2023 News Briefs - International Neuromodulation Society

Earlier News:

Study Indicates rTMS Treatments Alter Neural Connectivity Brain-Wide in Treatment-Resistant Depressed Patients

Mar. 16, 2023 - An American Journal of Psychiatry study of treatment-resistant depressed patients reported widespread acute alterations in functional connectivity beyond the targeted cortical area after one rTMS (repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation) session. Patients with the most pronounced connectivity changes in session one tended to get more benefit from a 4-week course of therapy. (Source: Brain & Behavior Research Foundation)

Depression Severity was Decoded from Intracranial Neural Activity in a Recent Study

Mar. 16, 2023 - In a study published in Biological Psychiatry, intracranial electrodes were implanted in the prefrontal cortical regions in three human subjects with severe depression and depression severity scores were taken from neural recordings. Reduced depression severity was associated with decreased low-frequency neural activity and increased high-frequency activity. (Source: Neuroscience News)

Study Explored Relationship Between ECAP Thresholds and Behavioral T-levels in Implanted Children with Cochlear Nerve Deficiency

Mar. 15, 2023 - A study of 29 children diagnosed with cochlear nerve deficiency (CND) who underwent cochlear implantation found a significant correlation between electrically evoked compound action potential (ECAP) thresholds and behavioral-T levels. The results can more efficiently inform the selection of stimulation levels for children who cannot cooperate with behavioral testing. (Source: Scientific Reports)

Neurostimulation and Neuromodulation Offer New Approaches to Treat Dry Eye

Mar. 7, 2023 - Devices and pharmaceuticals that stimulate the trigeminal nerve have been found to produce real tears that provide relief for ocular surface disease. (Source: Healio)

Company’s FDA Clearance is Expanded for Neuromodulation Armband for Migraine

Mar. 1, 2023 - The Nerivio neuromodulation armband is available by prescription to treat migraine symptoms after onset, and newly expanded FDA clearance approved the device for migraine prevention. (Source: Fierce Biotech)

Study Details Early Vagus Nerve Mapping and Novel Vagus Nerve Stimulation Device

Feb. 28, 2023 - Researchers at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research published findings in the journal Brain Stimulation after microscopically mapping more than 100,000 fibers that comprise the vagus nerve. The study addresses how they are connected and what bodily functions they control, and insight into a vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) device that can actively target these fibers. (Source: Neuronews International)

Article Summarizes Spinal Cord Stimulation Study of Stroke Patients with Upper-Limb Paresis

Feb. 20, 2023 - NPR summarizes the publication of a four-week study in Nature Medicine which reports that cervical spinal cord stimulation improved arm and hand movement for two participants with limb paresis years after stroke. The article features the experience of one study participant and the medical team who conducted the study. (Source: NPR)

First-Person Article Details Impact of Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson’s

Feb. 20, 2023 - CBC News New Brunswick host Harry Forestell addresses how deep brain stimulation (DBS) can improve motor function control in some Parkinson’s patients and shares his first-person experience with the procedure, along with a video that demonstrates its effects. (Source: CBC News)

News Column Addresses Bioelectricity and Numerous Applications in Neuromodulation

Feb. 5, 2023 - A column about bioelectricity describes transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), deep-brain stimulation (DBS), and other potential therapeutic and elective implications of bioelectricity in neuromodulation. (Source: The Guardian)

Video Features Deep Brain Stimulation Patients for Movement Disorders

Feb. 5, 2023 - 60 Minutes Australia featured patients with Parkinson’s and essential tremor (ET) before and after their experience receiving deep brain stimulation (DBS), and addressed the procedure’s potential benefit for a range of movement disorders and other conditions. (Source: 60 Minutes Australia)

Company’s Sacral Neuromodulation System Received FDA Approval for Incontinence

Jan. 31, 2023 - Axonics’ received FDA approval for its fourth-generation R20 rechargeable sacral neuromodulation system for patients suffering from overactive bladder or fecal incontinence. (Source: MassDevice)

Company’s Spinal Cord Stimulation System Received FDA Approval for Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy

Jan. 30, 2023 - Abbott’s Proclaim XR spinal cord stimulation (SCS) received FDA clearance for patients to receive low doses of stimulation for diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) symptoms contributing to chronic pain. (Source: Pharmacy Times)

Nerve Stimulation Therapy After Spinal Cord Injury Shows Promise in Animal Studies

Jan. 30, 2023 - Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons published study findings in the journalBrainthat show promise in animals. If applicable in humans, patients with arm function impairment due to spinal cord injury could regain function as a result of the spinal cord associative plasticity (SCAP) technique. (Source: Technology Networks)

Company Received FDA Clearance for First Neuromodulation Device to Treat Tinnitus

Jan. 30, 2023 - Neuromod Devices’ neurostimulation system for tinnitus – Lenire – received initial FDA clearance. The system takes a two-pronged approach using tones to activate the auditory nerve and mild electrical stimulation of the tongue. (Source: Fierce Biotech)

Article Addresses Spinal Cord Stimulation for Sleep and Chronic Pain

Jan. 30, 2023 - Senior author Julie Pilitsis, M.D., Ph.D., and a team of researchers at Schmidt College of Medicine published a study in Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery which established minimally clinical important difference ranges for the insomnia severity index, a tool established to explore the relationship between insomnia and pain. This study revealed associations between sleep and depression but no correlation between sleep and spinal cord stimulation (Source: Florida Atlantic University)

Article Addresses How fMRI Technology May Help Inform Brain Stimulation

Jan. 27, 2023 - Ultrafast fMRI can now capture brain activity at sub-second levels which allows for real-time brain monitoring under simulation conditions. Associate Professor Kai-Hsiang Chuang’s laboratory at the Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) found that brain activity is dependent on one’s state, and that blood signal detected by fMRI may reflect network organization and cell type distribution. (Source: Neuroscience News)

Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation Can Improve Mild Cognitive Impairment

Jan. 27, 2023 - A double blind randomized controlled trial published in Brain Stimulation showed transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation can improve cognitive performance in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Evidence shows this technique could prevent or prolong MCI’s development into dementia. (Source: NeuroNews International)