Methods for enhancing exposure therapy using pairing with vagus nerve stimulation

• US 10,213,577 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2015
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Board of Regents of the University of Texas System (University of Texas System)
• Original Assignee: MicroTransponder Inc., Board of Regents of the University of Texas System (University of Texas System)
• Inventors: Rodriguez, Christa Mcintyre, Engineer, Navzer Dara, Kilgard, Michael P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fairchild, Mallika D
• Application Number:
  US14/808,509
• Publication Number:
  US 20150328458A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,313 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0027 by the hearing sense
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0044 by the sight sense
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0072 with application of electrical currents
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 21/00 Other devices or methods to cause a change in the state of consciousness; Devices for producing or ending sleep by mechanical, optical, or acoustical means, e.g. for hypnosis
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 21/02 for inducing sleep or relaxation, e.g. by direct nerve stimulation, hypnosis, analgesia for massage A61H; electrotherapy A61N, e.g. applying alternating or intermittent electric currents for producing anaesthesia A61N1/36021
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36017 with leads or electrodes penetrating the skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36025 for treating a mental or cerebral condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36053 adapted for vagal stimulation A61N1/36114 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36082 Cognitive or psychiatric applications, e.g. dementia or Alzheimer's disease
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36089 Addiction or withdrawal from substance abuse such as alcohol or drugs
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36092 Mental training
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36096 Mood disorders, e.g. depression, anxiety or panic disorder
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/361 Phantom sensations, e.g. tinnitus
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36103 Neuro-rehabilitation; Repair or reorganisation of neural tissue, e.g. after stroke
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 23/28 for medicine

Abstract

Disclosed is a method of enhancing exposure therapy comprising providing an exposure therapy to a patient and stimulating the patient'"'"'s vagus nerve at the same time as the exposure therapy. Also disclosed is a post-traumatic stress disorder therapy method comprising providing an exposure event to a patient and stimulating the patient'"'"'s vagus nerve during the exposure event. Also disclosed is a phobia disorder therapy method comprising providing an extinction event to a patient and stimulating the patient'"'"'s vagus nerve during the exposure event. Also disclosed is an obsessive compulsive disorder therapy method comprising providing a therapy event to a patient and stimulating the patient'"'"'s vagus nerve during the therapy event. Also disclosed is an addiction disorder therapy method comprising providing a therapy event to a patient and stimulating the patient'"'"'s vagus nerve during the therapy event.

Claims

1. A post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) therapy method comprising:

providing, to a patient, an exposure event which is sensory-recreative of a traumatic event that contributed to the PTSD; and

electrically stimulating the patient'"'"'s vagus nerve during the exposure event.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said therapy is a memory extinction therapy.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said patient'"'"'s vagus nerve is stimulated using a voltage controlled capacitive discharge stimulation pulse.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said patient'"'"'s vagus nerve is stimulated electrically with a stimulation intensity less than about 0.8 mA or about 0.8 mA.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said therapy is an addiction therapy.

6. The post-traumatic stress disorder therapy method of claim 1, wherein said exposure event contains sensory recreations of a traumatic event.

7. The post-traumatic stress disorder therapy method of claim 1, wherein said patient'"'"'s vagus nerve is invasively stimulated electrically.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the action of providing the exposure event to the patient and the action of stimulating the patient'"'"'s vagus nerve during the exposure event results in a reduction of the post-traumatic stress disorder of the patient.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the patient is a patient where the PTSD took months to develop following an initial exposure to a traumatic event that resulted in the PTSD.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the actions of providing exposure events and stimulating the patient'"'"'s vagus nerve occur long after a traumatic event that resulted in the PTSD.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the actions of providing exposure events and stimulating the patient'"'"'s vagus nerve are part of an extinction training regime, wherein the extinction training regime is commenced two weeks after induction of an initial fear conditioning.

12. The post-traumatic stress disorder therapy method of claim 11, wherein said patient'"'"'s vagus nerve is stimulated invasively utilizing an electrical current from a device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the actions of providing exposure events and stimulating the patient'"'"'s vagus nerve facilitate a natural extinction process of the patient that protects most people from developing post-traumatic stress disorder.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said therapy is a memory extinction therapy, the memory extinction therapy alleviating, at least in part, the post-traumatic stress disorder.

15. A phobia disorder therapy method comprising:

providing, to a patient, an extinction event which is sensory-recreative of something that contributed to the phobia; and

electrically stimulating the patient'"'"'s vagus nerve during the extinction event, thereby at least partially alleviating the phobia disorder.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

executing a retention test to determine a duration of an extinction of the phobia.

17. The phobia disorder therapy method of claim 15, wherein said patient'"'"'s vagus nerve is invasively stimulated electrically.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said patient'"'"'s vagus nerve is stimulated using a constant current stimulation pulse.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said patient'"'"'s vagus nerve is stimulated using a voltage controlled capacitive discharge stimulation pulse.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein a stimulation intensity is less than about 0.8 mA or about 0.8 mA.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein a duration of the stimulation is about 100 ms to about 30 s.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein a frequency of the stimulation is about 10 to about 150 Hz.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the action of providing the extinction event to the patient and the action of stimulating the patient'"'"'s vagus nerve during the exposure event results in a reduction of the phobia disorder of the patient.

24. An obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) therapy method comprising:

providing, to a patient, a therapy event which is sensory-recreative of something that contributed to the OCD; and

electrically stimulating the patient'"'"'s vagus nerve during the therapy event.

25. The obsessive-compulsive disorder therapy method of claim 24, wherein the action of providing the therapy event entails providing an exposure event to the patient.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the action of providing the therapy event to the patient and the action of stimulating the patient'"'"'s vagus nerve during the exposure event results in a reduction of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein said patient'"'"'s vagus nerve is stimulated utilizing an electrical current from a device.

28. An addiction disorder therapy method comprising:

providing, to a patient, a therapy event which is sensory-recreative of something that contributed to addiction-disorder; and

electrically stimulating the patient'"'"'s vagus nerve during the therapy event.

29. The addiction disorder therapy method of claim 28, wherein the action of providing the therapy event entails providing an exposure event to the patient.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the action of providing the therapy event to the patient and the action of stimulating the patient'"'"'s vagus nerve during the exposure event results in a reduction of the addiction disorder.