Locked-In ALS Patients Answer Yes or No Questions with Wearable fNIRS Device Created at SUNY Downstate
Mar 13, 2017
Brooklyn, NY – Functional near infrared spectroscopic (fNIRS) imaging (pronounced f-nears) has led to a breakthrough in communication with ALS patients who are "Locked-In," meaning they are in advanced stages of the disease where the brain is conscious and functioning, but they are unable to move any muscles, including the eyes.
Using a wearable system developed by SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University researcher
Dr. Randall Barbour, a team of investigators led by Professor Niels Birbaumer at the
Wyss Center for Bio and Neuroengineering in Switzerland and University of Tübingen
in Germany were able to measure the brain’s hemodynamic response to a series of ‘yes’
or ‘no’ questions, thus allowing these patients to communicate.
The results of the trial were published recently in PLOS Biology: http://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.1002593.
"For many years the scientific community has attempted communication with these subjects
using different neurosensing technologies," says Dr. Barbour. "Previous efforts using
fMRI and EEG had their limitations, so we built our device to detect changes using
near infrared spectroscopy."
Non-invasive and wearable, the fNIRS system may eventually be incorporated into a
home environment, allowing family, friends, and caregivers to communicate with the
patient for the first time since the onset of this severe stage ALS.
"The portability of this device is critical for the many weeks of training needed
to help subjects develop their new form of communication," Dr. Barbour added. "The
device measures the brain’s hemodynamic response, using fNIRS, and the readings are
then processed using specialized algorithms to recognize when a subject is responding
yes or no."
The technology was developed by Dr. Barbour and licensed to NIRx Medical Technologies,
through the SUNY Downstate technology transfer program.
Together with Professor Birbaumer, NIRx and other partners have been awarded a 3-year
grant to further advance fNIRS sensing capabilities working toward the development
of a version for in-home use.
This work was supported in part by DARPA project N66001-10-C-2008, New York State Department of Health, and the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke under Grant R42NS050007, R44NS049734, and R21NS067278.
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About SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn is one of four academic health centers (AMCs) in The State University of New York (SUNY) 64-campus system and the only SUNY AMC in New York City dedicated to health education, research, and patient care for the borough’s 2.7 million residents. Its flagship hospital, University Hospital at Downstate (UHD), is a teaching hospital and benefits from the expertise of Downstate’s exceptional medical school and world-class academic center research facilities. With a staff of over 800 physicians representing 53 specialties and subspecialties, Downstate offers comprehensive healthcare services to the community.
UHD provides high-risk neonatal and infant services, pediatric nephrology, and dialysis for kidney diseases and is the only kidney transplantation program in Brooklyn. Beyond its clinical expertise, Downstate houses a range of esteemed educational institutions, including its College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, School of Graduate Studies, and School of Public Health. Downstate fosters innovation through its multifaceted biotechnology initiative, the Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT, which support early-stage and more mature biotech companies.