Deep-brain stimulation during sleep strengthens memory

This study provides provides the first physiological evidence from inside the human brain supporting the dominant scientific theory on how the brain consolidates memory during sleep. Further, deep-brain stimulation during a critical time in the sleep cycle appeared to improve memory consolidation.

AI Could Predict Ideal Chronic Pain Patients for Spinal Cord Stimulation

Spinal cord stimulation is a minimally invasive FDA-approved treatment to manage chronic pain such as back and neck pain. The ability to accurately predict which patients will benefit from this treatment in the long term is unclear and currently relies on the subjective experience of the implanting physician. A study is the first to use machine-learning algorithms in the neuromodulation field to predict long-term patient response to spinal cord stimulation.

Immersive virtual reality boosts the effectiveness of spinal cord stimulation for chronic pain

For patients receiving spinal cord stimulation (SCS) for chronic pain, integration with an immersive virtual reality (VR) system – allowing patients to see as well as feel the effects of electrical stimulation on a virtual image of their own body – can enhance the pain-relieving effectiveness of SCS, reports a study in PAIN®, the official publication of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP). The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.