Last posts on cognitive prosthetics

Techniques and devices to restore cognition

2008-07-22T00:17:00+02:00

Techniques and devices to restore cognition.

Behav Brain Res. 2008 Oct 10;192(2):149-65

Authors: Serruya MD, Kahana MJ

Executive planning, the ability to direct and sustain attention, language and several types of memory may be compromised by conditions such as stroke, traumatic brain injury, cancer, autism, cerebral palsy and Alzheimer's disease. No medical devices are currently available to help restore these cognitive functions. Recent findings about the neurophysiology of these conditions in humans coupled with progress in engineering devices to treat refractory neurological conditions imply that the time has arrived to consider the design and evaluation of a new class of devices. Like their neuromotor counterparts, neurocognitive prostheses might sense or modulate neural function in a non-invasive manner or by means of implanted electrodes. In order to paint a vision for future device development, it is essential to first review what can be achieved using behavioral and external modulatory techniques. While non-invasive approaches might strengthen a patient's remaining intact cognitive abilities, neurocognitive prosthetics comprised of direct brain-computer interfaces could in theory physically reconstitute and augment the substrate of cognition itself.

Retina projector to help blind people

2006-07-28T14:20:00+02:00

From New Scientist

Partially blind people can now read using a machine that projects images directly onto their retinal cells.

The Retinal Imaging Machine Vision System (RIMVS) can also be used to explore virtual buildings, allowing people to familiarise themselves with new places.

The device, developed by Elizabeth Goldring, a poetry professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who is herself partially blind, is designed for people who suffer vision loss due to obstructions such as haemorrhages or diseases that erode the cells on the retina.

The user looks through a viewfinder and the images are focused directly onto the retina. The person can guide the light to find the areas that still work best. The machine uses LED light and costs just $4000.

TMS can improve subitizing ability

2006-07-18T00:31:10+02:00

Re-blogged from Omnibrain

A joint venture of the Australian National University and the University of Sydney investigated whether repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, TMS, can improve a healthy person's ability to guess accurately the number of elements in a scene, the London Telegraph reported.

The study was published this month in the journal Perception.

IEEE-USA fosters ICT for the aging population

2006-01-16T21:34:46+01:00

From the news release

The proper use of technology can improve the efficiency and quality of health care for our aging population, lower costs and perhaps improve senior citizens’ quality of life, according to a position recently adopted by IEEE-USA.

The oldest of the estimated 78.2 million baby boomers — the generation born between 1946 and 1964 — are turning 60 this year at the rate of 7,918 per day. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the United States’ over-60 population is expected to more than quadruple over the next decade, making it critical that geriatric healthcare providers take advantage of existing and emerging technologies to improve health care for this growing segment of society.