Latest Electrophysiology Stories

Scientists have designed a novel, noninvasive system that allows users to control a virtual helicopter using only their minds, as reported in the online journal PLoS ONE on Oct. 26. The researchers, led by Dr. Bin He of University of Minnesota, created an EEG-based, noninvasive brain-computer interface that allowed users to accurately and continually navigate a virtual helicopter simply by thinking about where they wanted to craft to go. The task required users to direct their helicopter...

Potential mechanism for dazzling blue flashes of light in oceans identified It has long been known that distinctive blue flashes--a type of bioluminescence--that are visible at night in some marine environments are caused by tiny, unicellular plankton known as dinoflagellates. However, a new study has, for the first time, detailed the potential mechanism for this bioluminesence. The study, which was partially funded by the National Science Foundation, is reported by Susan Smith of Emory...

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Galenea Corp., a leader in the rapidly emerging field of synaptic transmission, today announced the publication of a paper in PLoS ONE demonstrating the development and validation of the MANTRA (Multiwell, Automated NeuroTRansmission Assay) system, Galenea's proprietary technology that enables high throughput screening of synaptic function directly on cultured primary neurons. Changes in synaptic function are now believed to play a central...

Rhythmic activity of neurons to code position in space Prof. Dr. Motoharu Yoshida and colleagues from Boston University investigated how the rhythmic activity of nerve cells supports spatial navigation. The research scientists showed that cells in the entorhinal cortex, which is important for spatial navigation, oscillate with individual frequencies. These frequencies depend on the position of the cells within the entorhinal cortex. "Up to now people believed that the frequency is...

Ion channels ensure the heart keeps time The heartbeat is the result of rhythmic contractions of the heart muscle, which are in turn regulated by electrical signals called action potentials. Action potentials result from the controlled flow of ions into heart muscle cells (depolarization) through channels in their membranes, and are followed by a compensating reverse ion current (repolarization), which restores the original state. If the duration of the repolarization phase is not just...

A gene that governs the flow of potassium in and out of cells in blood vessels could provide a new avenue for controlling blood pressure, said researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in a report in the current issue of the journal Hypertension. The gene, known as K2P6.1 or TWIK-2, is one of a family of potassium channel genes first discovered in the 1990s. In general, ion channels are tiny pores that, when opened, allow charged ions such as sodium, potassium or calcium to flow in and...

Integrated Practice Resources, LLC to Provide Illinois Medical Professionals With On-Site Needle EMG, NCV And In-Office Electrodiagnostic (EDX) Testing. Boca Raton, Florida (PRWEB) August 26, 2011 Eric Gliniecki, Chief Operating Officer, today announced in a continued effort to serve its clients and insurance company protocols, the launch of physician-directed Needle EMG along with NCVs for its in-office clientele in Illinois. Integrated Practice Resources, LLC, is the nation’s...

Today someone in a remote village in India is able to run an electrocardiogram (ECG) via their smart phone on a loved one having a potential heart attack and send to a doctor in New Delhi for analysis. Mobile technology is already bringing health care to places it has never been able to reach. However, there is still room for error that can lead to misdiagnosis. Xiaopeng Zhao, assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering at the University of...

As the gatekeepers of ion flow through cell membranes, ion channels are of key interest in numerous cellular processes. Now, a new study describes an innovative new computational model that realistically simulates the complex conditions found in biological systems and allows for a more accurate look at ion channel function at the level of individual atoms. The research, published by Cell Press in the August 17th issue of the Biophysical Journal, provides a remarkably detailed look at the...

An unexpected discovery has led scientists to open an intriguing new window into the human brain, via the visual system.Their finding may have implications for better understanding of states such as sleep, epilepsy and anaesthesia say the research team leaders Dr Sam Solomon and Professor Paul Martin of The Vision Centre and The University of Sydney.Potentially it could open up a new pathway for manipulating brain rhythms to manage disorders such as insomnia and epilepsy, the team speculate...