Wireless 'Pacemaker For the Brain' Could Offer New Treatment For Neurological Disorders (sciencedaily.com) 51
Engineers at the University of California, Berkeley, have developed a new neurostimulator that can listen to and stimulate electric current in the brain at the same time, potentially delivering fine-tuned treatments for patients with diseases like epilepsy and Parkinson's. Science Daily reports: The device, named the WAND, works like a "pacemaker for the brain," monitoring the brain's electrical activity and delivering electrical stimulation if it detects something amiss. These devices can be extremely effective at preventing debilitating tremors or seizures in patients with a variety of neurological conditions. But the electrical signatures that precede a seizure or tremor can be extremely subtle, and the frequency and strength of electrical stimulation required to prevent them is equally touchy. It can take years of small adjustments by doctors before the devices provide optimal treatment.
WAND, which stands for wireless artifact-free neuromodulation device, is both wireless and autonomous, meaning that once it learns to recognize the signs of tremor or seizure, it can adjust the stimulation parameters on its own to prevent the unwanted movements. And because it is closed-loop -- meaning it can stimulate and record simultaneously -- it can adjust these parameters in real-time. WAND can record electrical activity over 128 channels, or from 128 points in the brain, compared to eight channels in other closed-loop systems. To demonstrate the device, the team used WAND to recognize and delay specific arm movements in rhesus macaques. The device is described in a study that appeared in Nature Biomedical Engineering.
WAND, which stands for wireless artifact-free neuromodulation device, is both wireless and autonomous, meaning that once it learns to recognize the signs of tremor or seizure, it can adjust the stimulation parameters on its own to prevent the unwanted movements. And because it is closed-loop -- meaning it can stimulate and record simultaneously -- it can adjust these parameters in real-time. WAND can record electrical activity over 128 channels, or from 128 points in the brain, compared to eight channels in other closed-loop systems. To demonstrate the device, the team used WAND to recognize and delay specific arm movements in rhesus macaques. The device is described in a study that appeared in Nature Biomedical Engineering.
Would give a whole new (Score:2)
Just my 2 cents
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Or Arthur C Clarke:
"I'm sorry about your confusion with the government, Dave. Here, let me fix that for you."
Ok, I know enough walking wounded that I look at this endeavor with exceedingly cautious optimism. The chances that it could be misused, hacked, or lead to nefarious endings scares the crap out of me.
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I am sure the prison industrial complex will love it, installed by court order.
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So secure (Score:2)
Isn't this a "The Resident" story line? (Score:2)
Is it made by Quovadis, in China, using inferior materials, rather than the US, as claimed?
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Does it work for deja vu? (Score:2)
This seems very similar to Zuckerberg's brain implant [slashdot.org] we just heard about yesterday. I'm comforted to know that both the private and public sectors are racing so hard to be the first to turn me into a high-tech marionette.
How about... (Score:2)
... fixing depression with it?
Ah, that's my Slashdot (Score:2)
Exciting new medical development
Aiyee! Dystopia! I saw this in manga once!
Chinese land probe on far side of moon
Woo hoo! You go, totalitarian communist dictatorship!
Terminal Man (Score:2)
Old-news (Score:2)