Research looks to advance advanced viz
 |
| Beth Walsh, Editor, CMIO |
Most recently, the FDA has allowed marketing of a handheld device intended to aid in the detection of intracranial hematomas using near-infrared spectroscopy. The device is expected to help determine if a CT study is needed in patients with critical head injuries.
The Infrascanner Model 1000 uses a scanner that directs near-infrared light, a wavelength of light that can penetrate tissue and bone, into the skull. Blood from intracranial hematomas absorbs the light differently than other areas of the brain. The scanner detects differences in light absorption (optical density) and transmits the information wirelessly to a display on a handheld computer.
The FDA is specifying special controls in an accompanying regulation classifying the Infrascanner Model 1000 as a Class II device with special controls which provide information about specific risks that must be addressed by other manufacturers who may wish to market a similar device.
Also on the brain imaging front is a study from the January issue of Archives of General Psychiatry on how the different ingredients in marijuana appear to affect regions of the brain differently during brain processing functions involving responses to certain visual stimuli and tasks.
The authors used functional MRI to study regional brain function during salience processing of participants after administration of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD) and placebo. Study participants performed a visual oddball task of pressing buttons according to the direction of on-screen arrows as a measure of attentional salience processing.
The findings led the researchers to note that THC may induce psychotic symptoms through its effects on the striatum and lateral prefrontal cortex. “These effects suggest that CBD may also influence the effect of cannabis use on salience processing–and hence psychotic symptoms–by having an opposite effect, enhancing the appropriate response to salient stimuli,” the authors wrote.
Looking ahead to new research, the European Research Council has awarded a team of researchers from the University of Southampton a €2.8 million ($3.6 million U.S.) grant to support research into enhanced nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), which could lead to brighter and more precise MR images.
Research in Southampton has previously demonstrated the existence of quantum states that have very long lifetimes—up to half an hour in the case of the common substance nitrous oxide. The grant will support a project that involves a combination of the hyperpolarization effect with the long-lived quantum states developed in Southampton. The combination could enable enhanced NMR signals which last long enough to perform an MRI scan.
It is hoped that this research, which will run over the next four years, will lead to the development of new tools for clinicians to detect metabolic or anatomical abnormalities in the body. The long term aim is the development of a range of clinical applications, including the early detection of cancer, according to the university.
How are published studies and ongoing research affecting your work? Please share your thoughts.
Beth Walsh
bwalsh@trimedmedia.com
Editor, CMIO
Beth Walsh,
Editor
Editor Beth earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s in health communication. She has worked in hospital, academic and publishing settings over the past 20 years. Beth joined TriMed in 2005, as editor of CMIO and Clinical Innovation + Technology. When not covering all things related to health IT, she spends time with her husband and three children.