114 research outputs found
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Methods, systems, and devices for treating tinnitus with VNS pairing
A method of treating tinnitus comprising measuring a patient's hearing, determining the patient's hearing loss and the patient's tinnitus frequency using the measurements of the patient's hearing, programming a clinical controller with the measurements of the patient's hearing, selecting a plurality of therapeutic tones, where the therapeutic tones are selected to be at least a half-octave above or below of the patient's tinnitus frequency, setting an appropriate volume for each of the plurality of tones, repetitively playing each of the plurality of therapeutic tones, and pairing a vagus nerve stimulation pulse train with each playing of a therapeutic tone, thereby reducing the patient's perception of tinnitus.Board of Regents, University of Texas Syste
Vagus nerve stimulation paired with tactile training improved sensory function in a chronic stroke patient
Background: Recent studies indicate that vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) paired with rehabilitation can enhance neural plasticity in the primary sensory and motor cortices, improve forelimb function after stroke in animal models and improve motor function in patients with arm weakness after stroke. OBJECTIVE:To gain âfirst-in-manâ experience of VNS paired with tactile training in a patient with severe sensory impairment after stroke. Methods: During the long-term follow-up phase of a clinical trial of VNS paired with motor rehabilitation, a 71-year-old man who had made good motor recovery had ongoing severe sensory loss in his left hand and arm. He received VNS paired with tactile therapy in an attempt to improve his sensory function. During twenty 2-hour sessions, each passive and active tactile event was paired with a 0.5 second burst of 0.8âmA VNS. Sensory function was measured before, halfway through, and after this therapy. Results: The patient did not report any side effects during or following VNS+Tactile therapy. Quantitative measures revealed lasting and clinically meaningful improvements in tactile threshold, proprioception, and stereognosis. After VNS+Tactile therapy, the patient was able to detect tactile stimulation to his affected hand that was eight times less intense, identify the joint position of his fingers in the affected hand three times more often, and identify everyday objects using his affected hand seven times more often, compared to baseline. Conclusions: Sensory function significantly improved in this man following VNS paired with tactile stimulation. This approach merits further study in controlled clinical trials
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Methods, systems, and devices for pairing vagus nerve stimulation with motor therapy in stroke patients
A method of treating motor deficits in a stroke patient, comprising assessing a patient's motor deficits, determining therapeutic goals for the patient, based on the patient's motor deficits, selecting therapeutic tasks based on the therapeutic goals, performing each of the selected therapeutic tasks repetitively, observing the performance of the therapeutic tasks, initiating the stimulation of the vagus nerve manually at approximately a predetermined moment during the performance of the therapeutic tasks, stimulating the vagus nerve of the patient during the performance of the selected therapeutic tasks, and improving the patient's motor deficits.Board of Regents, University of Texas Syste
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Methods, systems, and devices for pairing vagus nerve stimulation with motor therapy in stroke patients
A method of treating motor deficits in a stroke patient, comprising assessing a patient's motor deficits, determining therapeutic goals for the patient, based on the patient's motor deficits, selecting therapeutic tasks based on the therapeutic goals, performing each of the selected therapeutic tasks repetitively, observing the performance of the therapeutic tasks, initiating the stimulation of the vagus nerve manually at approximately a predetermined moment during the performance of the therapeutic tasks, stimulating the vagus nerve of the patient during the performance of the selected therapeutic tasks, and improving the patient's motor deficits.Board of Regents, University of Texas Syste
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Systems, methods and devices for treating tinnitus
Systems, methods and devices for paired training include timing controls so that training and neural stimulation can be provided simultaneously. Paired trainings may include therapies, rehabilitation and performance enhancement training. Stimulations of nerves such as the vagus nerve that affect subcortical regions such as the nucleus basalis, locus coeruleus or amygdala induce plasticity in the brain, enhancing the effects of a variety of therapies, such as those used to treat tinnitus, stroke, traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.Board of Regents, University of Texas Syste
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Timing control for paired plasticity
