Publications by authors named "Jeffrey M Weiss"
Tactile feedback from brain-controlled bionic hands can be partially restored via intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) of the primary somatosensory cortex. In ICMS, the location of percepts depends on the electrode's location and the percept intensity depends on the stimulation frequency and amplitude. Sensors on a bionic hand can thus be linked to somatotopically appropriate electrodes, and the contact force of each sensor can be used to determine the amplitude of a stimulus.
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- Tactile signals from the hand are crucial for manual interactions, and they can be restored in bionic hands using a technique called intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) of the somatosensory cortex (S1).
- In this study, researchers tested the effectiveness of ICMS-based tactile feedback in human participants by examining how well they could perceive different levels of sensation based on stimulation intensity and force sensors in the bionic hand.
- The results demonstrated that using multi-channel biomimetic ICMS, which mimics natural touch patterns, provided stronger and more distinct sensations, leading to better performance in tasks that require force discrimination compared to traditional single-channel methods.
Article Synopsis
- - The study aimed to assess the stability of intracortical microelectrodes implanted in the motor and somatosensory cortex of a person with a spinal cord injury, focusing on how recording quality changes over time and the ability to evoke sensations through stimulation.
- - Findings showed that while both types of electrodes (platinum in the motor cortex and sputtered iridium oxide film (SIROF) in the somatosensory cortex) exhibited decreased signal quality over time, SIROF electrodes were better at continuously recording high-quality signals.
- - The detection thresholds for sensations evoked by stimulation decreased significantly over the course of the study, suggesting that ICMS can effectively provide sensory feedback for an extended period without adversely affecting recording
Article Synopsis
- Microstimulation of the somatosensory cortex can create artificial tactile sensations and may be used in brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) to help restore sensory function after injury or illness.
- Researchers tested how different stimulation settings, like amplitude and frequency, affected these sensations in two human subjects with spinal cord injuries.
- They discovered that while higher amplitude and longer stimulation increased perceived intensity, frequency effects varied, leading to either stronger or weaker sensations depending on the electrode used, which could inform better BCI development.
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- Intracortical brain-computer interfaces (iBCIs) can help individuals with severe motor or communication impairments regain independence by controlling computer cursors through brain signals.
- This study focused on improving cursor click decoding, using data from participants with tetraplegia to enhance both point-and-click and click-and-drag functionalities.
- By analyzing neural responses related to hand grasp, researchers found that a new decoding method based on transient responses was more effective than traditional approaches, marking progress toward better cursor control and potential clinical applications of iBCI technology.
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- Prosthetic arms can be controlled by brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), allowing people with tetraplegia to perform functional movements, but they often lack effective feedback during grasping.
- To enhance feedback, researchers used a bidirectional BCI that records brain activity and provides tactile sensations through microstimulation of the somatosensory cortex, improving the user's experience.
- With this technology, a participant significantly improved their performance with a robotic limb, cutting their task completion time in half from 20.9 seconds to 10.2 seconds by reducing time spent on grasping objects.
Article Synopsis
- - The study investigates the impact of New York State's consent requirement for HIV screening on screening rates, contrasting it with hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening, which does not require consent.
- - An analysis of 11,938 hospitalized patients in 2015-2016 revealed that 38.5% were screened for HIV compared to 59.1% for HCV, with a significant adjusted risk difference of 22.0% in favor of HCV screening.
- - The findings indicate that the consent requirement likely hampers routine HIV screening, implying that addressing perceptions and procedural differences between the two screenings is essential for improving public health outcomes related to HIV.
Intracortical Microstimulation Feedback Improves Grasp Force Accuracy in a Human Using a Brain-Computer Interface.
Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc
July 2020
Article Synopsis
- A study explored the use of a brain-computer interface (BCI) linked to a robot arm for people with spinal cord injuries, focusing on enhancing control via sensory feedback.
- Traditional BCIs lack the ability to provide users with a sense of how hard they are gripping, which is crucial for controlling force accurately.
- The research demonstrated that using intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) to evoke tactile sensations significantly improved accuracy in grasp force control compared to relying solely on visual feedback.
Introduction: The advent of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) has created an avenue for transplantation of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected donors into uninfected recipients (D+/R-). The donor transmission of HCV is then countered by DAA administration during the post-operative period. However, initiation of DAA treatment is ultimately dictated by insurance companies.
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- Motor commands for arm and hand movements usually come from the opposite side of the brain (contralateral motor cortex), but the same side (ipsilateral motor cortex) also shows some activity related to these movements, leading to confusion in previous research.
- This study used implanted microelectrodes to record neural activity from two subjects while they performed arm and hand movements in a virtual setting, aiming to understand the strength and independence of these motor signals.
- Results revealed that while ipsilateral arm movement is represented independently, it is weaker than contralateral movement; however, grasping movements were found to be similarly represented in both hands, raising new questions about how the motor cortex coordinates arm and hand functions differently.
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- * The amendment may contain important changes or additional information relevant to the paper's content.
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- African green monkeys (AGMs) can carry the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) without developing AIDS, unlike rhesus macaques (RMs) who are susceptible to it.
- Researchers used a new method called Conserved Gene Signature Analysis (CGSA) to compare gene expression in both species during acute SIV infection.
- AGMs show strong regenerative wound healing mechanisms and have a unique immune response that helps maintain mucosal integrity, preventing the inflammation that leads to immune system exhaustion seen in RMs.
