User Stories Archives | CorTec | Thinking ahead – Innovation in Neurotechnology

A Software Interface for Developing Next Generation Neurotherapies

Closed-Loop Platform for Neurotherapy – NIH-funded Project for Stroke Rehabilitation The first “brain pacemakers”, developed several decades ago, stimulated a specific area of the brain constantly, regardless of the patient’s condition. The stimulation parameters could only be changed by the attending physician. Because this approach cannot respond quickly to changes in the patient’s condition …

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brain computer interface illustration human brain

Neuroprosthetics review highlights need for new hardware

A group of authors from the University of Bordeaux has assessed the state of the art in neuroprosthetics in a whole range of applications – from sensorimotor to cognitive functions. The results of their analysis are now available in a comprehensive review in Communications Biology. As the authors describe, the first attempts for neuroprosteses were …

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A promising bioelectronics target in our neck

The carotid bodies are small glands sitting in the bifurcation of the carotid arteries (which run along both sides of the neck and supply the brain with blood). It has long been known that the carotid bodies contain chemoreceptor cells. These sensors analyze the blood (including the concentrations of oxygen, carbon dioxide, pH, glucose and …

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AirRay Sling Cuff electrode wrapped around fingers - CorTec GmbH

Relax and learn! The vagus nerve also supports motor learning.

The vagus nerve is the major constituent of the parasympathetic nervous system. Together with the antagonistic sympathetic system, it forms the autonomic nervous system, which regulates lots of reflexes and organ functions. The vagus is usually associated with “rest and digest” or “feed and breed” type of behaviors, as opposed to the ”fight or flight” …

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Going through the pain to heal

It has been known for a long time that the vagus nerve can mediate anti-inflammatory responses. These reactions help lower body temperature and keep cytokine production at bay. This is why the vagus nerve is the target of many bioelectronic approaches for treating inflammatory diseases. Interestingly, however, the anti-inflammatory vagus response can also be induced …

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The long and winding road towards specific vagus nerve modulation

The vagus nerve is one of the biggest cranial nerves. It interconnects the brain with almost all internal organs, including the heart, the respiratory tract, the kidney, and the digestive tract. It mediates important reflexes for autonomic functions and modulates a wide range of body functions, making it an attractive target for bioelectronic interventions. On …

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One more stroke project granted by the NIH!

About half of the patients afflicted by a stroke permanently suffer from chronic deficits in arm and hand movements. These deficits are not ameliorated by classical physiotherapy and severely affect quality of life. New therapies are urgently needed. We recently reported on an NIH project with Professor Ojemann from the University of Washington at Seattle, …

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Tetraplegics use their hands again

Tetraplegia is a massively limiting condition, often caused by serious accidents, in which individuals are unable to move their legs or hands. Affected people are completely dependant on caregivers’ help around the clock. Any assistive device that could help these patients regain some control over their limbs, especially their hands, would be a tremendous achievement. …

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Against the Storm with the Vagus Nerve

Cytokine storm is a situation in which the response of the immune system gets out of hand, such that it actually causes more harm than good. The condition has received increased attention in the SARS-CoV2 pandemic, as it’s a serious complication of COVID-19. Cytokine storm means that there is an excessive release of cytokines flooding …

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Getting back that feeling.

For a project recently accepted for funding by the NIH, CorTec will supply novel electrodes to help people regain sensation from missing limbs. Losing a limb not only severely impairs our motor abilities, but also significantly impairs our level of independence. While prostheses can help to regain mobility, one of their biggest shortcomings is …

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