How can a patient affect the blood flow to the frontal lobe?
The patient needs to think about something which gets the brain to work a bit more, such as working out some mental maths or reciting poetry, or even trying to remember the words of a song. This is enough to increase blood flow to the frontal lobe. If the patient wants to express ‘no’, he/she keeps the mind blank and relaxed, thus not affecting the blood flow to that part of the brain. Hitachi believes the headband will be on the market in Japan at the beginning of 2006. It will cost about US$3,500. Not only will this device be fantastic for patients, but for carers as well. Carers are never sure whether what they have just done, or are doing regularly, is acceptable or pleasant for the patient. Now they will have some feedback. When the researchers only managed an 80% accuracy rate they considered abandoning the whole project. However, patient groups urged them to see the whole thing through to the end. As one of them said, “80% is a great deal better than zero.