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- Screening for HIV in Emergency Departments (EDs) is recommended to identify undiagnosed cases, as current efforts are insufficient.
- A study conducted in a busy urban ED found that only 38.7% of patients offered HIV screening consented, and just 12 patients were identified with undiagnosed HIV.
- With over 80% of undiagnosed cases not tested, the study highlights a need for better screening practices and strategies to increase patient consent rates in EDs.
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- Project INSPIRE provides a telementoring program to help primary care providers treat hepatitis C virus (HCV) by offering them guidance from specialists in an easily accessible format.
- The program includes weekly sessions that focus on teaching providers how to identify, assess, and treat HCV, improving their confidence in managing these patients.
- Results showed that participants felt more knowledgeable and satisfied with their ability to treat HCV, fostering a supportive network among providers and enhancing continuity of care for patients.
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- Peer review is essential for improving quality in radiology, covering aspects like diagnostic interpretations and patient safety events.
- A just culture promotes a nonpunitive environment for evaluating errors, focusing on prevention rather than blame, which helps foster continuous improvement in safety.
- The authors discuss how to implement a just culture in an academic radiology setting, using case examples to illustrate its application in various areas, including interpretive and procedural tasks.
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- The study addresses the challenge of electrical artifacts generated by intracortical microstimulation, which can interfere with brain-computer interface (BCI) performance and signal decoding in real-time.* -
- Researchers developed a modification to a clinical BCI system that employs signal blanking and digital filtering to effectively eliminate these artifacts without needing to adjust for varying electrode conditions.* -
- Validation tests showed that their method allowed for immediate spike detection after stimulation and maintained BCI performance during robotic control tasks, equating to trails without stimulation, highlighting its potential for practical application.*
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- To optimize brain-computer interface (BCI) systems, users must learn to modulate grasp force to effectively handle both heavy and fragile items.
- A study involving a person with tetraplegia tested how well intracortical recordings from their motor cortex could predict intended grasp force, achieving 69% accuracy in classifying neural responses.
- Findings showed that accurate force classification occurred during active grasping, not while moving or releasing the object, highlighting the need for improved algorithms for BCI users to manage daily objects.
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- NICU patients are at a higher risk for wrong-patient errors compared to non-NICU pediatric units, which was evident in a study analyzing over 850,000 NICU orders and 3.5 million non-NICU orders over seven years.
- A quality improvement study implemented an ID reentry intervention and a unique naming convention (e.g., “Wendysgirl”) to address these errors, with previous results showing a significant reduction in error rates.
- The findings indicated that the error rate dropped from 117.2 to 45.6 per 100,000 orders after implementing both interventions, demonstrating their effectiveness in enhancing patient safety in the NICU.
Article Synopsis
- - A study evaluated the effectiveness of an electronic medical record (EMR) prompt in increasing HIV testing rates among hospitalized patients at three hospitals in the Bronx, NY.
- - The results showed a significant rise in HIV testing rates from 9.5% to 21.8% after activating the EMR prompt, particularly among those without prior tests.
- - The use of the prompt also led to a higher number of new HIV diagnoses, indicating that the implementation of such reminders can enhance HIV screening in hospital settings.
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- * Studies on MAVS mice showed that MAVS helps control Ebola replication by triggering IFNα release, managing inflammation in the spleen, and reducing liver cell death, with macrophages being key players in this process.
- * The research highlights specific MAVS-related pathways that bolster resistance to Ebola and reveals that the virus adapts to evade immune responses through both RLR-MAVS interactions and suppressing other interferon responses.
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- Researchers are exploring intracortical microstimulation in the somatosensory cortex as a way to develop prosthetics that restore tactile sensations.
- Experiments showed that this stimulation can evoke realistic feelings of touch and pressure, allowing a person with spinal cord injury to perceive sensations from specific locations on their hand.
- The ability to control the intensity of these sensations by adjusting the stimulation level indicates that this technique could help improve the precision of hand movements when manipulating objects.
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- Recent studies highlight the potential of brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) for restoring upper limb function, but challenges remain in reliably controlling complex movements, like grasping objects.
- A method of shared control was tested, allowing users with tetraplegia to operate a prosthetic arm with BMI assistance while benefiting from computer-generated assistance for positioning and grasping.
- The results showed that using shared control significantly improved the accuracy and efficiency of object transfer tasks, demonstrating the effectiveness of integrating BMI with vision-guided robotic assistance.
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- The NHPRTR project is creating a large database of RNA-seq data from various non-human primates, including lemurs and hominids, to help understand their genetics.
- In its recent phase, NHPRTR added over 10 billion new RNA-seq data fragments from 11 selected primate species, covering around 15 different tissues per species.
- The updated resource provides high-quality expression data aligned with human genes, improving transcript annotations for macaques and aiding research in genome annotation and functional analysis across different primate species.
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- Existing mouse models fail to accurately represent the symptoms of lethal Ebola virus infection, making it difficult to study the disease's pathogenesis in typical laboratory settings.
- Researchers found distinct disease responses in mice from the Collaborative Cross panel, ranging from complete resistance to severe symptoms leading to death.
- The study suggests that genetic variations influence susceptibility to Ebola hemorrhagic fever, with specific alleles impacting inflammatory responses and immune cell behavior.