A new miniaturized device that stimulates areas of the brain might help people with Parkinson’s disease, researchers said yesterday.
Chang Gung Memorial Hospital physician Zoe Chen (陳瓊珠) said that a Taiwanese team is developing a wearable “intelligent adaptive deep-brain stimulation system” that generates biomarkers to aid personalized therapy for people with advanced Parkinson’s.
Deep-brain stimulation involves the surgical implantation of electrodes and high-frequency electrical stimulation, Chen said.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Science and Technology
However, conventional systems deliver continuous electrical stimulation, which requires a constant source of power as well as affecting the speaking ability and muscle movement of those who undergo the treatment, she said.
To improve efficiency, Chen’s team developed an adaptive stimulation system that detects signals in the brain of people with Parkinson’s disease, she said.
Identifying such signals was part of her research with Oxford University professor Peter Brown over the past 12 years, Chen said, adding that she was Brown’s student while she pursued her doctorate in the UK.
The signals that are detected are linked to symptoms such as tremors, postural instability and emotional changes, she said.
Using the signals to guide the timing and amount of stimulation, the system was found to cut electricity requirements in half and improve the therapeutic efficiency by 35 percent, she said.
As the external part of the device was bulky, Chen three years ago began work with National Chiao Tung University’s Institute of Electronics to reduce its size and make it a wearable device.
The team developed a system-on-a-chip in collaboration with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, institute professor Morris Ker (柯道明) said.
The chip has integrated analog front-end amplifiers, analog-to-digital converters, digital signal processors, adjustable multi-channel electrical stimulators, wireless transmission and power management among other functions, Ker said.
The chip would be incorporated in a wirelessly charged stimulator to be implanted in the chest, he said.
The team is to start safety experiments on miniature pigs next month, and hopefully clinical trials on humans would start soon afterward, he said.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
RSS