What Life Will be Like with Bioelectronic Medicine

In a first-of-its-kind gathering at the New York Academy of Sciences, researchers from some of the world’s leading universities and institutions convened to discuss at the 13th annual Key Symposium the various applications of bioelectronic medicine, the cutting-edge field that uses technology to treat disease and injury.

While still in early stages of development, bioelectronic medicine has already been proven in studies and clinical trials to successfully treat conditions including paralysis and rheumatoid arthritis.

For more information about BCI/EEG press here.

NeuroTechNix 2017 - Madeira Island, Portugal

NeuroTechNix will be a meeting point of multidisciplinary teams, of both biomedical and engineering professionals, academics and practitioners. It will promote translational discussions on how technology can meet the needs of both clinical practitioners and persons with neurological disorders. 

Neurotechnix will emphasize research and application of neurotechnologies to different neurological disorders, such as: Neuromuscular diseases, Parkinson disease, Developmental disorders, Dementia , Epilepsy, Sleep disorders, Multiple Sclerosis, Neuroinfections, Brain Tumors, Stroke, Traumatic brain injuries, Cerebral Palsy, Spinal Cord Injury, Vision and Hearing disorders, among others. 

Conference Topics: 

• Neural Rehabilitation and Neuroprosthetics: Applications to Complex Communication Needs; Assistive Technologies; Augmentative and Alternative Communication; Biofeedback Therapy; Brain/Neural Computer Interfaces; Case Studies; Clinical and Social Impact of Neurotechnology; Mobile Technologies; Outcome Measures; Privacy, Security and Neuroethics; Robotic Assisted Therapy; Stimulation Systems; Telerehabilitation; Users’ Perception and Experience on Technologies; Virtual Reality Tools;
• Neuroinformatics and Neurocomputing: (Artificial) Neural Networks; Artificial Life; Brain Models and Functions; Cognitive Science and Psychology; Information Processing; Learning Systems and Memory; Neurobiology; Pattern Recognition; Reverse Engineering the Brain; Self-organization and Evolution;Simulation Models;
• Neuromodulation and Neural Engineering: Biochips and Nanotechnology; Bionic Vision; Biotechnology; Cochlear implants; Cybernetics; Deep Brain Stimulation; Electrical Stimulation; Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES); Neuro-interface Prosthetic Devices; Optogenetics; Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation; 
• Neuroimaging and Neurosensing: Brain imaging; Diagnostic Sensors; EEG and EMG Signal Processing and Applications; Electrical and Magnetic Recordings; Intelligent Diagnosis Systems; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Mobile and Embedded Devices; Monitoring Systems and Techniques; Neural Signal Processing; Neuroimaging; Optical Imaging Techniques; Positron Emission Tomography; Real Time Monitoringof Neuromuscular and Neural Activity; Remote Neurosensing; Sleep Analysis;

Madeira Island, 30 -31 October 2017

Paper Submissions: May 22, 2017 

For more information about BCI/EEG press here.

ERPLAB Toolbox - OpenSource

ERPLAB toolbox is a freely available, open-source toolbox for processing and analyzing event-related potential (ERP) data in the MATLAB environment. ERPLAB is closely integrated with EEGLAB, a popular open-source toolbox that provides many EEG preprocessing steps and an excellent user interface design. 

ERPLAB adds to EEGLAB's EEG processing functions, providing additional tools for filtering, artifact detection, re-referencing, and sorting of events, among others. ERPLAB also provides robust tools for averaging EEG segments together to create averaged ERPs, for creating difference waves and other recombinations of ERP waveforms through algebraic expressions, for filtering and re-referencing the averaged ERPs, for plotting ERP waveforms and scalp maps, and for quantifying several types of amplitudes and latencies. 

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Wearable Sensing Solutions with Dry EEG Electrodes

The Wearable Sensing company from USA has an EEG Systems based on Dry Sensor Interface (DSI) technology with some advantages associated:

• Dry Sensors: High quality through hair EEG without skin abrasion or gels
• High Fidelity EEG signal: Comparable to that obtained with wet electrodes
• Low Noise: Patented circuit design reduces environmental noise
• Practical Headsets: Self-donned in less than 5 minutes and comfortable for hours
• Wireless: Integrated amplifiers, digitizers, and Bluetooth transmitters
• Motion Artifact Resistant: Mechanical isolation enables ambulatory use

For more information about BCI/EEG press here.

