Control at beyond-visual ranges is of great significance to animal-robots with wide range motion capability. For pigeon-robots, such control can be done by the way of onboard preprogram, but not constitute a closed-loop yet. This study designed a new control system for pigeon-robots, which integrated the function of trajectory monitoring to that of brain stimulation. It achieved the closed-loop control in turning or circling by estimating pigeons’ flight state instantaneously and the corresponding logical regulation. The stimulation targets located at the formation reticularis medialis mesencephali (FRM) in the left and right brain, for the purposes of left- and right-turn control, respectively. The stimulus was characterized by the waveform mimicking the nerve cell membrane potential, and was activated intermittently. The wearable control unit weighted 11.8 g totally. The results showed a 90% success rate by the closed-loop control in pigeon-robots. It was convenient to obtain the wing shape during flight maneuver, by equipping a pigeon-robot with a vivo camera. It was also feasible to regulate the evolution of pigeon flocks by the pigeon-robots at different hierarchical level. All of these lay the groundwork for the application of pigeon-robots in scientific researches.
Objective To investigate the number, distribution and characteristics of the treatment of epilepsy by vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) under China's three-grade diagnosis and treatment system from 2022 to 2023. Methods Researchers from the China Association Against Epilepsy (CAAE) conducted investigations on the number and distribution of epilepsy centers, as well as the number and distribution of VNS treatments for epilepsy from 2022 to 2023 through online and telephone surveys. Results A total of 435 epilepsy centers in China participated in the treatment of epilepsy by VNS under the three-grade system, among which 191 (43.91%) were in the eastern region. From 2022 to 2023, a total of 1 888 VNS procedures were carried out. Among them, 1 255 procedures (66.47%) were carried out in the eastern region; 1 253 procedures (66.37%) were carried out in third-level epilepsy centers, and 635 procedures (33.63%) were carried out in second-level epilepsy centers. Conclusions The promotion and application of VNS for the treatment of epilepsy under China's three-grade diagnosis and treatment system have achieved preliminary outcomes. However, there are still a regional imbalance in the VNS treatment and a shortage of abilities in primary epilepsy c enters.
For those patients with refractory lower urinary tract dysfunction who are not well treated by traditional therapy such as behavior therapy and drug therapy, neuromodulation technologies have gradually become alternative treatments. Several neuromodulation technologies are also used in animal experimental and clinical scientific research by more and more scholars, in order to find more effective methods and mechanisms of treatment of lower urinary tract dysfunction. This article introduces the principle and advantages of common neuromodulation technologies, which focuses on the application in lower urinary tract dysfunction treatment, and analyzes the direction and the broad prospect of neuromodulation.
Diabetes and its complications that seriously threaten the health and life of human, has become a public health problem of global concern. Glycemic control remains a major focus in the treatment and management of patients with diabetes. The traditional lifestyle interventions, drug therapies, and surgeries have benefited many patients with diabetes. However, due to problems such as poor patient compliance, drug side effects, and limited surgical indications, there are still patients who fail to effectively control their blood glucose levels. With the development of bioelectronic medicine, neuromodulation techniques have shown great potential in the field of glycemic control and diabetes intervention with its unique advantages. This paper mainly reviewed the research advances and latest achievements of neuromodulation technologies such as peripheral nerve electrical stimulation, ultrasound neuromodulation, and optogenetics in blood glucose regulation and diabetes intervention, analyzed the existing problems and presented prospects for the future development trend to promote clinical research and application of neuromodulation technologies in the treatment of diabetes.
Approximately 70 million people worldwide suffer from epilepsy, with about 9 million in China. About one-third of patients demonstrating resistance to traditional antiseizure medications (ASMs), Focal Cortical Stimulation (FCS) emerges as a novel neuromodulation therapy based on neural stimulation, showing potential in treating drug-resistant focal epilepsy. FCS reduces seizure frequency by diminishing abnormal excitability in cortical areas. Compared to traditional surgery, it carries lower risks and is particularly suited for patients whose epileptogenic foci are difficult to surgically localize. Its adjustability provides physicians with treatment flexibility, allowing them to tailor therapy based on patient conditions. Recent studies highlight the practical clinical application of FCS, underscoring its advantages in reducing the frequency of drug-resistant epilepsy seizures. The article concludes by exploring the future prospects of FCS, emphasizing the need for research in long-term efficacy assessment and patient adaptability, thus demonstrating its significant potential and direction for development in the field of epilepsy treatment.
