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| Science & Technology |
| In first, FDA okays Israel-developed brain modulation device to treat PTSD |
| 2023-03-24 |
| [IsraelTimes] GrayMatters Health says world’s first non-invasive apparatus for stress disorder will teach patients how to regulate activity in the part of the brain that controls emotion. There are a variety of treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder, but none have previously allowed patients to use non-invasive technology to self-regulate their brain activity. That changed on March 21, when Israeli company GrayMatters Health (GMH), developer of digital self-neuromodulation therapies for mental disorders, announced that it has received clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration to market its flagship product, Prism, for post-traumatic stress disorder, better known as PTSD. Prism is a two-part device. It consists of a cap fitted with special electrodes worn by the patient. At the same time, the person engages with a unique interactive audio-visual interface that is meant to help them modulate their brain activity through a positive feedback loop. The system focuses on helping patients control the activity of their amygdala, the small region of the brain primarily associated with the limbic system, which mediates emotion and memory. The amygdala is a paired structure, with one part on each side of the brain. "When a patient is successful in lowering the activity of the amygdala, or the amygdala-related signal, then they get positive feedback from the device," Prof. Talma Hendler, developer of the technology, told The Times of Israel. Hendler, professor of neuroscience and psychiatry at Tel Aviv University and director of the Sagol Brain Institute at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, added that when a patient does this repeatedly, they learn the mental strategy that moves their emotional system to a calmer state. Hendler said she expects Prism to be commercially available for doctors to prescribe starting next year. It will be sold only to outpatient and private clinics, where staff will be trained in its use and patients will be able to undergo 15 half-hour sessions with the device. While wearing the cap, the patient watches a busy hospital or clinic waiting room on the screen. Animated figures are standing, walking around, and yelling. Babies are crying. Someone tries to get the attention of the clinic administrator behind the counter, growing increasingly agitated. "When the patient is successful in regulating their limbic system, then the room relaxes, as well. Figures start to sit down and the noises are lowered. So it is kind of resonant with the patient’s brain. This is the positive feedback. It’s continuous, and the more you go below your baseline, the quieter the waiting room gets," Hendler explained. Prism was developed using research done with IDF soldiers who underwent functional MRI (fMRI) scans before and after combat situations in 2009. "We found that the soldiers who had more amygdala activity prior to going into action developed more PTSD symptoms. This was the initial hint that amygdala hyper-activation is a marker for possibility developing psychopathology following trauma," Hendler said. |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
#5 Seems like low brain activity would inhibit PTSD. The brain has many subunits. Increased activity in one part of the brain can directly suppress activity in other parts of the brain. The old generic term for what this device is doing is "biofeedback" Here is a link about one of the clinical studies about Prism. |
| Posted by: Gromble Dribble4342 2023-03-24 14:14 |
| #4 Seems like low brain activity would inhibit PTSD. I should have been a soldier afterall. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2023-03-24 12:45 |
| #3 Clint Eastwood, Firefox |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2023-03-24 12:10 |
| #2 The first step in brain chips for soldiers. |
| Posted by: 49 Pan 2023-03-24 11:21 |
| #1 Man's worst enemy: Killer robot dogs that are controlled by soldiers' MINDS are trialed by Australian army |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2023-03-24 06:56 |