1. Parkinson’s disease
Through deep brain stimulation, Parkinson’s disease has made a huge leap forward for the benefit of patients. Deep brain stimulation is a surgical technique perfected and developed in France in the late 1980s with the original idea of reducing the severity and consequences of brain lesion surgery (thalamotomy). Especially in the treatment of tremors, thanks to the functional aspect of deep brain stimulation, which is reversible and whose electrical parameters are adjustable. The indications for treatment have been gradually refined thanks to numerous scientific studies proving its effectiveness and good tolerability.
Today, significant advances in the treatment of brain diseases are reaching us not only through chemistry, through new molecules, but also through new technologies that make it possible to directly modulate the activity of neurons. This also applies to Parkinson’s disease, which has benefited from major advances in deep brain stimulation therapy. The technique involves implanting electrodes into a specific target area of the brain to deliver high-frequency, low-intensity electrical stimulation to that target area from a stimulator box. The latter is implanted in the chest or abdomen area. This results in many advantages for the patient, in particular the reduction of tremors.
Parkinson’s disease benefits from major advances in deep brain stimulation therapy. .
2. OCD
This neuroengineering approach has been successfully extended to other conditions, particularly those with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Severe, treatment-resistant OCD can be extremely disabling for people, who often develop depression in addition to obsessions and compulsions. As with Parkinson’s disease, this treatment delivers carefully controlled electrical stimulation to targeted parts of the brain and may help reduce some symptoms of OCD. For more than 10 years, deep brain stimulation has been a source of hope for the treatment of OCD, sometimes yielding spectacular results.
Approaches combining electrical and chemical stimulation have recently been used to restore motor skills in patients with spinal cord injury. Deep cerebral stimulation is also proposed in other pathologies, but currently still in the field of clinical research, such as: B. major drug-resistant depression, Gilles de la Tourette’s disease, anorexia nervosa or certain drug-resistant forms of epilepsy. In this case, they are carried out very framed by a specific research protocol.
For more than 10 years, deep brain stimulation has been a beacon of hope for the treatment of OCD. .
3.Alzheimer’s disease
If more than a million people suffer from a neurological disease, 70% of the cases are Alzheimer’s disease. The challenge is all the more important as this type of pathology is likely to increase as the population ages. Neurotechnology applications for Alzheimer’s disease are in the experimental stage, but there are possibilities: exposure to infrared light or acoustic stimulation at specific wavelengths, stimulation by magnetic waves, all possibilities being explored but it’s too early to tell consider clinical application. However, it is clear that neurotechnologies exist to provide alternatives and complements to pharmacological therapies.
Although the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, especially memory loss, are well known to scientists, it is sometimes difficult to diagnose when the patient has an atypical form of this disease. Therefore, researchers at the Institut du Cerveau recently developed an automated algorithm that makes it possible to correlate certain specific characteristics of brain lesions in patients with these forms of Alzheimer’s. The aim of this artificial intelligence project is therefore to identify the peculiarities of the cerebral lesions of the already known atypical forms of Alzheimer’s disease, but also to discover new variants of the disease.
Another innovation: based on the work of the Comete neuroscience laboratory at the University of Caen, a French start-up has recently developed an application to identify patients at risk. This prevention solution aims to detect the first signs of Alzheimer’s disease and treat patients as early as possible.
Finally, the latter could be done in the obstacle course to detect Alzheimer’s disease through a blood test. Something to revolutionize the currently established protocol. In fact, it may soon be possible to replace the heavy investigations involved in diagnosing the patient with a simple blood test. Such an advance, currently in testing, would be a huge step forward for the medical community. Less expensive to perform than brain imaging, less painful than a spinal tap, and quicker to detect (appointment delays are often long), this solution would be a major advance, especially for patients and their families.
Neurotechnologies should offer alternatives and supplements to pharmacological therapies. .
Thanks to the renown of its research and health center, its international relations and the attractiveness of the Principality, Monaco is a privileged place for the organization of international conferences focused on medical research, many of which have allowed entry into research and health protocols. In this land of excellence, the Cerebral Man Conference will be organized on March 25th at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. This 3rd edition, moderated by Mac Lesggy, moderator of the E=M6 program, will allow the general public to follow fascinating debates and ask questions to the experts present. Because if the event aims to promote meetings between different leaders from emerging fields of neuroscience, its aim is also to inform a non-specialized but interested audience about the progress of neuroscience.
The Foundation for the Study of the Central and Peripheral Nervous System (FESN), with the support of Manoglia, will present an extraordinary selection of great brain specialists to the public. .
Therefore, the Foundation for the Study of the Central and Peripheral Nervous System (FESN), with the support of Magnolia, will present to the public an extraordinary group of great brain specialists who are leading the latest advances in the application of new technologies for the treatment of brain diseases. The conference will make it easier for the general public to understand this field and ask questions of the experts.
Magnolia, a Monegasque start-up specializing in the development of research projects in neurology, will use this conference to promote the dissemination of knowledge in this field, highlighting innovations in neurodegenerative diseases and solutions to improve the quality of life of patients.