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Sci-Fi Gets Real
Researchers at the University of Washington used a brain-to-brain interface to cause the thoughts of one person to control the movement of another who was located in a building approximately 1 mile away.
The non-invasive interface com- bined electroencephalography (EEG) for recording brain signals with transcranial magnetic stimula- tion (TMS) for delivering information.
Motor imagery in EEG signals recorded from one person, known as the “sender,” was transmitted
over the Internet to the motor cortex region of a second person, known as the “receiver.” The sender played a video game and was asked to imag- ine firing a cannon to defend a city, while an EEG recorded the sender’s
brain signals. The receiver, fitted with a cap containing a TMS coil placed over the portion of the brain involved in hand movement, sat in another building across campus with a hand poised over a computer touchpad. As the sender imagined firing the cannon, a signal caused
a hand twitch in the receiver, which in turn made the cannon fire on the sender’s video game screen.
The accuracy of the brain-to- brain communication varied from
25 to 83 percent among participating
pairs. Researchers were awarded a $1 million grant by the W.M. Keck Foundation, which they will use to expand their work of decoding and transmitting more complex brain processes between humans.
Source: PLOS One, Direct Brain-to-Brain Interface in Humans, November 5, 2014, accessed December 2014 at plosone.org.
signals to oncologists that the teen- age or young adult cancer patient may be facing issues other than the disease. Regardless of appearances, teenagers and young adults can be masters of disguise, suppressing a volcano of emotion beneath a very calm surface.
Source: Dan Neel, Are We Listening to Our Teen and Young Adult Patients with Cancer? November 6, 2014, accessed December 2014 at cancertherapyadvisor.com.
MedFlat Survival Rates: Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Patients
For the past 40 years, survival rates for teenagers and young adults with cancer remains at an astounding flatline. All other age categories for pediatric and adult cancer patients have made dramatic gains, and despite the fact that teenagers and young adults are recognized as having a high endurance to chemo- therapy and radiation treatment, the survival rate for young people has remained unchanged for decades.
A study published online revealed that 45 percent of cancer patients between the ages of
13 to 24 died within 12 months of their diagnosis. Some died before beginning any form of cancer treatment. Of the 95 early deaths reported, only four young persons began cancer treatment, yet all 95 had cancer listed as the cause of death on the death certificate. And although this population group is known for a high risk of suicide, none of the death certificates listed suicide as the cause.
Some believe, however, given this age group’s susceptibility to sui- cidal thoughts, a diagnosis of cancer may cause greater psychological trauma than oncologists recognize, and this trauma may work against
a young person’s desire to survive. Dr. Archie Bleyer, FRCP, a clinical research professor in the depart- ment of radiation at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Oregon, has been studying the disparity between young adult cancer survival rates and other
age groups for almost a decade.
Dr. Bleyer believes young people may mask a fear that, left uncovered or ignored, may prove counterpro- ductive to the mental stamina and will to survive required by cancer patients. Dr. Bleyer believes a good starting point to reduce this fear is to address misconceptions the patient may have about his or her particular cancer.
Warning signs, such as non- adherence to therapy and missing scheduled appointments, should be
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