With a global burden that has doubled over the past generation, the prevalence of Parkinson’s disease is now about 6.1 million[i]. This positions PD to be one of the world’s fastest growing neurological disorders. As a slow progressive disease, it is estimated that the economic burden of PD in just…

Meet one of the early users of the diaphragm pacing system. Note: this is an adaptation of a story from the book Bionic Pioneers It is all too common for neurotechnology devices to be an option of last resort. It is a precarious situation in which all other options have…

Meet an early pioneer of an implanted neuroprosthetic to restore hand function for paralysis — Pioneers are not made; they are missioned. Conventional thinking points to scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs as the sources of innovation. They definitely have a hand in the process, but we often forget the influence that the end-user, or consumer, has on the technology innovation process. Jim was one of those…

His journey of taking back his life with Closed-Loop Brain Stimulation for Epilepsy & Seizure Control — It was an air trauma nurse who found Mike. She was driving to work late at night when she saw taillights coming from an irrigation canal off the side of a rural road in northern California. After working a long day as a general contractor, Mike was driving home in…

For this veteran, she uses Percutaneous Surface Stimulation for Chronic Pain — There are so many options for treating chronic pain but finding the right solution and getting the right diagnosis is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Jill is no exception. Living in rural Wisconsin, she lives a very active lifestyle with her husband and three children, enjoying…

Tracking with Knowledge about Multiple Sclerosis — Kierstin was diagnosed with primary progressive multiple sclerosis a few years ago. Her physicians discovered lesions in her spine that indicated the disease. This is not the typical way to find MS. The most common way is the discovery of lesions in the brain. Getting to a diagnosis did not…

Deep Brain Stimulation for symptoms of Parkinson’s disease — This story is a combination of immediate impact and slow progression of Parkinson’s Disease, a degenerative brain disorder, and how one man changed his cards to gain a better quality of life. As a cardiac anesthesiologist, Jon was living his dream. He had a great job, a wonderful wife and…

Non-invasive stimulation to control Migraine Headaches Stress from work and strained relationships took a toll on Danielle as her migraine headaches became more severe and more frequent. This physically active young woman who loves to cook, bake, and work out found herself struggling as her migraines started to disrupt every aspect of her life. Migraine headaches…

In this Brain Interfaces series we covered the early technology developers, the array of use cases, surgically implanted brain interface devices, wearable technologies and the amazing bionic pioneers. The road to where we are today is paved with great successes and agonizing failures, but that is par for the course…