Systems, methods and devices for paired training include timing controls so that training and neural stimulation can be provided simultaneously. Paired trainings may include therapies, rehabilitation and performance enhancement training. Stimulations of nerves such as the vagus nerve that affect subcortical regions such as the nucleus basalis, locus coeruleus or amygdala induce plasticity in the brain, enhancing the effects of a variety of therapies, such as those used to treat tinnitus, stroke, traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.Board of Regents, University of Texas Syste
Precise sound characteristics drive plasticity in the primary auditory cortex with VNS-sound pairing
IntroductionRepeatedly pairing a tone with vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) alters frequency tuning across the auditory pathway. Pairing VNS with speech sounds selectively enhances the primary auditory cortex response to the paired sounds. It is not yet known how altering the speech sounds paired with VNS alters responses. In this study, we test the hypothesis that the sounds that are presented and paired with VNS will influence the neural plasticity observed following VNS-sound pairing.MethodsTo explore the relationship between acoustic experience and neural plasticity, responses were recorded from primary auditory cortex (A1) after VNS was repeatedly paired with the speech sounds âradâ and âladâ or paired with only the speech sound âradâ while âladâ was an unpaired background sound.ResultsPairing both sounds with VNS increased the response strength and neural discriminability of the paired sounds in the primary auditory cortex. Surprisingly, pairing only âradâ with VNS did not alter A1 responses.DiscussionThese results suggest that the specific acoustic contrasts associated with VNS can powerfully shape neural activity in the auditory pathway. Methods to promote plasticity in the central auditory system represent a new therapeutic avenue to treat auditory processing disorders. Understanding how different sound contrasts and neural activity patterns shape plasticity could have important clinical implications
Chandra and Spitzer unveil heavily obscured quasars in the SWIRE/Chandra Survey
Using the large multi-wavelength data set in the chandra/SWIRE Survey (0.6
square degrees in the Lockman Hole), we show evidence for the existence of
highly obscured (Compton-thick) AGN, estimate a lower limit to their surface
density and characterize their multi-wavelength properties. Two independent
selection methods based on the X-ray and infrared spectral properties are
presented. The two selected samples contain 1) 5 X-ray sources with hard X-ray
spectra and column densities > 10^24 cm-2, and 2) 120 infrared sources with red
and AGN-dominated infrared spectral energy distributions (SEDs). We estimate a
surface density of at least 25 Compton-thick AGN per square degree detected in
the infrared in the chandra/SWIRE field of which ~40% show distinct AGN
signatures in their optical/near-infrared SEDs, the remainings being dominated
by the host-galaxy emission. Only ~33% of all Compton-thick AGN are detected in
the X-rays at our depth (F(0.3-8 keV)>10^-15 erg/cm2/s.
We report the discovery of two sources in our sample of Compton-thick AGN,
SWIRE_J104409.95+585224.8 (z=2.54) and SWIRE_J104406.30+583954.1 (z=2.43),
which are the most luminous Compton-thick AGN at high-z currently known. The
properties of these two sources are discussed in detail with an analysis of
their spectra, SEDs, luminosities and black-hole masses.Comment: ApJ accepted (to appear in May 2006 issue, vol. 642, of ApJ) Figures
2, 3, and 14 have been degraded due to space consideration
CfA3: 185 Type Ia Supernova Light Curves from the CfA
We present multi-band photometry of 185 type-Ia supernovae (SN Ia), with over
11500 observations. These were acquired between 2001 and 2008 at the F. L.
Whipple Observatory of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA).
This sample contains the largest number of homogeneously-observed and reduced
nearby SN Ia (z < 0.08) published to date. It more than doubles the nearby
sample, bringing SN Ia cosmology to the point where systematic uncertainties
dominate. Our natural system photometry has a precision of 0.02 mag or better
in BVRIr'i' and roughly 0.04 mag in U for points brighter than 17.5 mag. We
also estimate a systematic uncertainty of 0.03 mag in our SN Ia standard system
BVRIr'i' photometry and 0.07 mag for U. Comparisons of our standard system
photometry with published SN Ia light curves and comparison stars, where
available for the same SN, reveal agreement at the level of a few hundredths
mag in most cases. We find that 1991bg-like SN Ia are sufficiently distinct
from other SN Ia in their color and light-curve-shape/luminosity relation that
they should be treated separately in light-curve/distance fitter training
samples. The CfA3 sample will contribute to the development of better
light-curve/distance fitters, particularly in the few dozen cases where
near-infrared photometry has been obtained and, together, can help disentangle
host-galaxy reddening from intrinsic supernova color, reducing the systematic
uncertainty in SN Ia distances due to dust.Comment: Accepted to the Astrophysical Journal. Minor changes from last
version. Light curves, comparison star photometry, and passband tables are
available at http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/supernova/CfA3
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