Brain Stimulation Links

I've come across a few more interesting links. IEEE Spectrum Online has another new article about ultrasound for brain stimulation. According to the article they have already tested ultrasonic neuromodulation on a live mouse. They were able to induce involuntary movement in the mouse by stimulating a specific area of the brain. Interestingly, ultrasound may also be used to lower the metabolic rate of a person's entire brain. This could be used to prevent brain damage after undergoing a brain insult. You can read the article here.

Researchers have developed another novel method of brain stimulation they call transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS). It sounds fairly similar in principle to transcranial direct current stimulation.

You can watch a video about transcranial direct current stimulation here. It's actually from the Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation (main site here). Its an informed consent video, but it gives a good overview of how tDCS is performed on a patient.

I have also come across a hubpage about another first hand account of getting a deep brain stimulation implant (see "My Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) Surgery").

Also there is a new paper discussing the application of transcranial magnetic stimulation for sleep disorders. Sometimes I wonder if researchers get a little carried away with these brain stimulation tools. It would seem like transcranial magnetic stimulation would be a fairly impractical way of improving sleep patterns.