Wristband with a Myriad of Sensors to Improve Lives of Dementia Patients

At the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration in Berlin, Germany researchers are working on a sensor and software package that would help people developing dementia to slow down the disease progression and improve their and their families’ quality of life. The system, that has already been tried on patients, revolves around a wristband that measures […]

HeadScan Keeps Your Jaw In Radar View

Engineers at Michigan State University working with folks at Bell Labs have developed a sensor that can detect the movement of a person’s mouth while being attached near the shoulder. The idea is to be able to measure people’s eating and drinking habits in a non-intrusive way, information that may end up being useful for managing eating […]

Paper Device Rapidly Measures Lithium Levels in Blood

Researchers at Hokkaido University in Japan have developed a paper-based point-of-care device which can measure lithium levels in a drop of blood. The device could help patients with bipolar disorder to keep track of their blood lithium levels. Lithium carbonate is used to treat bipolar disorder, but must be administered carefully as the concentration range […]

Meru Health Offers Biofeedback Tracking with New Wearable

Last week, Meru Health, a digital mental health clinic, announced the launch of a wearable to capture biofeedback, including heart rate variability (HRV), during mental health exercises. The clip-on wearable is affixed to an individual’s ear while they complete specific exercises, like breathing practices, directed by Meru’s platform. The goal is to show users a physiologically-relevant, quantifiable […]

Valkee Light Headset Improves Motor Reaction Time in Hockey Players

Valkee, the Finnish maker of the recently released light headset for seasonal affective disorder, has announced positive results of a study that light shone on the brain using their music player-like device has on reaction time. Verve Research, Finland was hired to conduct the trial on members of the Finnish national hockey league.  What they […]

Brain Scans May Accurately Diagnose Autism

A team from the Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International in Kyoto, Japan and Brown University may have discovered a way of diagnosing autism spectrum disorder using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans. The technique relies on software that analyzes functional connections between regions of the brain to decide whether someone is autistic. To build the […]

What’s the Matter with White Matter?

An article in the MIT Technology Review explains diffusion tensor imaging, a variant of MRI that follows water molecules as they glide along axons. Why is this new wrinkle important? Because MRIs of many mentally ill patients look normal — diseases like schizophrenia may have their roots in the axons: Conventional imaging techniques, such as structural MRI, […]

VA to Trial Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for ADD

Israeli business newspaper Globes is reporting that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has signed an agreement with Brainsway, a Jerusalem company profiled by us many times before, to trial the firm’s deep transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) device on twenty patients with attention deficit disorder. Experts believe that TMS technology might become increasingly useful as a new way […]

Virtual Reality Used to Spot Early Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease

Researchers from the University of Cambridge demonstrated the potential for virtual reality (VR) to serve as a diagnostic tool for diagnosing early Alzheimer’s disease more effectively than existing tests. The research is based on findings that the cells in the brain’s internal “global positioning system” of the entorhinal cortex are the first to be damaged […]

Cognivue Automated Cerebral Assessment System FDA Approved to Detect Early Signs of Dementia

Cognitive assessment for detecting early signs of dementia and for tracking therapy effectiveness is normally performed by trained professionals using specialty assessment tools. A new system is now coming out that will allow physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and other clinicians to easily perform these kinds of assessments. The Cognivue from Cerebral Assessment System (CAS), a Rochester, NY firm, won FDA de novo approval, effectively […]

Draper’s Wireless Brain Implant to Make New Therapies Possible

Draper, an engineering firm in Cambridge, MA, has developed a tiny wireless neuromodulation device that may be small enough to implant into the interior of the cranium right against the brain. Current brain stimulators are placed, like pacemakers, under the skin in the chest, with electric leads reaching out through the vasculature into the brain. […]

Future Of Mental Health

In Psych Hub’s interview with Johnny Taylor, CEO at SHRM, we’ll cover why we all long for diversity. However, workforces underestimated just how complicated diversity is to manage. Johnny will share why empathy helps bridge that gap between diversity…

Magnetoencephalography as An Objective Test for PTSD

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be a difficult condition to diagnose in patients that have difficulty “opening up” to a psychiatrist. Moreover, because symptoms of PTSD are often used as evidence in court cases, an objective test can be a welcome tool in helping to convict violent criminals. Now clinical researchers from the VA and […]

Valkee Headset Treats Seasonal Depression by Shining Light on the Brain

As the days continue to grow shorter in the Northern Hemisphere, patients who suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD) will start to experience symptoms of depression. Finish company Valkee Ltd. has performed research which shows that the brain is sensitive to light, and claims that its bright light headset can help treat SAD. The CE Marked device […]

Mental Illness Body Tracker Accurately Diagnoses PTSD

Mental illness can be notoriously difficult to diagnose in many cases, since symptoms may be invisible to physicians and those that are can be misleading. Objective methods that don’t rely on a direct observation would help to improve diagnosis. Researchers at Draper, the famous engineering firm in Cambridge, Massachusetts, have developed a system consisting of a […]

Vuzix Smart Glasses and Genzõ App Provide Live Life Experiences for Low-Mobility Patients

Vuzix, a New York-based supplier of smart glasses and augmented reality solutions, has partnered with 1Minuut Innovation, a Dutch healthcare innovation company, to provide a real-time life experience solution for low-mobility patients. The system consists of the Vuzix M300 smart glasses and the 1Minuut Genzõ app, and it allows patients who are confined to their house […]

Future Of Mental Health

There’s a big difference between mental health and mental healthcare. In Psych Hub’s interview with Thomas Insel, MD, (Co-founder of Humanest), he’ll share all about neuroplasticity and the 3 P’s of mental health.

Future Of Mental Health

In Psych Hub’s interview with Chirlane McCray, you’ll hear how she has redefined the role of First Lady of New York City, managing a robust portfolio to advance an ambitious agenda in support of all New Yorkers and was recognized as the 2019 “World…

Magstim FDA Cleared for 3 Minute Magnetic Stimulation Protocol for Major Depression

The FDA has cleared Magstim, a company based in Wales, to introduce its intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation (iTBS) as a treatment for Major Depressive Disorder. The therapy is available on the company’s Horizon transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) systems and only takes about three minutes per session. Previously, so-called repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) using the Horizon […]

Eye Test to Detect Alzheimer’s Disease Before Symptoms Start

At Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis researchers may have spotted signs of Alzheimer’s disease within patient eyes, potentially leading to a non-invasive and rapid test for the disease. “This technique has great potential to become a screening tool that helps decide who should undergo more expensive and invasive testing for Alzheimer’s disease prior […]

Future Of Mental Health

With the boundaries between work/life balance becoming blurred, Dr. Jessica DiVento shares the innovative work that Google + YouTube are doing to prevent burnout and empower employees to foster healthy, inclusive discussions.  

Future Of Mental Health

Paul Gionfriddo, President and CEO of Mental Health America, has held multiple mental health related positions throughout his 40-year career. As a mental health advocate, he shares his passion for early intervention, social emotional learning, and…

Hot daily news right into your inbox.