Electromagnetic stimulation is an important neuromodulation technique that modulates the electrical activity of neurons and affects cortical excitability for the purpose of modulating the nervous system. The phenomenon of inverse stochastic resonance is a response mechanism of the biological nervous system to external signals and plays an important role in the signal processing of the nervous system. In this paper, a small-world neural network with electrical synaptic connections was constructed, and the inverse stochastic resonance of the small-world neural network under electromagnetic stimulation was investigated by analyzing the dynamics of the neural network. The results showed that: the Levy channel noise under electromagnetic stimulation could cause the occurrence of inverse stochastic resonance in small-world neural networks; the characteristic index and location parameter of the noise had significant effects on the intensity and duration of the inverse stochastic resonance in neural networks; the larger the probability of randomly adding edges and the number of nearest neighbor nodes in small-world networks, the more favorable the anti-stochastic resonance was; by adjusting the electromagnetic stimulation parameters, a dual regulation of the inverse stochastic resonance of the neural network can be achieved. The results of this study provide some theoretical support for exploring the regulation mechanism of electromagnetic nerve stimulation technology and the signal processing mechanism of nervous system.
With the breakthroughs of digitization, artificial intelligence and other technologies and the gradual expansion of application fields, more and more studies have been conducted on the application of digital intelligence technologies such as exoskeleton robots, brain-computer interface, and spinal cord neuromodulation to improve or compensate physical function after spinal cord injury (SCI) and improve self-care ability and quality of life of patients with SCI. The development of digital intelligent rehabilitation technology provides a new application platform for the functional reconstruction after SCI, and the digital and intelligentized rehabilitation technology has broad application prospects in the clinical rehabilitation treatment after SCI. This article elaborates on the current status of exoskeleton robots, brain-computer interface technology, and spinal cord neuromodulation technology for functional recovery after SCI.
Objective To elucidate the new concept and theory of neurorestoratology. Methods With the review of the development course and important research works in the field of neurorestoratology during the 20th century, especially recent 30 years, the regularity summary, science and technology philosophy induction, and theory distillation were carried out in this article. Results The new discipl ine system was brought forward as follows: ① Definition: neurorestoratology was asub-discipl ine of neuroscience which studies neural regeneration, neural structural repair of replacement, eruroplasticity and neuromodulation. The core purpose was to promote neural functional recovery of all neural degenerative diseases and damages. ② One central task and two basic points: to recover neurological function was the central research task all the time and the two basic points were the precl inical (basic) neurorestoration and the cl inical neurorestoration. ③ Four rationale of the discipl ine: l imited renovation, relearning, insufficient reserve, and l ifelong reinforcement. ④ Five major factors of neurorestoratology (5N’s dogma): neuroregeneration, neurorepair, neuroplasticity, neuromodulation, neurorehabil itation. “Neuroprotection” appeared to be included in the broad definition. ⑤ Four-step rule of neurorestoratology: structural neurorestoration, signal neurorestoration, rehabil itative neurorestoration, and functional neurorestoration. ⑥ Emphasize that translational medicine from lab to bed in neurorestoration. Conclusion The discipl ine of neurorestoratology has the vast development prospectand will be sure to increase the rapid progress of the basic and cl inical restorative neuroscience.
Parkinson’s disease is a common neurodegenerative disorder with continuously rising incidence rates. Existing pharmacological treatments have complications and cannot halt disease progression. Transcranial focused ultrasound stimulation (tFUS), as a novel neuromodulation technology, demonstrates unique advantages in Parkinson’s disease treatment. tFUS exerts multiple effects through mechanical mechanisms at multiple levels, including protecting dopaminergic neurons, regulating neurotransmitter systems, and improving neural circuit function. Preclinical studies have confirmed its potential in improving both motor and non-motor symptoms, and early clinical studies have shown good safety profiles. However, the clinical translation of tFUS still faces challenges such as parameter optimization and individualized treatment protocols, requiring validation of long-term efficacy through large-scale clinical trials.