News

Media and Mediocrity The neurotechnology industry, like other businesses, depends on an informed and enlightened press to spread its message. This is true for the trade press that covers technologies and markets, as well as the more general interest media such as newspapers, magazines, and television. While there has not always been an overwhelming display of interest and understanding of our indus…

Market Resuscitation Although venture capital investment in the neurotechnology industry was somewhat slow to develop in the early years of this industry, more recently, we have seen a number of VC firms take an active interest—and financial stake—in promising neurotech startups. Frequently, this investment has benefited ventures targeting relatively large markets, such as stroke, or obesity. This…

Flexible Electronics Promise New Neurotech Applications Researchers at a number of institutions in the U.S. and Europe are currently working on applications for flexible electronics, including several that may find their way into neurotechnology devices. Flexible electronic structures offer neural engineers the potential to bend, expand, or otherwise manipulate sensors and stimulation electrodes in nerve or muscle tissue in a more natural manner than is possible with rigid devices.

Afferent Corp. Targets Sensory Signals as Novel Neurorehabilitation Strategy ial director Afferent Corp. of Providence, RI, is pioneering a new class of neuromodulation devices that target afferent, or sensory, signals from the peripheral nervous system. Unlike most current neuromodulation devices that use electrical stimulation to activate the efferent neural pathways of the central nervous system…

Neurotech Leaders Forum Participants Discuss New Market Opportunities ial director About 90 representatives of various segments of the neurotechnology industry attended the 2007 Neurotech Leaders Forum, held in Newport Beach, CA last month. The two-day event featured three short courses and a consumer/end-user panel on the first day and several industry panel discussions on the second day. Keynote…

DBS Gains Awareness as Therapy for Traumatic Brain Injury The market potential for deep brain stimulation as a treatment for traumatic brain injury increased dramatically this month following a well publicized procedure involving a patient in a minimally conscious state and investigators at three U.S. institutions. The work, reported in the August 2 issue of Nature, stems from research at the Cleveland Clinic, the JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Center, and Weill Cornell Medical College.

2006 in Review As years go, 2006 was not the watershed year that 2005 was for the neurotechnology industry, nor was it the depressing time that we saw in the early years of this decade. We witnessed a number of promising technology and market developments, and a few disappointments. But overall, the neurotechnology industry is, in our view, on a stronger footing now than it was a year ago. From a financial standpoint, there were no multi-billion dollar mergers in 2006, or anything even coming close.

Competition Heats Up in Consciousness Monitoring market for depth-of-anesthesia monitoring systems, currently dominated . with its BIS technology, is heating up. At least two new competitors have entered the market recently, potentially creating a new competitive landscape in the brain state analysis segment of the neurosensing market. Cleveland Medical Devices Inc. recently introduced its WAV CNS index, based on the company’s NeuroSense monitor.

Slow Wave Stimulation May Help Treat Brain Disorders , senior technical editor We are taught that long hours of study or practice are the best means to learn new material. However, recent work indicates that sleep is essential for consolidating new memories. The underlying mechanisms are not well understood but two competing theories posit that it is the effects of chemical modulators or the widespread oscillations in brain electrical activity that contribute to memory consolidation during sleep.

Playing the Field Much of what we have covered in this publication since its founding five years ago relates to implanted electrodes that deliver stimulation to the brain and other portions of the nervous system. In this issue, we consider two forms of stimulation that do not require implanted electrodes. These are transcranial magnetic stimulation and slow wave electrical fields. As NBR senior tec…