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 …
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 …
The long and winding road towards specific vagus nerve modulation Read More »
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, …
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. …
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 …
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 …
The proprietary CorTec neuromodulation system “Brain Interchange” was developed for the discovery of novel neurotherapies. With funding by the US-American National Institutes of Health (NIH), and in collaboration with one of the world leaders in the field, Professor Dr. Jeff Ojemann and his team from the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, …
With the support of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research, a new research network was established in 2021 that aims to develop new neurotechnological therapies for blindness, deafness, paralysis, and epilepsy. By combining recent knowledge about the brain with new possibilities within neurotechnology, the network’s approach is to establish high-bandwidth, wireless interfaces to the human …
INTENSE: Dutch neurotechnology network on brain-machine interfaces Read More »
When electrically stimulating a nerve to modulate a specific body function for treating a disease, it is essential to know exactly what you are doing. Peripheral nerves typically are heterogeneous bundles of fiber groups (fascicles) that can carry a variety of functionally different signals from or to different body parts. To evoke a specific response, …
Looking Inside of Nerves – a New Tool for Bioelectronic Medicine Read More »
Electrically stimulating the spinal cord can be an effective therapy for different kinds of treatment-resistant chronic pain. The exact mechanisms through which the stimulation suppresses pain are still not fully understood. In most systems currently used in patients, the electrodes are placed epidurally into the spinal cord canal. There is evidence that the stimulation effects …
A novel wireless research device for chronic pain relief Read More »