This now makes it possible to view a total picture of the winding roads and their contacts without having to operate. Doctors can virtually browse along the spaghetti-like ‘wiring’ of the brain, with this new tool. To know accurately where the main nerve bundles in the brain are located is of immense importance for neurosurgeons. As an example he cites ‘deep brain stimulation’, with which vibration seizures in patients with Parkinson’s disease can be suppressed.
With this new tool, it is possible to determine exactly where to place the stimulation electrode in the brain. The guiding map has been improved: because we now see the roads on the map, we know better where to stick the needle. The technique may also yield many new insights into neurological and psychiatric disorders. And it is important for brain surgeons to know in advance where the critical nerve bundles are, to avoid damaging them.
More information:
http://w3.tue.nl/en/news/news_article/?tx_ttnews[tt_news]=10122&tx_ttnews[backPid]=361&cHash=e497383d04
More information:
http://w3.tue.nl/en/news/news_article/?tx_ttnews[tt_news]=10122&tx_ttnews[backPid]=361&cHash=e497383d04