We all intuitively know that our mental states can affect our physical wellbeing. Especially when it comes to fighting off infections, it is common knowledge that too much stress affects our resilience against germs. And yet, the concrete details of how our brain activity influences the immune system have remained largely unclear. A new, massively …
Bladder problems affect millions of people worldwide, significantly decreasing quality of life and often coming with additional medical complications. One of the most common syndromes is called “overactive bladder”, in which, as the name already suggests, patients experience a constant urge to urinate. In a recent story, we already reported how scientists are currently trying …
Strengthening “weak bladders” by nerve stimulation Read More »
Interstitial cystitis (IC), also called bladder pain syndrome (BPS), is a chronic bladder health issue that strongly affects everyday life of millions of people worldwide. Patients chronically feel pain and pressure in the bladder area and an increasing urge to urinate. The causes for the condition are still unclear and treatment attempts often remain unsatisfactory. …
Neuromodulation: now also a promising candidate for alleviating painful bladders Read More »
Basic research in animal models form an essential milestone on the pathway towards innovative medical treatments. For good reasons, clinical testing in human subjects can only start when the approach has been sufficiently tested and validated in preclinical experiments. Yet, translating a treatment idea from one species to another comes with challenges. Frequent obstacles range …
– a possible alternative to surgically implanted surface electrodes? Wouldn’t it be great if we could reliably measure our brain’s activities without the need to open the skull? An Australian team is exploring this possibility by adapting a technology from cardiology: A stent, inserted through a catheter into a cerebral blood vessel in the brain. …
Functional electrical stimulation of motor nerves or muscles has been used for decades to restore movements in paralyzed patients who suffered a spinal cord injury, for example. The idea is based on the seminal findings by Luigi Galvani in the 18th century. He could induce movements in frog legs when exposing them to electric voltages …
A central vision of bioelectronic medicine is to find ways to regulate body states through electric interactions with the nervous system rather than through administration of pharmaceuticals. Diabetes is one of the first major targets for this novel approach: Even the most advanced existing pharmaceutical therapies are still error-prone and complicated, often leaving patients with …
One of the major sources for complications in chronic neuromodulation are the wires connecting the different parts of the systems, or even penetrating the skin. They account for frequent device failures due to wire breaks and, especially when penetrating the skin, are a permanent risk of tissue irritations or infections. To overcome these problems, a …
Wireless Neuromodulation with CorTec Cuff Electrodes and novel ‘Electroparticles’ Read More »
Creating viable electric interfaces for delicate nerve structures is a real challenge – especially if they are to enable communication with particularly small nerves which are only as thick as a human hair. In an attempt to find the best technical and least costly option the authors of a recently pre-published study compared the performance …
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease for which no causal cure exists to date. The only treatment method available consists of closely monitoring blood sugar levels and injecting insulin several times a day. This treatment, however, does not eliminate the cause of the disease, has to be kept up for the patient’s whole life, …
Electrostimulation with CorTec Cuff Electrodes Inhibits New-onset Autoimmune Diabetes Read More »