Neuroelectrics facts for kids

Neuroelectrics is a company from Barcelona, Spain. They make special devices that help us understand and even gently stimulate the brain. It's like they're building tools to talk to our brains!

This company started in 2011. It grew out of another research group called Starlab Neuroscience Research, which began in 2000. The company was founded by Ana Maiques, who is the CEO, and her husband Giulio Ruffini. They both used to work for a research company called Starlab in Barcelona.

Brain Devices: Enobio and Starstim

Neuroelectrics currently offers two main medical devices. These tools are used by doctors and researchers to learn more about the brain.

Enobio: Listening to Your Brain Waves

Enobio is a wireless device you can wear. It's designed to monitor your brain. It records something called an electroencephalogram (EEG). Think of an EEG as a way to listen to the tiny electrical signals your brain cells make. It helps scientists see how your brain is working.

Starstim: Gentle Brain Stimulation

Starstim is a special device that does two things. It can record your brain waves, just like Enobio. But it can also send very gentle electrical signals to your brain. This is called non-invasive electric stimulation. "Non-invasive" means it doesn't go inside your body.

Starstim uses three types of this gentle stimulation:

• tDCS (transcranial direct current stimulation)
• tACS (transcranial alternating current stimulation)
• tRNS (random-noise stimulation)

These different types of stimulation can help researchers study how the brain works and how it might be helped with certain conditions.

Helping People with Brain Conditions

Ana Maiques believes these devices could be very helpful. For example, they might be used to monitor the early signs of conditions like Parkinson's or Alzheimer's. By understanding these conditions early, doctors might be able to help people manage them better.

Company Milestones and Awards

Neuroelectrics has grown quite a bit since it started.

• In February 2014, the company opened an office in Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States.
• Later in 2014, Ana Maiques won third prize in the European Commission's Women Innovator Contest. This award recognized her great ideas and leadership in business.
• In April 2015, Neuroelectrics also won the Bupa Startup Stage at an event called Wired Health 2015. This showed that experts thought their ideas were very promising.

Device Approvals and Safety

Both Starstim and Enobio are approved medical devices in Europe. This means they have a special "CE certification," showing they meet European safety and health standards for medical and research use.

In the United States, the law classifies both Starstim and Enobio as "investigational devices." This means they are mainly used for research studies to learn more about them.

The devices also have approval from Health Canada, which means they can be used in Canada. Starstim follows European rules for medical devices that help treat certain conditions, such as pain, problems after a stroke, depression, and addictive disorders.