Neural Electronics Vendors Show Wares at Society for Neuroscience Meeting

by James Cavuoto, editor
More than 28,000 neuroscience researchers, clinicians, and technologists attended the 31st annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego last month. The scientific program, themed “Unraveling the Mysteries, Delivering the Cures,” lived up to its billing, with several neuroscience pioneers and Nobel laureates delivering presentations. Eric Kandel of Columbia University presented a talk on the molecular biology of memory, and its application in understanding Alzheimer’s disease. Solomon Snyder of Johns Hopkins University presented a “history of neuroscience” lecture that traced the last 40 years of work in understanding neurotransmitters.

Several hundred exhibitors filled the lower level of the San Diego Convention Center. While many of these firms primarily cater to the research market, there is a migration of products from the laboratory to clinical settings.

Electronics and Instrumentation
Numerous manufacturers of electrophysiological stimulation and recording equipment displayed a variety of hardware and software products. Neuralynx, Inc., a Tucson, AZ, manufacturer of electrophysiology recording systems, had one of the largest booths at the show. Other manufacturers of electronic instrumentation included Alpha Omega, Bak Electronics, Cleveland Medical Devices, Plexon, Inc., and Tucker-Davis Technologies.

Bionic Technologies, Inc., of Salt Lake City, UT, the company co-founded by Richard Normann of the University of Utah, attracted much attention for its 100-electrode array. President Brian Hatt told NBR that the company is looking at vision prostheses and motor prostheses as two potential areas of growth in the years ahead.

Motion Analysis Systems
There were also several manufacturers of motion analysis systems used in biomechanical analysis and motor prosthesis development. These included Innovative Sports Training, Inc., Vision Research Graphics, Motion Analysis Corp., and Skill Technologies, Inc.

A new company called Robomedica, Inc. in Santa Monica, CA, showed its line of robotic motor performance systems, which allow researchers to investigate locomotor applications. The systems include treadmills with precise control over body weight support, robotic limb controllers, software for recording and analyzing EMG data, assisted stepping, and reconstruction of step cycle trajectories. The company’s initial product line is tailored for rodent experimentation, but a system designed for human subjects is under development.

Neurodiagnostics
Source Signal Imaging, Inc., of San Diego, CA, showed a sophisticated software product for analyzing brain recording data obtained from EEG or EMG sensors. The company’s EMSE Suite, which runs under Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000 operating systems, includes a Locator module, which allows users to accurately measure electrode locations in three dimensions, and a Data Editor, which allows the user to analyze, filter, and transform brain signals. A powerful Source Estimator module allows users to visualize dynamic brain activity using dipole modeling. Other modules include an MR Viewer for overlaying MRI images with EEG or EMG data, and an Image Processor, which supports segmentation, boundary element mesh generation, and cortical unfolding. Modules cost between $2000 and $5000 each.

Other neurodiagnostic firms at the exhibit were Electrical Geodesics, Inc., Neuroscan, Grass Instruments, and magnetoencephalographic system manufacturers CTF Systems Inc. and 4-D Neuroimaging.