UW to Test BrainPort® Device for Patients with Stroke or Brain Injuries
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Can You Balance with Your Tongue?
MADISON - Can a patient who has balance problems actually use the tongue to stand up straight?
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health hope that a balance device that uses nerve fibers on the tongue to transmit information about head and body position to the brain can make a serious difference for patients who have balance disorders related to stroke or traumatic brain injury. Previous studies have shown promising results in patients with vestibular dysfunction, such as bilateral vestibular disorder, acoustic neuroma or Menière disease.
Named BrainPort,® and developed by Wicab, Inc, this experimental device uses an accelerometer to provide head and body position information to the brain through electrotactile stimulation of the tongue. Sensitive nerve fibers on the tongue respond to electrodes to enable a rapid transfer of electrical information.
MADISON - Can a patient who has balance problems actually use the tongue to stand up straight?
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health hope that a balance device that uses nerve fibers on the tongue to transmit information about head and body position to the brain can make a serious difference for patients who have balance disorders related to stroke or traumatic brain injury. Previous studies have shown promising results in patients with vestibular dysfunction, such as bilateral vestibular disorder, acoustic neuroma or Menière disease.
Named BrainPort,® and developed by Wicab, Inc, this experimental device uses an accelerometer to provide head and body position information to the brain through electrotactile stimulation of the tongue. Sensitive nerve fibers on the tongue respond to electrodes to enable a rapid transfer of electrical information.
Using the same tongue display technology paired with camera image sensors, the experimental BrainPort vision device has already been used to help blind individuals "see."
UW researchers Mary Beth Badke, PT, PhD, Stephan Deutsch, MD, and Jack Sherman, PhD, are partnering with Middleton-based Wicab to launch a clinical study that will assess the safety and efficacy of training with the BrainPort® balance device.
UW researchers Mary Beth Badke, PT, PhD, Stephan Deutsch, MD, and Jack Sherman, PhD, are partnering with Middleton-based Wicab to launch a clinical study that will assess the safety and efficacy of training with the BrainPort® balance device.
Sherman, a UW Health clinical psychologist and one of the study's co-principal investigators, was sparked to participate in the trial by a positive experience one of his patients had with BrainPort®. The man had suffered a traumatic brain injury.
"The patient reported that using the BrainPort® helped not only with balance, but other areas in which he had deficits, including sensation, tremor and mental clarity," says Sherman. "More importantly, the BrainPort® gave him hope."
Part of the challenge of BrainPort® is to train the brain to interpret the information it receives through the stimulation device and use it like data from a natural sense. Research from prototype devices showed such training is possible, as patients with severe bilateral vestibular loss could, after time, maintain near-normal posture control while sitting and walking, even on uneven surfaces.
"The patient reported that using the BrainPort® helped not only with balance, but other areas in which he had deficits, including sensation, tremor and mental clarity," says Sherman. "More importantly, the BrainPort® gave him hope."
Part of the challenge of BrainPort® is to train the brain to interpret the information it receives through the stimulation device and use it like data from a natural sense. Research from prototype devices showed such training is possible, as patients with severe bilateral vestibular loss could, after time, maintain near-normal posture control while sitting and walking, even on uneven surfaces.
Through this study, researchers hope to also examine BrainPort®'s potential effectiveness for disorders that affect vestibular function, such as after-stroke balance problems, migraine-related dizziness or motion sickness.
BrainPort® Study Requirements
BrainPort® Study Requirements
To participate in the clinical study, patients must:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Have a documented history of stroke or traumatic brain injury for a duration of at least 3 months which has been treated with conventional therapy
- Have reached a plateau and been discharged from physical therapy
- Be able to walk with assistance
- Have an increased fall risk (Berg balance scale score of <46/56 or Dynamic Gait Index score of <21)
- Be willing to complete all follow-up evaluations
- Have no implanted medical devices
- Have no history of seizures
For additional information regarding study participation, please contact Mary Beth Badke, principal investigator, at UW Hospital and Clinics at (608) 263-8088 or mbadke@uwhealth.org.
Date published: 4/28/2008