Articles

The Brain Innovation Days bring together key opinion leaders, researchers, industry, start-ups/innovators, policy makers, investors, health care professionals, patients and the even wider brain innovation ecosystem.

The brain is undoubtedly the most important organ in the human body, but it remains one of the most mysterious to date. While the mechanisms behind numerous brain conditions are shrouded in mystery, the burden of brain disorders, mental and neurological alike, continues to grow. Increased support and dedication to understanding, treating and curing the ailments of the brain are of major importance in improving the lives of those living and affected by brain conditions.

Researchers, start-ups and innovators, big pharma and beyond are all working tirelessly to provide these solutions. The Brain Innovation Days aim to highlight the importance of understanding the brain, showcase the potentials of increased innovation in the brain field and the impressive work coming out of the brain innovation space.

UK and US join forces to tackle dementia with innovative biomarkers

Innovate UK has awarded four UK companies a share of £4 million funding through Contracts for Innovation to support innovative research into dementia diagnosis.

The funding will enable organisations to evaluate blood-based and digital biomarkers as part of the Bio-Hermes-002 study. This international study is led by the Global Alzheimer’s Platform Foundation® (GAP), a leading research group based in the US.

How smart homes can predict dementia onset

The RADAR-AD project put a group of elderly people into a smart home and used sensors to identify whether they had difficulties with basic daily tasks – which may indicate early dementia onset.

British teen receives world's first epilepsy device implant

A British teenager with severe epilepsy has become the first child in the world to receive a brain implant to control his seizures. 

It took seven hours for neurosurgeons at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital to fit this brain implant.

Blood test using AI could help predict Parkinson's disease early

Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative condition impacting around 10 million people globally, especially older individuals.

A new blood test using artificial intelligence (AI) may be able to predict Parkinson’s disease seven years before symptoms appear in patients.

Parkinson's risk is twice as high for older adults with anxiety - study

New research shows that adults who develop anxiety for the first time later in life are more likely to go on to develop the neurodegenerative condition.

Climate change and disorders of the nervous system

Anthropogenic climate change is affecting people’s health, including those with neurological and psychiatric diseases. Currently, making inferences about the effect of climate change on neurological and psychiatric diseases is challenging because of an overall sparsity of data, differing study methods, paucity of detail regarding disease subtypes, little consideration of the effect of individual and population genetics, and widely differing geographical locations with the potential for regional influences. 

This new device could help people with spinal cord injuries restore function in their hands and arms

Its developers say it’s the first device which doesn’t need to be implanted into the patient. A new device may help patients who have lost movement in their hands and arms gain that function again.

Clues to autism's causes may lie in the gut

Researchers are exploring the links between microorganisms in the human gut and neurodevelopmental disorders in the hope of accelerating diagnosis and treatment. The human gut may provide indications about causes of autism.

Food for thought: obesity may affect the brain too

Calorie-filled meals with little nutrition are suspected of having an impact on decision-making and of causing an overweight trap. People who eat lots of fast food are more likely to have chronic inflammation.

Brain-harming chemicals seen in clearer light with fresh findings

EU researchers have identified new ways that certain substances can interfere with people’s hormone system and brain development, by expanding the understanding of endocrine-disrupting chemicals.

Discovery of five subtypes of Alzhaimer's enriches the EPND database

Alzhaimer’s disease is known to affect people along a spectrum. The work illustrated the benefit of large datasets such as the EPND database to find important patterns in biological data.

Autism with co-occuring epilepsy care pathway in Europe

Autism and epilepsy often occur together. Epilepsy and other associated conditions have a substantial impact on the well-being of autistic people and their families, reduce quality of life, and increase premature mortality. Despite this, there is a lack of studies investigating the care pathway of autistic children with co-occurring epilepsy in Europe.

Economic Evaluation of anti-epileptic Medicines for Autistic Children with Epilepsy

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) examines the cost-effectiveness of treating epilepsy with anti-epileptic medicines in autistic children, looking at impacts on healthcare providers (in England, Ireland, Italy and Spain) and children’s families (in Ireland). 

