A mind-reading device seems like science fiction, but researchers say they’re firmly on the path to building one. Using functional MRI (fMRI), a newly developed brain-computer interface can read a person’s thoughts and translate them into full sentences, according to a report published May 1 in Nature Neuroscience. The decoder was developed to read a person’s brain activity and translate what they want to say into continuous, natural language, the researchers said. “Eventually, we hope that this technology can help people who have lost the ability to speak due to injuries like strokes or diseases like ALS,” said lead study author Jerry Tang, a graduate research assistant at the University of Texas at Austin. But the interface goes even further than that, translating into language whatever thoughts are foremost in a person’s mind. “We also ran our decoder on brain responses while the user imagined telling stories and ran responses while the user watched silent movies,” Tang said. “And we found that the decoder is also able to recover the gist of what the user was imagining or seeing.” Because of this, the decoder is capable of capturing the essence of what a person is thinking, if not always the exact words, the researchers said. For example, at one point a participant heard the words, “I don’t have my driver’s license yet.” The decoder translated…  read on >  read on >

A significant number of patients take far longer to recover from a concussion than expected, and they may not be getting the care they need, according to a new study. Researchers from the United Kingdom who studied concussion patients found that almost half had changes in how regions of the brain communicate with each other. This may cause long-term symptoms, including fatigue, and impaired thinking and memory. Mild traumatic brain injury can happen in a fall, a sports incident, or from a cycling accident or car crash. Although called “mild,” it is commonly linked with persistent symptoms including depression, cognitive impairment, headaches and fatigue, as well as incomplete recovery. The researchers said only about half of people who suffer a concussion are fully recovered within six months, far less than the 90% some other recent studies have predicted. A CT scan or an MRI scan looks for signs of structural damage, such as inflammation or bruising after a concussion. In this study, researchers used an fMRI, or functional MRI, which looked at how different areas of the brain coordinate with each other. “Worldwide, we’re seeing an increase in the number of cases of mild traumatic brain injury, particularly from falls in our aging population and rising numbers of road traffic collisions in low- and middle-income countries,” said study co-author Emmanuel Stamatakis, leader of the Cognition…  read on >  read on >

(HealthDay News) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved a new drug for people who have a rare, inherited type of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The medication, toferson (Qalsody), targets a mutation in the SOD1-ALS gene. ALS attacks and kills nerve cells that control voluntary muscles. With ALS, patients lose nerve cells that affect chewing, walking, breathing and talking. The muscles weaken, and that leads to paralysis. The newly approved medication is made by the company Biogen, which is based in Cambridge, Mass. The FDA approved the drug based on evidence of a reduction in plasma neurofilament light, a blood-based biomarker of nerve injury and neurodegeneration. It did not show that the drug slowed the disease, the Associated Press reported. Still, “the findings are reasonably likely to predict a clinical benefit in patients,” the FDA said in a statement. “Since SOD1 mutations were first identified as a cause of ALS 30 years ago, the familial ALS community has been searching for genetically targeted treatments,” Jean Swidler, chair of Genetic ALS & FTD: End the Legacy, said in a Biogen news release. “Qalsody offers families who have lost generation after generation in the prime of their life to this devastating disease a therapy targeting the underlying cause of SOD1-ALS. Today marks an important moment in ALS research…  read on >  read on >

A gel applied directly into the brain could offer new hope for patients diagnosed with glioblastoma, the most common malignant brain tumor in adults. The gel cured 100% of lab mice with glioblastoma when it was applied to the tumor cavity following surgery to remove the cancer, said senior researcher Honggang Cui, an associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering with Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. The gel provides a workaround to some special challenges inherent in the treatment of brain cancer. The blood-brain barrier hampers the ability of cancer drugs to get into the brain, and immune response to brain tumors tends to be blunted, the researchers noted. Surgical removal of tumors is the standard of care for glioblastoma, but “the surgeon cannot remove all the tumor cells,” Cui said. “Some are left behind, and the cancer may come back.” The experimental gel fills in tiny grooves and irregular surfaces left in the brain after a tumor is removed, reaching areas that surgery might miss to kill lingering cancer cells. Glioblastomas are the fastest-growing brain tumors, and they are nearly always advanced when detected. Five-year survival rates are 22% for people ages 20 to 44, 9% for adults ages 45 to 54 and 6% for those ages 55 to 64, according to the American Cancer Society. The hydrogel is made of paclitaxel, a chemotherapy…  read on >  read on >

Each year, about 140 kids in the United States are diagnosed with a craniopharyngioma, a typically non-cancerous brain tumor that develops near the pituitary gland at the base of the brain. Doctors treat craniopharyngiomas with surgery to remove the entire tumor or a less aggressive surgery followed by radiation to kill any remaining cells. Now, a new study suggests that using proton therapy, a more targeted form of radiation, after surgery may stave off potential learning issues in the future — without compromising the already high survival rates seen in kids with these tumors. “Proton radiotherapy reduces exposure of normal brain tissue in children treated for brain tumors,” said study author Heather Conklin, chief of the neuropsychology section in the psychology department at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. “For children undergoing treatment for craniopharyngioma, this reduced exposure results in reduced doses to the temporal lobes of the brain, which theoretically should result in less cognitive problems following treatment.” With conventional radiation or photon therapy, X-rays pass through the tumor to parts of the brain that are responsible for learning. By contrast, proton therapy stops within the tumor, sparing normal brain tissue and reducing collateral damage, such as learning issues. For the new study, the researchers compared how the two therapies stacked up in 94 kids treated for craniopharyngioma. Kids who received proton…  read on >  read on >

Skin conditions may be the first sign that a person has a rheumatic disease that will also affect the joints, muscles or ligaments. It’s essential to know what to look for, said Dr. Kathryn Dao, an associate professor of internal medicine in the Division of Rheumatic Diseases at UT Southwestern in Dallas. “Skin lesions can occur at any time,” Dao said in a university news release. “If they are associated with an autoimmune disease, they will manifest when the disease is active. When autoimmune diseases are treated, the skin lesions will usually improve.” People should see their doctors if their skin lesions are painful or if they are combined with other symptoms, such as fever, weight loss, diarrhea or joint swelling. It is fine to monitor skin conditions to see whether they resolve on their own if there are none of these other symptoms, Dao said. “If the lesions progressively get worse, patients should try to get in to see their doctor sooner for an evaluation,” she said. Dao said it’s important to avoid scratching skin lesions, which may worsen or cause an infection. She also urged people to protect themselves from the sun and get regular skin checks. Dao and colleague Dr. Benjamin Chong, an associate professor of dermatology at UT Southwestern, highlighted some common skin problems that they say could foretell of a…  read on >  read on >