelin thrower. Much of this range of force and finesse comes from the pairs of opposing muscles that control each joint.
Researchers at DLR took the same approach. The artificial arm they built and are now experimenting with uses a total of 58 motors in opposing pairs, coupled with non-linear springs, to control the arm.
The hand they have built is closely modelled on the human hand. It can snap its fingers, pick up an egg or carry a cup of coffee. Its fingers are moved by 38 opposing motors.
The researchers are currently using software to simulate important aspects of how the cerebellum processes and integrates information.
“It’s the first neural-network-based controller that can control the dynamics of a robotic system in its full operational range,” says van der Smagt.
In the next six months, they will be seeing how well this system can learn to control the arm.
Press release: Meet Robo habilis...
(hat tip: Gizmodo)
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Monday, July 21, 2008
Video of ReWalk Exoskeleton System
Israel21C has a video of the ReWalk exoskeleton system, from Argo Medical Technologies, for people with paralyzed legs. We profiled the system back in March, and we thought this video would be interesting to see the device in action:
From Israel21C:
ReWalk comprises a light wearable brace support suit which integrates DC motors at the joint, rechargeable batteries, an array of sensors and a computer-based control system. It fits the body snugly to detect upper body movements, which are used to initiate and maintain the walking process. Wearers also use crutches for stability and safety.ReWalk is undergoing clinical trials in Israel at the Rehabilitation Hospital at Chaim Sheba Medical Center - Tel Hashomer, with pilots planned for rehab centers in Holland and Italy. A US trial is scheduled to begin in November at the Moss Rehabilitation Center in Philadelphia, after which Argo will apply for FDA regulatory approval.
Argo's demo video features team member Radi Kioff, a 40-year-old Druze Israeli citizen who was shot in the back while serving in the Israel Defense Forces during the first Lebanon War. Ironically, the man who devised the system that allows Kioff to walk cannot benefit from his own invention. A quadriplegic, Amit Goffer has only partial use of his hands, but not enough to operate the ReWalk.
More at ISRAEL21c...
Product page: ReWalk
Flashback: ReWalk Exoskeleton
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Mouse Spinal Cord Gene Map Goes Online
The Allen Institute for Brain Science is making publicly available its genome-wide map of expressions of spinal cord genes.
From the institute:
Since mice and humans share 90 percent of genes, and the mouse is a well-established model for the study of human diseases, the Allen Spinal Cord Atlas will provide scientists and physicians with an expanded foundation of knowledge to discover new treatments for numerous diseases and disorders. The Allen Spinal Cord Atlas will utilize the same concept and technology as the Institute’s inaugural Allen Brain Atlas.From start to finish, the Allen Spinal Cord Atlas will be completed within a swift, twelve-month timeframe. While inaugural data—approximately 2,000 genes—from the Allen Spinal Cord Atlas is now available, the Institute will continue to follow its founding mission and upload additional information until the projected completion in early 2009. It is estimated that hundreds of users from universities, research institutes, pharmaceutical companies and government organizations will use the atlas.
When completed, the Allen Spinal Cord Atlas will detail approximately 20,000 genes including data from youth and adult developmental stages. It will also feature data across the full length of the spinal cord as well as anatomical reference sections.
Press release: ALLEN INSTITUTE FOR BRAIN SCIENCE UNVEILS WORLD'S FIRST GENOME-WIDE SPINAL CORD ATLAS (PDF)
Image: Slide cartridges from the Allen Spinal Cord Atlas being sorted.
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Monday, July 14, 2008
Epocrates Rx Now on iPhone
Epocrates has announced that its free drug and formulary application, Epocrates Rx, is finally available for the iPhone through the iTunes store.
Some of the features from the product page:
Adult and pediatric dosing for FDA-approved and off-label indications Black box warnings, contraindications, and cautions Serious and common adverse reactions, and drug interactions organized by clinical category Pill pictures within the drug monograph showing you and your patients exactly what each drug looks like Safety and monitoring information, such as pregnancy risk categories, lactation safety ratings, monitoring parameters and therapeutic drug levels Manufacturer information, approximate retail pricing, and FDA/DEA status Pharmacology information, including metabolism, excretion (i.e., half-life), drug class, and mechanism of action Notes section for your personal notes
Press release: Epocrates Drug and Formulary Application on Apple App Store
Product page: Epocrates Rx for iPhone
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Thursday, July 10, 2008
Watching The Eyes for Signs of Autism
The Wall Street Journal is reporting on research at Yale that is being conducted to identify babies that have a high risk of developing autism in later years. The system tracks eye movement of the child when presented with images of people and things.