Viewpoint: Europe needs to boost the quality of research and innovation jobs

EU initiatives have increased the number of young researchers and innovators, but without proper career structures and security of employment this talent pool drain could away

Second Alzheimer’s drug to slow disease’s progression may be approved in the US this year

The full approval this month of the Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi marked a historic shift in the treatment of the disease: For the first time, doctors have a medicine to prescribe that has been proven to slow the loss of memory and ability to do daily tasks that Alzheimer’s brings.

Relevance of ω-6 GLA Added to ω-3 PUFAs Supplements for ADHD: A Narrative Review

Investing more money in science is not enough to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century. We also must recognize a diverse set of approaches to scientific advancement.

Open Science practices and publish or perish dilemmas

How is this publish or perish dilemma impacted by developments in research such as those offered by Open Science (OS)?

A call for understanding the mechanisms of non-pharmacological interventions

On January 4, 2022, the EU Joint Programme – Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND) initiative launched a transnational call for understanding the mechanisms of non-pharmacological interventions.

Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare report

The Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare report provides an overview of national strategies, the uses and plans for AI in healthcare, and stakeholder views

Innovation is not a linear race, it’s a dance between discovery and use

Investing more money in science is not enough to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century. We also must recognize a diverse set of approaches to scientific advancement.

EANS Research Fund

The European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (EANS) has established a research fund to pump prime projects to enable the acquisition of the pilot data necessary to apply for more substantial funding.

Simulation-based method to target Epilepsy goes into clinical trial

In what represents a major milestone on the path to clinical application, a novel method to improve outcomes of Epilepsy surgery has now received approval for clinical testing in 13 French hospitals.

The Potential of Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy-Based Neurofeedback—A Systematic Review and Recommendations for Best Practice

The effects of electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)-neurofeedback on brain activation and behaviors have been studied extensively in the past. 

Shining Light On The Brain to Understand How It Works

Have you ever thought that light could tell you something about your brain?

Introducing Registered Reports, a New Way to Make Science Robust

To encourage the replication of findings, we should ask researchers to describe their methods before they conduct experiments

A peer-reviewed portrait of suffering

James and Lindsay Sulzer have spent their careers developing technologies to help people recover from disease or injury. Their daughter’s freak accident changed their work—and lives—forever.

Genome Medicine Article

Genome Medicine

Towards a European health research and innovation cloud (HRIC)

Novo Nordisk Fonden

2021 Novo Nordisk Prize recipient: paving the way for novel therapeutic options for brain disorder

BRAINTEASER

BRAINTEASER is a data science project that seeks to exploit the value of big data, including those related to health, lifestyle habits, and environment, to support patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and multiple sclerosis and their clinicians.

Printed Electronics Now

Graphene flagship spin-off INBRAIN raises €14+ million 

Science Business

Leading CEOs call for €100B technology sovereignty fund

NEO.Life

Neuroprivacy as a basic human right

Science Business

EU should provide long-term start-up support, innovators say

EBRA

James and Lindsay Sulzer have spent their careers developing technologies to help people recover from disease or injury. Their daughter’s freak accident changed their work—and lives—forever.

European Medicines Agency

Qualification of digital technology-based methodologies to support approval of medicinal products

EURACTIV

Over 20% of digital healthcare startups emerged during the pandemic

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery

Digital health technologies in clinical trials for central nervous system drugs: an EU regulatory perspective

The burden of neurological diseases in Europe

An analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Sifted

The European startups hacking your brain better than Elon Musk’s Neuralink

A. Gustavsson et. al.

The cost of disorders of the brain in Europe 2010

The Parliament Magazine

The EU needs a strong research and innovation investment pipeline to support its digital transformation

MacKinsey & Company

The costs of disorders of the brain in Europe 2010

IBRO - International Brain Research Organization

Professor Juan Lerma reviews Neuralink