ICBBT 2017 - 9th International Conference on Bioinformatics and Biomedical Technology

ICBBT 2017 will be held during May 14-16, 2017 in Lisbon (FCT/UNL), Portugal. 

The primary goal of the conference is to promote research and developmental activities in Bioinformatics and Biomedical Technology. Another goal is to promote scientific information interchange between researchers, developers, engineers, students, and practitioners working in Portugal and abroad. 

The conference is held every year to make it an ideal platform for people to share views and experiences in Bioinformatics and Biomedical Technology and related areas.Topics of interest for submission include, but are not limited to:

• Biomedical imaging, image processing & visualization 
• Bioelectrical and neural engineering 
• Biomedical devices, sensors, and artificial organs 
• Health monitoring systems and wearable system 
• Bio-signal processing and analysis 
• Biometric and bio-measurement 
• Other topics related to biomedical engineering

For more information about BCI/EEG press here.

LSD effect in Human Brain

What is the effect of LSD in Human Brain causing abnormal sensasions and hallucinations? The answer can be obtained from Imperial College London researchers, working with the Beckley Foundation, that have visualised the effects of LSD on the human brain. Also a very interesting test to do with EEG.

“Our results suggest that this effect underlies the profound altered state of consciousness that people often describe during an LSD experience. It is also related to what people sometimes call ‘ego-dissolution’, which means the normal sense of self is broken down and replaced by a sense of reconnection with themselves, others and the natural world. This experience is sometimes framed in a religious or spiritual way – and seems to be associated with improvements in well-being after the drug’s effects have subsided.”

More information here.

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2017 BCI Award - 1st place: $3.000

Submissions for 2017 BCI Award are open until June 15th. You should consider the following questions when writing your submission:

• Does the project include a novel application of the BCI?
• Is there any new methodological approach used compared to earlier projects?
• Is there any new benefit for potential users of a BCI?
• Is there any improvement in terms of speed of the system (e.g. bit/min)?
• Is there any improvement in terms of accuracy of the system?
• Does the project include any results obtained from real patients or other potential users?
• Does the approach work online/in real-time?
• Is there any improvement in terms of usability?
• Does the project include any novel hardware or software developments?

The Award is open to any BCI research worldwide and 12 projects are nominated before the winner is announced:

• 1st place:     USD 3,000
• 2nd place:    USD 2,000
• 3rd place:     USD 1,000. 

More information here.

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BCI–Based Communication in the Completely Locked-In State

The study, published in PLoS Biology, detailed the researchers’ efforts in developing a non-invasive method to allow four completely locked-in patients to answer “yes or no” questions. The technique involves patients wearing a cap that uses infrared light to measure blood flow in different areas of the brain when they think about responding “yes” or “no” to a question. 

The researchers trained the patients by asking them control test questions to make sure the system could accurately record their answers, before asking questions about their current lives.

More information here.

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MyEmotiv: New APP for Emotiv EPOC

MyEMOTIV takes the complexity out of reading and interpreting brain waves, so it can measure mental performance and fitness.

• Capture, save and playback recordings of your brain activity;
• Measure six key cognitive and emotional metrics: focus, stress, excitement, relaxation, interest and engagement;
• Explore your brain’s activity patterns in real time with our popular 3D BrainViz viewer;
• Compare your results to previous sessions and the EMOTIV community;
• Get recommendations on activities you can do in daily life to improve your focus and manage your stress.

For more information about BCI/EEG press here.

Wireless EEG invasive electrode

One more (BIG) step to Brain-Computer Interfaces: Australian researchers at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and the University of Melbourne have developed an electrode that can record brain activity from the motor cortex, without the need for invasive brain surgery. 

The electrode, called a stentrode, is implanted into a blood vessel in the brain using minimally invasive surgical techniques. The electrode can record signals from the motor cortex and transmit them wirelessly through the skin to a device outside the body.

For more information about BCI/EEG press here.