Here's a video from WSJ with more details:
More at the Wall Street Journal...
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Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Wearable Muscle Tension Sensors Know More Than What You Feel
A collaboration of European engineers is working on minuscule muscle tension sensors that can be woven into fabric to provide real-time data taken from a person's state of electrical excitation of the muscles.
From the statement issued by Fraunhofer-Institut für Zuverlässigkeit und Mikrointegration:
[The vest] consists of sensors woven into the fabric that register the electrical excitation of the muscle fibers, and thin conducting metallic fibers that pass the signals to an electronic analysis system. People’s muscle tension changes with their stress level – the greater the stress, the more likely the muscles are to produce a synchronous twitching effect. Though this is barely perceptible, the electrodes register the change. The idea of the sensor vest originated with biomedical scientists at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, who needed an inconspicuous measuring tool for stress studies. Until then, they had affixed electrodes directly to their test subjects’ chests. But this itself induced stress, with the result that the tests delivered very little useful information. The new vest is designed to ensure a more relaxed test environment. The project members are exploring further potential applications such as a special vest for computer games. By selectively tensing the torso muscles, players could use the vest to control figures on the monitor and for instance burst their heroes’ chains and fetters. The vest could also contribute to safety at the workplace – perhaps ensuring that workers do not lift loads that are too heavy for them. And sports coaches could tell from the electronic vest whether athletes have reached their performance limits or still possess energy reserves.”The most important requirement for everyday use is a robust electronic system,” says Torsten Linz of the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM in Berlin, the partner responsible for the “packaging”. The entire electronic system has to be resistant to water and perspiration. The electric conductors must not fray even after repeated laundry cycles, and the sensors must be no larger than buttons to ensure that the garment is comfortable. The IZM researchers have meanwhile developed stable metallic fibers, watertight connections and durable sensor buttons. Their task over the next few months will be to integrate the analysis electronics. The project partners have already demonstrated during field hockey training that the vest really works; it enabled players to choose the ideal moment for striking the ball and to hit it much further than usual.
We could envision such a technology being used for monitoring of chronic neuromuscular disorders, such as myasthenia gravis.
Press release: A vest to measure stress ...
Flashback: Driving a Wheelchair with Your Shirt (Thanks for the tip Bill)
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Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Electric Brain Stimulation May Finally Lead to Uberman
At the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke in Bethesda, Maryland scientists are studying the effect an electric current applied to the scalp has on cognitive abilities of the subject.
From MIT Technology Review:
To explore how effective such stimulation can be as a learning tool, Eric Wassermann, a neuroscientist at the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke, is using an approach known as transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS), in which an electrical current is passed directly to the brain through the scalp and skull. The technology for TDCS, which has been available for decades, is simple and fairly crude. (In the 1960s, it was used to improve mood in people with psychiatric disorders, although that effect hasn't been repeated in more recent studies.) And in contrast to people undergoing electroconvulsive therapy, a seizure-inducing treatment used for severe depression that requires anesthesia, people undergoing TDCS feel just a slight tingle, if anything.The device is simple: a nine-volt battery that's been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for delivering drugs across the skin is connected to large flat sponges that are moistened and then applied to the head. It delivers a gentle 2 to 2.5 milliamps of current spread over a 20 to 50 square millimeter area of the scalp for up to 15 minutes. Little of that current actually reaches the brain--about half is shunted away from the target area, and the other half quickly dissipates as it gets farther from the scalp.
More from MIT Tech Review...
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Monday, June 30, 2008
First System for Treatment of Vertigo Wins Approval
According to Portland Business Journal, Vesticon Corp. out of Portland, Oregon just received FDA approval for the first device to diagnose and help treat people experiencing benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). Here's, in simple terms, how the system works. The Epley Omniax system uses glasses equipped with infrared sensors that track the eye of a patient sitting in a free-rotating chair that performs "canalith repositioning maneuvers". 
The problem is that in many people loose particles, called otoconia, are found in the semi-circular canals of the inner ear. The movement of otoconia disrupts normal sensing of one's orientation, and the eye involuntarily responds, via reflex called nystagmus, to otoconia's rumbling around the canals. By monitoring the eye one can detect the particles' presence, and also shake them out of the sensitive areas by rotating the patient.
From the product page:
Quantified procedures with recording and report for Dx / Tx for all six canals and all conditions related to BPPV. Repeatable, comparable, precise maneuvers for definitive patient management. Facilitates best practices and standardization. Facilitates detection and treatment to optimize outcomes for even the most difficult cases.
Company video describing the workings of the Omniax system:
More at Portland Business Journal...
