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Ethical dilemma: Should brain wave games be called devices? | Massdevice.com On Call

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MassDevice On Call

MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Ethicists are calling on regulators to include brain-wave games under the medical device umbrella, making them subject to more stringent federal controls.

The games, such as Uncle Milton Star Wars Force Trainer, use a headband or helmet that picks up brain signals to allow players to direct objects with their thoughts.

The Nuffield Council on Bioethics thinks there needs to be more oversight and is calling for increased safety assurances by regulating the games as though they were medical devices, according to Metro.

"What we would like to see is action from the [European Union] to classify neuro devices as medical devices for regulatory purposes, even when they’re being used for non-health care ends," stated Graeme Laurie, a professor at the University of Edinburgh.

 The go-to dialysis treatment may be 2nd-rate for elderly patients

The gold standard treatment for kidney failure, a dialysis procedure that sets up a direct line from the patient’s veins and arteries to recirculate blood, might not be so great after all for elderly patients, according to 1 study. Other techniques, including catheter connection or arteriovenous grafts, might be better for elderly patients.
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 Brains stim for stroke-induced aphasia?

New evidence suggests that non-invasive brain-stimulation treatment might help stroke survivors recover the ability to speak. In a small study of 24 patients published in Stroke, some received a treatment called transcranial magnetic stimulation and some got fake stimulation. The therapy, which uses a magnetic coil to create muscle contractions in the brain, was shown to improve speech ability in treated patients 3x better than then control group.
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