Brain Computer Interfaces & connected medical devices

In January 2024, Musk founded Neuralink to complete the world's first clinical trial of invasive brain-computer interface device implantation, which caused a sensation all over the world. Unlike the invasive brain-computer interface technology that requires the implantation of electrodes in the open skull, the interventional brain-computer interface avoids craniotomy by placing electrodes from the blood vessels, thus reducing the risk of surgery. This method is well combined with clinical medicine. The solid foundation of neurosurgical intervention technology makes the interventional brain-computer connection The mouth has the advantages of small trauma, high signal acquisition accuracy, short recovery period and so on.

The vein of Trolard shows promise as a target for endovascular BCIs given its consistent presence and favorable dimensions. Nonetheless, constrictions and steep angulation at the SSS confluence pose challenges for device deployment. A new framework is necessary for the classification of cortical venous anatomy, to guide patient selection and procedural planning, which will require further development and validation.

Micro-CT and the histomorphometric techniques we developed are comparable and can both be used to identify incorporation of a Stentrode implanted in cerebral vessels.

Long story short, neural interfaces implanted throughout the body have demonstrated great success in treating a growing variety of conditions. Despite these successes, the longevity of implanted neural interface systems are impeded by mechanical, technological, and biological barriers. Mechanical and electronic failures can occur in any of the components of the implanted system. The immune response to an implanted neural interface consists of acute and chronic phases and differs between the central and peripheral nervous systems. Advances in material science and engineering are actively working to reduce the tissue response to implanted neural interfaces by reducing their size and stiffness as well as by using factors to reduce inflammation.

High-fidelity intracranial electrode arrays for recording and stimulating brain activity have facilitated major advances in the treatment of neurological conditions over the past decade. Traditional arrays require direct implantation into the brain via open craniotomy, which can lead to inflammatory tissue responses, necessitating development of minimally invasive approaches that avoid brain trauma. Here we demonstrate the feasibility of chronically recording brain activity from within a vein using a passive stent-electrode recording array (stentrode).

The impact of placing electrodes within a blood vessel and adjacent to the blood vessel wall was most obvious when looking at the phase responses at frequencies below 10 kHz. Conclusion: Our results show that intravascular electrodes, like those in subdural and epidural positions, show electrical properties that are suitable for recording. These results provide support for the use of intravascular arrays in clinically relevant neural prostheses and diagnostic devices. Significance: Comparison of electrochemical impedance of the epidural, intravascular, and subdural electrode array showed that all three locations are possible placement options, since impedances are in comparable ranges.

This work demonstrated that EIS could be used to determine the viability of electrode implanted chronically within a blood vessel. Impedance measurements alone were not observed to be a useful predictor of alterations occurring at the electrode tissue interface. However, measurement of 100 Hz phase angles was in good agreement with the capacitive changes predicted by the ECM and consistent with suggestions that this represents protein absorption on the electrode surface. 100 Hz phase angles stabilized after 8 days, consistent with histologically assessed samples.

Tadalafil, which has the longest half-life among PDE-5 inhibitors, does not prevent endothelial apoptosis as much as nimodipine, but it still prevents smooth muscle cell proliferation in the tunica media, restores damaged endothelial integrity, increases cerebral blood flow, and is thought to have various neuroprotective functions through the PI3K/AKT/eNOS signaling pathway. We believe that more in-depth research on tadalafil in the future will prove the therapeutic potential of this drug for DCI.

Une faille critique dans la technologie eSIM a été découverte par des chercheurs. Présente sur plus de deux milliards d’appareils IoT, cette vulnérabilité permet d’installer des programmes malveillants et de voler des données. La faille a été colmatée.

Belkin abandonne sa gamme domotique WeMo, laissant sur le carreau une partie de ses clients. Dès l’année prochaine, la majorité des produits ne fonctionneront plus, sauf quelques rares exceptions compatibles HomeKit. La fin de cette gamme marque aussi les limites pénibles du marché de la maison connectée.

Although lithium is highly effective to treat bipolar disorder, the chemical has a narrow therapeutic window—too high a dose can be toxic to patients, causing kidney damage, thyroid damage, or even death, while too low a dose renders the treatment ineffective.
The dose of lithium varies between individuals based on body weight, diet, and other physiological factors, and requires regular measurement of lithium levels in the blood. Currently, this is only available through standard laboratory-based blood draws, which can be time-consuming, inconvenient, and painful. This makes personalized and easily-accessible lithium monitoring an important goal in the treatment for bipolar disorder.

InBrain says its technology utilizes the unique properties of graphene, a material known for its strength, flexibility and conductivity, combined with machine learning software to provide highly targeted and adaptive neuroelectronic therapy. InBrain's implant is only 10 micrometers thick—thinner than a human hair—and is designed to safely decode and modulate neural signals with high accuracy. The company has set its sights on developing personalized treatments for conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy and stroke rehabilitation. 

Dans une interview avec Y Combinator, Elon Musk a expliqué que son implant était déjà fonctionnel chez des singes et que l'un d'eux était équipé d'un implant Blindsight depuis trois ans. Selon lui, la définition serait assez basse au début - ce qu'il avait déjà comparé par le passé aux graphismes de l'Atari - « mais à long terme, vous aurez une très haute résolution et pourrez voir des longueurs d'onde multispectrales, de sorte que vous pourrez voir un radar, l'infrarouge et l'ultraviolet, comme un superpouvoir ».

"It seems that a lot of the comments here are from people that do not fully understand the deaf/hard of hearing community. Please correct me if I misunderstand what my daughter (who has profound hearing loss) has explained to me. Us hearing people THINK that we are being."

Advancements in brain-computer interface (BCI) technology are paving the way for remarkable innovations in assistive robotics, particularly in the realm of prosthetic devices. The latest research conducted by a team at Carnegie Mellon University, led by professor Bin He, reveals a groundbreaking achievement in noninvasive BCIs, allowing for real-time control of robotic hands at the individual finger level. This represents a significant leap forward in the application of BCIs, which have the capacity to revolutionize the everyday lives of individuals with disabilities.