Neuro-engineering

New treatment to regain hand and arm function after spinal cord injury

Using physical therapy combined with a noninvasive method of stimulating nerve cells in the spinal cord, University of Washington researchers helped six Seattle area participants regain some hand and arm mobility. That increased … READ MORE

A next-gen EEG could help bring back lost brain function

SLAC and Stanford researchers are developing a device that combines electrical brain stimulation with EEG recording, opening potential new paths for treating neurological disorders. Researchers at SLAC and Stanford are developing a … READ MORE

Changes in older people’s central nervous system leads to compromised ability to sense movement

The central nervous system of older individuals responds to movement and initiates muscular contraction differently compared to young individuals. This is the result of a study led by researcher Simon Walker at the University of … READ MORE

Finding one’s way home

The Otic placode gives rise to the inner ear in vertebrates. A new study shows that even when it is transplanted to ectopic positions, the nerve cells that grow out of the transplanted ear can form functional connections in the brain. … READ MORE

New wearable sensor for people with incomplete paraplegia

A new electromyography biofeedback device that is wearable and connects to novel smartphone games may offer people with incomplete paraplegia a more affordable, self-controllable therapy to enhance their recovery, according to a new … READ MORE

Spinal stimulation enables three people with paraplegia to walk again

Combined with other recent studies, new evidence points to electrical stimulation as a promising treatment for paralysis. David, 28, who suffered a spinal cord injury, can walk (with a walker) for more than 1 kilometer with electrical … READ MORE

First language study using new generation of wearable brain scanner

Scientists have carried out the first study of human cognition using a new generation of brain scanner that can be worn like a helmet. This marks an important step forward in the translation of their new technique from the laboratory … READ MORE

Tomorrow’s doctors must be engineers too

The medical profession is changing, and so must medical education. When King Li went to medical school 40 years ago, he sometimes felt like he was trying to memorize the human body. “I’d see these curves in the textbook, and have … READ MORE

Mind-controlled robotic third arm gives new meaning to “multitasking”

Need a helping hand? Tell this robotic arm—with your mind—to grasp that thing you need while your own two hands are busy. Hiroshi Ishiguro Laboratory, ATR By Emily Waltz, IEEE Spectrum 25 July 2018 Imagine commanding a robotic … READ MORE

Non-surgical recovery of function: Not a fantasy

“Improved voluntary hand function occurred within a single session in every subject tested.” Dr. Reggie Edgerton, Director of UCLA Edgerton Lab, poses for a portrait in his lab on the campus in Los Angeles, California, March 16, … READ MORE

Leg exercise is critical to brain and nervous system health

In a new take on the exercise truism ‘use it or lose it,’ researchers show neurological health is an interactive relationship with our muscles and our world. MabelAmber Pixabay CC0 Frontiers in Neuroscience, Science Daily … READ MORE

Humans and machines learn together to win a competition

People using brain-computer interface are more efficient when both human and machine are allowed to learn. EPFL researchers trained two tetraplegic users to compete in the international Cybathlon BCI race. Both learned incrementally … READ MORE

UCalgary scientists discover a new way to battle multiple sclerosis

Findings challenge conventional thinking about the root cause of MS. The Dr. Peter Stys lab within the Hotchkiss Brain Institute at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, is equipped with highly specialized microscopes … READ MORE

Non-invasive spinal stimulation method enables paralyzed people to regain use of hands

More than 1.2 million Americans are living with paralysis from spinal cord injuries, which results in loss of the ability to perform such tasks as opening a water bottle. Nonsurgical technique allows them to turn doorknobs, open water … READ MORE

This neural operating system lets paralyzed, voiceless patients communicate

Nuro’s new brain-computer interface uses neurological signals to let incapacitated patients talk to doctors and family. Nuro enables instant communication and computing for millions of people in post-surgeries and ICUs, nursing … READ MORE

Computer system transcribes words users “speak silently”

Electrodes on the face and jaw pick up otherwise undetectable neuromuscular signals triggered by internal verbalizations. Arnav Kapur, a researcher in the Fluid Interfaces group at the MIT Media Lab, demonstrates the AlterEgo project. … READ MORE

A new wearable brain scanner

A helmet records a wearer’s brain activity using magnetoencephalography (MEG) while they move around. In a design that looks straight out of an old future-tech horror film, researchers in the U.K. have built a wearable, portable … READ MORE

Calgary researchers develop portable brain imaging system to shed light on concussions

A volunteer wears the cap, developed at the U of C, which contains small lights that have sensors connected to a computer. When researchers turn on the lights, they can monitor and measure brain activity. Elissa Carpenter CBC By Kelly … READ MORE

Rice team designs lens-free fluorescent microscope

FlatScope may be the world’s tiniest, lightest microscope for biological applications and beyond. Lenses are no longer necessary for some microscopes, according to Rice University engineers developing FlatScope, a thin fluorescent … READ MORE

People with tetraplegia gain rapid use of brain-computer interface

A new approach to calibrating the pioneering BrainGate brain-computer interface allowed three clinical trial participants with tetraplegia to gain control of a computer cursor after just one simple calibration step. Brain power. A … READ MORE

Brain-computer interface advance allows fast, accurate typing by people with paralysis

Stanford University School of Medicine Clinical research led by Stanford University investigators has demonstrated that a brain-to-computer hookup can enable people with paralysis to type via direct brain control at the highest speeds … READ MORE

Stimulator helps patients move hands, bypass spine injury

UCLA scientists test electrical stimulation that bypasses injury; technique boosts patient’s finger control, grip strength up to 300 percent. Brian Gomez works on building his arm strength during a therapy session at Ronald Reagan … READ MORE

Brain-sensing technology allows typing at 12 words per minute

Stanford University researchers have managed to use an implanted multi-electrode array to read the brain signals of monkeys thinking of typing letters on a screen and to convert those signals into the target letters at a rate of 12 … READ MORE

Non-surgical approach helps people with paralysis voluntarily move their legs — a first

Paralyzed men move legs with new non-invasive spinal cord stimulation. Five men with complete motor paralysis were able to voluntarily generate step-like movements thanks to a new strategy that non-invasively delivers electrical … READ MORE