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The technology, known as photoacoustic computerized tomography, or PACT, has been developed by Lihong Wang, Bren Professor of Medical Engineering and Electrical Engineering, as a method for imaging tissues and organs. Previous versions of the PACT technology have been shown capable of imaging the inner structures of a rat’s body; PACT is also capable of detecting tumors in human breasts, making it a possible alternative to mammograms.
Now, Wang has made further improvements to the technology that make it so precise and sensitive that it can detect even minute changes in the amount of blood traveling through very tiny blood vessels as well as the oxygenation level of that blood. Since blood flow increases to specific areas of the brain during cognitive tasks blood flow will increase to the visual cortex while you are watching a movie, for example a device that shows blood concentration and oxygenation changes can help researchers and medical professionals monitor brain activ
A Caltech professor, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Southern California, has demonstrated for the first time a new technology for.
Strokes often leave people with reduced arm function, which is difficult to regain.
While physical therapy may help, full recovery is elusive and becomes even less achievable the more time passes after a stroke.
A new study documents what could be a breakthrough: Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) combined with physical therapy produces significant improvement even years following a stroke.
In the United States, someone will have a stroke every
40 seconds. This adds up to about 795,000 cases each year.
While the mortality rate from strokes is high a person dies of stroke every 4 minutes many people survive but with lasting damage. About 80% of people who had a stroke lose some arm function.
New treatment approach could be life-changing for many stroke patients
Every year, more than 795,000 people in the United States have a stroke. Of these, approximately 80% lose arm function and as many as 50-60% of this population still experience problems six months later.
Traditionally, stroke patients try to regain motor function through physical rehabilitation, where patients re-learn pre-stroke skills, such as eating motions and grasping. However, most patients eventually plateau and stop improving over time.
Now, results of a clinical trial published in The Lancet gives patients new hope in their recovery.
Patients who received a novel treatment that combines vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) and rehabilitation showed improvement in upper body motor impairment compared to those who received sham (inactive form of) stimulation and rehabilitation. Considered a natural antenna to the brain, the vagus nerve runs from the chest and abdomen to the brainstem and regulates many of the
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IMAGE: International, multi-center clinical trial results show surgical procedure may help restore hand and arm function after stroke view more
Credit: Courtesy of MicroTransponder Inc.
LOS ANGELES Every year, more than 795,000 people in the United States have a stroke. Of these, approximately 80% lose arm function and as many as 50-60% of this population still experience problems six months later.
Traditionally, stroke patients try to regain motor function through physical rehabilitation, where patients re-learn pre-stroke skills, such as eating motions and grasping. However, most patients eventually plateau and stop improving over time.
Now, results of a clinical trial published in