Neuroelectrics Wants To Be Fitbit for the Brain

Neuroelectrics Cap Flexible Easy to Wear Headgear

Neuroelectrics had been awarded the Bupa Startup Stage at WIRED Health 2015 for its cutting edge inventions comprising of cancer-detecting sniffer dogs, a natural birth control app together with a handheld device to track stress levels.

A US and Spain based company presenting its range of telemedicine platforms, has designed to stimulate and treat the brain and claims that the device could help the patients in recovering from various serious health problems like strokes, severe depression and epilepsy.

The company founded in 2012, in Barcelona by Ana Maiques and Giulio Ruffini, has developed a game changer for neuroscience – the Neuroelectrics Cap which is a flexible easy to wear headgear providing stimulations with the use of electroencephalography - EEG and transcranial Direct Current Stimulation – tDCS techniques.

The EEG tends to measure the electrical variances across points on the scalp and these variances are the outcome of electrical activity in the brain, utilised to analyse brain function. Information collected from the analysis could be helpful with new therapies as well as rehabilitation programs for people affected with neurological ailments or strain

Recover From Neurological Symptoms

Neuroelectrics’ vision according to CEO Maiques helps patents to recover from the neurological symptoms of chronic pain or for those going through rehabilitation for strokes. She explains that `they are unique since the headgear can be connected to the cloud as well as used in the home for three sessions a week of brain stimulation, under the doctor’s observation.

She compares Neuroelectrics to the DIY code of health tracking technology like Fitbit together with other wearable. She states that they have an ageing population which deals with chronic illnesses, though people tend to become more self-aware with regards to monitoring their health.

They believe that these self-monitoring technologies would become popular in the home over a period of time. In Barcelona, neuroelectrics are already being utilised for neuropathic treatment with studies presently being carried out in the US for effects of EEG treatment on epilepsy as well as age related intellectual weakening.

Treatment Affordable & Simple to Use

The company has been selling its Enobio – wireless EEG system as well as Starstim – wireless EEG plus stimulation headgear to over 30 countries.Presently the devices are sold directly to clinics and research centres where the patients are charged for the service every month.

However the purpose is to make the treatment affordable and simple to use in the patient’s own home. Maiques also clarifies that the technology has been helpful to children with brain disabilities to attain improved scores in math exams, through studies carried out at the University of Oxford by Roi Cohen Kadosh suggesting on the wider advantage that the headgear could provide.

But there seems to be some probable moral obstacles to Neuroelectrics of being utilised this way. The studies of Kadosh has shown that even a 20 minutes of brain stimulation with EEG could have an effect on the other areas of the brain and hence they have worked with doctors and researchers to ensure that the technology is used in an effective and safe manner.

Moreover, medical regulation would also take some time before the technology is made available, all over the world. Maiques is hoping that the technology would be a well-known tool in patient’s home in the coming five to ten years.