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The high number of people suffering from dementia will significantly increase in European countries and elsewhere in the coming decades. No treatments are currently available that can reverse or even halt the neurodegenerative process, and dementia is a considerable burden on patients and caregivers, as well as on societies as a whole. For this reason, there is a substantial need for further medical dementia research. People with dementia have the right to decide whether or not they want to participate in clinical research and to give their free, prior and informed consent. However, as dementia progresses, they can lose their ability to give informed consent to complex medical research because of an increasing loss of cognitive functions. At first sight, it seems ethically problematic to involve dementia patients in research, as people with impaired mental capacity must be protected against the risks of research participation. Furthermore, in contrast to informed consent to medical treatment, an individual benefit from participation in research can rarely be taken for granted. However, people with dementia also have a right to benefit from medical research in particular, so their categorical exclusion would appear to be ethically problematic too. High standards for the informed consent process and a thorough assessment of mental capacity are therefore important for the protection of research participants. In this Symposium, the international, interdisciplinary ENSURE project will be presented. This project aims to contribute towards achieving an adequate balance between autonomy and the protection of dementia patients in clinical research.

Objective: Brain-Machine-Interfaces (BMI) require high temporal and spatial recordings of cortical neuroactivity. In opposition to invasive needle-electrodes, micro-electrocorticography (µECoG) is a promising technique with a limited extent of invasiveness. We recently developed a sheep model for[for full text, please go to the a.m. URL], 67. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie (DGNC), 1. Joint Meeting mit der Koreanischen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie (KNS)

Background and Study Aims: Intraluminal stenting of organs with stenoses or fistulae in anatomically difficult locations (for instance cardia, pylorus, large bowel), with a tendency to kinking or increased motility, still carries a high risk of stent dislocation. In the search for a solution, we report on the use of a new thermoplastic stent in animal experiments. Material and Methods: The new stent consists of a plastic-coated wire mesh which can be heated electrically. Once it is warmed up to 55°C, its size and shape can be changed. After being expanded by a dilatation balloon across the stenosed area, the stent can be fitted onto the inner organ surface. This guarantees a low dislocation risk and high stability. In an animal experiment, stents were endoscopically placed in the trachea and the surgically stenosed esophagus of two dogs. The animals were observed for 3 months. Results: The thermostents were implanted easily and without complications. It was possible to mold the thermostent evenly onto the intraluminal wall. No stent dislocation, bleeding or perforation was observed. Upon histologic evaluation, granulation tissue was found to be growing through the wire mesh of the stent. Conclusion: It was shown that the stent described here can be implanted without major problems. The greater effort of the implantation procedure, in comparison with self-expanding stents, is compensated by the special mechanical characteristics of the stent. These characteristics may permit implantation in anatomically difficult locations where up to now stenting has been impossible or inadequate.