(BBC) – Three-week-old Theo is fast asleep in a cot, unaware he is helping to trial new technology that could change the lives of others. Dr Flora Faure is gently fitting him with a small black cap that looks like a swimming cap, or something a rugby forward might wear.
It is covered with hexagonal lumps, containing technology that monitors how his brain is working. Researchers at the Rosie Maternity Hospital in Cambridge say they are the first in the world to trial a new technique that could speed up diagnosis and care for children with conditions such as cerebral palsy, epilepsy and learning difficulties.
It could be available in UK hospitals within the decade. “It’s the first time that light and ultrasound have been used together like this to give a more complete picture of the brain,” says Dr Faure, a researcher from the Fusion (Functional UltraSound integrated with Optical Imaging in Neonates) study. CONTINUE