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.
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.
In recent years, the ongoing development of transcranial electrical stimulation (TES) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has demonstrated significant potential in the treatment and rehabilitation of various brain diseases. In particular, the combined application of TES and TMS has shown considerable clinical value due to their potential synergistic effects. This paper first systematically reviews the mechanisms underlying TES and TMS, highlighting their respective advantages and limitations. Subsequently, the potential mechanisms of transcranial electromagnetic combined stimulation are explored, with a particular focus on three combined stimulation protocols: Repetitive TMS (rTMS) with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), rTMS with transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), and theta burst TMS (TBS) with tACS, as well as their clinical applications in brain diseases. Finally, the paper analyzes the key challenges in transcranial electromagnetic combined stimulation research and outlines its future development directions. The aim of this paper is to provide a reference for the optimization and application of transcranial electromagnetic combined stimulation schemes in the treatment and rehabilitation of brain diseases.
Transcranial magneto-acoustic electrical stimulation (TMAES) is a novel method of brain nerve regulation and research, which uses induction current generated by the coupling of ultrasound and magnetic field to regulate neural electrical activity in different brain regions. As the second special envoy of nerve signal, calcium plays a key role in nerve signal transmission. In order to investigate the effect of TMAES on prefrontal cortex electrical activity, 15 mice were divided into control group, ultrasound stimulation (TUS) group and TMAES group. The TMAES group received 2.6 W/cm2 and 0.3 T of magnetic induction intensity, the TUS group received only ultrasound stimulation, and the control group received no ultrasound and magnetic field for one week. The calcium ion concentration in the prefrontal cortex of mice was recorded in real time by optical fiber photometric detection technology. The new object recognition experiment was conducted to compare the behavioral differences and the time-frequency distribution of calcium signal in each group. The results showed that the mean value of calcium transient signal in the TMAES group was (4.84 ± 0.11)% within 10 s after the stimulation, which was higher than that in the TUS group (4.40 ± 0.10)% and the control group (4.22 ± 0.08)%, and the waveform of calcium transient signal was slower, suggesting that calcium metabolism was faster. The main energy band of the TMAES group was 0−20 Hz, that of the TUS group was 0−12 Hz and that of the control group was 0−8 Hz. The cognitive index was 0.71 in the TMAES group, 0.63 in the TUS group, and 0.58 in the control group, indicating that both ultrasonic and magneto-acoustic stimulation could improve the cognitive ability of mice, but the effect of the TMAES group was better than that of the TUS group. These results suggest that TMAES can change the calcium homeostasis of prefrontal cortex nerve clusters, regulate the discharge activity of prefrontal nerve clusters, and promote cognitive function. The results of this study provide data support and reference for further exploration of the deep neural mechanism of TMAES.
ObjectiveTo review the research progress of neural regulation mechanism of vasculogenesis. MethodsThe relevant literature on neural regulation mechanism of vasculogenesis was extensively reviewed. ResultsNeural regulation of vasculogenesis depends on synergistic effect among various cells of neurovascular unit, and co-participation of multiple cytokines, and it is closely related to a variety of repair mechanism, such as nerve regeneration and synaptic plasticity, but the specific mechanism need to be further investigated. ConclusionThe research of the neural regulation mechanism of vasculogenesis will contribute to further understanding repair mechanism of nerves and vessels injuries.
Objective To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of sacral neuromodulation (SNM) in the treatment of neurogenic bladder and bowel dysfunction in patients with spina bifida. Methods The clinical data of 33 patients with neurogenic bladder and bowel dysfunction caused by spina bifida treated with SNM between July 2012 and May 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 19 males and 14 females, with an average age of 26.0 years (range, 18.5-36.5 years). The disease duration ranged from 12 to 456 months, with an average of 195.8 months. The types of spina bifida included 8 cases of occult spina bifida and 25 cases of meningocele/myelomeningocele. Clinical symptoms included 19 cases of urgency-frequent urination, 18 cases of urinary incontinence, 27 cases of chronic urinary retention, and 29 cases of bowel dysfunction. Image urodynamics showed that 4 patients had detrusor overactivity (DO) and 29 patients had detrusor underactivity (DU). Vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) was found in 5 ureters (4 patients). SNM procedure was divided into experiential treatment and permanent implantation. Patients who were evaluated as successful or willing to be permanently implanted after experiential treatment would implant the permanent pulse generator. ResultsThe duration of experiential treatment was 14-28 days, with an average of 19.2 days; there was no complication during this period, and the overall success rate was 69.69% (23/33). At the end of experiential treatment, the urination frequency in 24 hours, urine volume per time, urinary urgency score, and urine leakage of patients were significantly improved when compared with those before experiential treatment (P<0.05); there was no significant difference in postvoid residual volume between before and after experiential treatment (t=1.383, P=0.179). The success rate of patients with chronic urinary retention after experiential treatment (25.93%) was significantly lower than that of urgency-frequent urination (63.16%) and urinary incontinence (61.11%) (χ2=7.260, P=0.064). Compared with those before experiential treatment, the maximum cystometric capacity and compliance increased and the maximum detrusor pressure during filling decreased significantly (P<0.05). Among the 4 patients with DO before experiential treatment, DO disappeared in 2 cases; 27 patients with DU before experiential treatment did not recover the normal contraction of detrusor during micturition. Among the 5 ureters with VUR before experiential treatment, 2 VUR disappeared at the end of experiential treatment, and the VUR grade or the bladder volume before VUR of the other 3 ureters were improved. At the end of experiential treatment, the neurogenic bowel dysfunction (NBD) score and the grade of bowel dysfunction significantly improved (P<0.05). A total of 19 patients received permanent implantation, of which 11 patients needed to empty the bladder in combination with intermittent catheterization. ConclusionSNM is effective for neurogenic bladder and bowel dysfunction in patients with spina bifida. At the same time, it can significantly improve the urodynamic parameters during urine storage and avoid upper urinary tract damage.