Product page: Epley Omniax ...
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Friday, June 27, 2008
Battling Migraines From the Inside and Out
Two interesting studies are being reported at the ongoing annual scientific meeting of the American Headache Society (AHS) in Boston. The first study, dubbed Occipital Nerve Stimulation for the Treatment of Intractable Migraine (ONSTIM), has evaluated Medtronic's Synergy® neurostimulation device.
Medtronic, predictably, is quite excited about the possibility that occipital nerve stimulation one day might become a treatment option for migraine sufferers who are resistant to all other therapies:
The ONSTIM study, sponsored by Medtronic and conducted under an investigational device exemption (IDE), collected electronic diary data from 66 patients from nine centers who were followed for three months. The data to be reported at the AHS meeting include the average change in the number of headache days per month, overall pain intensity and the responder rate based on at least a 50 percent reduction in headache days per month or at least a three-point reduction in overall pain intensity."The ONSTIM results suggest that occipital nerve stimulation, or ONS, may be a promising therapy option for individuals who have not had success in treating their chronic migraine and as a result are living with the painful and often debilitating symptoms," said Dr. Joel R. Saper, M.D., founder and director of the Michigan Head Pain and Neurological Institute, Ann Arbor, Mich., and principal investigator for the ONSTIM study. "While ONS for chronic migraine requires additional clinical evaluation, our early experience in this study is encouraging and indicates that ONS could possibly help some chronic migraine patients who have exhausted other treatment options."
In the study, thin lead wires were placed under the skin near the occipital nerves, which arise from the spinal cord and branch out across the back of the head carrying sensory signals from that region to the brain. The leads were connected to an implanted Medtronic neurostimulator that delivered controlled electrical pulses to the occipital nerves. Patients were randomized to three groups to receive: either a neurostimulator and have the ability to control the level of stimulation; or a neurostimulator as part of a device control group; or only standard medical management instead of an ONS implant. A positive response was defined as at least a 50 percent reduction in the number of headache days in a month, or a reduction in the pain intensity of at least three points on a standard 0-10 pain scale. In addition to evaluating the efficacy of ONS therapy, the ONSTIM trial was designed to follow patients out to three years related to safety.
In other news from the headache front, investigators from the Ohio State University Medical Center are continuing to test a noninvasive portable transcranial magnetic stimulator (TMS) from Sunnyvale, CA based Neuralieve Inc., as a potential treatment for migraines. First reported by us back in June 2006, the device seems to be effective in not only reducing the symptomatology of migraines, but actually in treating them.
The press release from Ohio State explains:
Results of the study, to be presented Friday (6/27) at the annual American Headache Society meeting in Boston, found that the experimental device is safe and effective in eliminating headaches when administered during the onset of the migraine...Of the 164 patients involved in the multi-center, randomized clinical trial receiving TMS treatment, 39 percent were pain free at the two-hour post-treatment point, compared to 22 percent in the group receiving "sham" pulses. There were no differences reported related to adverse reactions between the two groups.
Medtronic press release: Medtronic Announces First Clinical Data on Occipital Nerve Stimulation for Chronic Migraine to be Presented at American Headache Society Meeting ...
Ohio State University Medical Center press release: Portable Device Effective in Zapping Away Migraine Pain ...
Neuralieve press release: New Technology Provides Drug-Free Approach to Treat Migraine...
Medgadget archives: TMS
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Smart Brain-Computer Interface Learns with the Brain
Neural interfaces have gone through a lot of development and refinement in the last few years, becoming more sensitive and having greater ability to focus on electric signals in the brain. At the University of Florida researchers have developed an algorithm that helps the interface learn from previous events, leading to better performance in subsequent ones.
Until now, brain-machine interfaces have been designed as one-way conversations between the brain and a computer, with the brain doing all the talking and the computer following commands. The system UF engineers created actually allows the computer to have a say in that conversation, too, according to findings published this month online in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers journal IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering."In the grand scheme of brain-machine interfaces, this is a complete paradigm change," said Justin C. Sanchez, Ph.D., a UF assistant professor of pediatric neurology and the study's senior author. "This idea opens up all kinds of possibilities for how we interact with devices. It's not just about giving instructions but about those devices assisting us in a common goal. You know the goal, the computer knows the goal and you work together to solve the task."
Scientists at UF and other institutions have been studying and refining brain-machine interfaces for years, developing and testing numerous variations of the technology with the goal of creating implantable, computer-chip-sized devices capable of controlling limbs or treating diseases.
The devices are programmed with complex algorithms that interpret thoughts. But the algorithms, or code, used in current brain-machine interfaces don't adapt to change, Sanchez said.
