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 »
Inflammatory reactions are supposed to eliminate pathogens in our bodies. Unfortunately, they sometimes get out of control, eventually causing more serious damage than the pathogens themselves. Such overshooting inflammatory responses are, for example, one of the causes for severe cases of the Covid-19 disease, but also frequently occur in other inflammatory diseases that often become …
Specifically calming down the inflammatory system by nerve stimulation near the spleen Read More »
Delivering electrical currents to nerves can not only serve to stimulate them, by inducing action potentials that are carried along the nerve and finally activate the end organ (e.g., a muscle). Certain stimulation patterns can also suppress nerve activity, leading to an inhibitory effect on the respective end organs. This is of specific interest for …
CorTec’s cuff electrodes have proven extremely helpful as interfaces for electrically interacting with the peripheral nervous system. The range of possible applications is vast. Cuff sizes, shapes and contact arrangements can be tailored to the specific target nerves, and the electrodes can both, stimulate and record. Nerve stimulation is often used for activating muscles, e.g. …
A software tool for optimizing peripheral motor stimulation Read More »
Most users of CorTec’s implantable electrodes use electrical energy to power their neurostimulation device. Our long-standing collaboration partner Synergia Medical is exploring an alternative option: Light! A special promise of optoelectronic solutions is based on the fact that they can use light conductors instead of metallic cables for energy transmission. Metallic cabling poses a risk …
Seeing the light for treatment-resistant epilepsy Read More »
Our urinary bladders have to fulfil two very different functions: On the one hand, they need to reliably collect urine throughout the day without any unintentional leakage. On the other hand, they need to empty as completely as possible during urination. To that end, the muscles involved in those two processes need to perform opposite …
The extent to which our everyday life relies on dexterous usage of our hands is something that we usually only realize when things go wrong, e.g., when we break a bone and our hand is fixed in a plaster cast. Tetraplegic patients permanently suffer from these restrictions throughout their lives. Restoring hand movements, especially functional …
Getting a grip on life again – through sophisticated nerve stimulation Read More »