Patients are benefitting from the use of a portable near infrared brain imaging device that is being used to compare healthy brain activity with that of those suffering with Parkinsons’ symptoms.
The findings, based on the use of the portable near IR device highlight the different roles the prefrontal cortex plays in balance and control. It’s hoped that this device, coupled with the knowledge and insight it provides, will aid physicians in detecting and treating Parkinson’s symptoms.
The device has been proven to be most effective in detecting “Parkinsonian syndrome” – a condition that has not risen to the level of Parkinson’s disease, but that mimics the symptoms including:
- Tremors
- Difficulty walking
- Rigidity in limbs
Attempts in the past to compare the brain activity and stability in people diagnosed with Parkinsonian syndrome were limited because the neuroimaging tools were only capable of monitoring information when a patient was lying flat. Researchers needed the ability to capture brain activity when the patients were performing daily tasks and standing and walking. The portable system provides that capability.
The device that utilizes functional near-infrared spectroscopy and uses light to monitor any changes in the blood oxygenation in the brain as the patients are performing specific tasks. The prefrontal cortex is the area of the brain responsible for high-level processing and memory, attention, decision making and problem solving. If an individual is learning a new skill, the neural activity is greater in the prefrontal cortex.
The near infrared spectroscopy device, unlike an MRI, is fully portable and involves the patient
wearing a headband while the device collects real time data. The patients wearing the device
are asked to perform tasks, stand, walk and read so researchers can monitor the brainwaves.
The information gathered showed researchers the ways in which those with Parkinsonian symptoms’ brains reacted to the tasks at hand. It’s hoped that with the utilization of the new technology that Parkinson’s patients will be diagnosed more quickly and treatments will be able to be started sooner.
Universe Kogaku designs and manufactures optical lenses for industrial, medical, high tech and electronic applications. Standard and custom lens assemblies are also available for scanners, CCTV, CCD/CMOS, medical imaging, surveillance systems, machine vision and night vision systems.