"The status quo of brain-machine interfaces that are out there have static and fixed decoding algorithms, which assume a person thinks one way for all time," he said. "We learn throughout our lives and come into different scenarios, so you need to develop a paradigm that allows interaction and growth."
To create this type of brain-machine interface, Sanchez and his colleagues developed a system based on setting goals and giving rewards.
Fitted with tiny electrodes in their brains to capture signals for the computer to unravel, three rats were taught to move a robotic arm toward a target with just their thoughts. Each time they succeeded, the rats were rewarded with a drop of water.
The computer's goal, on the other hand, was to earn as many points as possible, Sanchez said. The closer a rat moved the arm to the target, the more points the computer received, giving it incentive to determine which brain signals lead to the most rewards, making the process more efficient for the rat. The researchers conducted several tests with the rats, requiring them to hit targets that were farther and farther away. Despite this increasing difficulty, the rats completed the tasks more efficiently over time and did so at a significantly higher rate than if they had just aimed correctly by chance, Sanchez said.
Press release: Researchers develop neural implant that learns with the brain ...
(hat tip: Thomas A. and Next Big Future)
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Tuesday, June 17, 2008
UCSF and YouTube Partner Up for Education on Dementia
The site's goal is to get doctors, patients, and caregivers to recognize early signs of the different diseases so that patients can more rapidly get enrolled in important clinical trials. The collaboration grew out of the "Fight for Mike" movement. Here is more from UCSF's press release:
The channel is the latest outcome of the "Fight for Mike," an initiative by Silicon Valley leaders to save the life of one man -- former Apple Computer Inc. and Netscape Computer Corp. marketing wunderkind Michael Homer -- that has broadened to a mission to advance scientists' understanding of Homer's rare, fatal illness, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Understanding the disease, the UCSF scientists believe, will accelerate advances against the more common neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease.Homer was diagnosed with CJD last spring and is being treated at UCSF. The Fight for Mike is led by two of his best friends, Silicon Valley investor Ron Conway and Intuit Chairman William V. Campbell.
The idea to create the video-sharing channel, itself, resulted from a brainstorming session involving UCSF physicians and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs that was hosted last fall by YouTube CEO and co-founder Chad Hurley, a protégé of Homer's.
...The Homer family had experienced what others had before them -- the challenges of navigating the medical system to get a diagnosis of a relatively rare neurodegenerative disease and, later, implementing the necessary care-giving strategies in their home. A public forum dedicated to educating the public about all aspects of CJD - and the other neurodegenerative diseases - could address this need.
The decision was made to create a web page dedicated to CJD on the UCSF Memory and Aging Center Web site. A YouTube channel, the group proposed, could host video for the page as well as well as video on other forms of dementia, including FTD, Huntington's disease and Alzheimer's disease. It could also serve as a portal to drive families and physicians to the UCSF Memory and Aging Center Web site for further information.
"I hope that the UCSF channel will provide scientists, researchers, and physicians a valuable communication tool as they search for solutions, and patients and their families another way to help cope with these tragic diseases," says YouTube's Hurley. "Mike is an inspirational friend, and I am grateful for the efforts that many have made in the quest to advance medical research of neurodegenerative diseases."
Check out the YouTube Channel here...
Read the press release here...
Join the Defeat Dementia Facebook group here...
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No Paralysis in Second Life
Scientists at the Keio University in Japan used a commercially available EEG headband to allow a human to control a character walking around the Second Life virtual world, all through raw brain power. Obviously this technology has tremendous potential for disabled individuals, and may also become a new type of joystick for controlling machinery and video games of the future.
Video demonstrating the capabilities in Second Life:
More info from Keio University in Japanese...
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» Your Brain's Forecast: Stormy (June 10, 2008)
» Feel That Rhythm! (June 9, 2008)
» New Luke Arm Video (June 2, 2008)
» I, For One, Welcome Our Robot-Arm Controlling Monkey Overlords (May 29, 2008)
» In the Works: MEMS Brain-Computer Interface (May 28, 2008)
» The Third Install in the US of Aquilion ONE CT from Toshiba (May 21, 2008)
» Demand Is High for Brilliance iCT, a 256-Slice CT from Philips (May 19, 2008)
» Experiencing Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (May 19, 2008)
» MEMENTO Memory LifeBook Concept (May 12, 2008)
» SAM Technology: Testing Attention and Memory in the Brain (April 30, 2008)
» Mind Reading for Robotic Limb Control (April 23, 2008)
» Battery-free, Wireless Encephalogram (April 14, 2008)