Method and system to accelerate consolidation of specific memories using transcranial stimulation

• US 10,307,592 B1
• Filed: 10/24/2016
• Issued: 06/04/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HRL Laboratories LLC (The Boeing Co.)
• Original Assignee: HRL Laboratories LLC (The Boeing Co.)
• Inventors: Pilly, Praveen K., Howard, Michael D., Choe, Jaehoon, Bhattacharyya, Rajan
• Primary Examiner(s): Holmes, Rex R
• Application Number:
  US15/332,787
• Time in Patent Office: 953 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/374 Detecting the frequency distribution of signals, e.g. detecting delta, theta, alpha, beta or gamma waves
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4812 Detecting sleep stages or cycles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4836 Diagnosis combined with treatment in closed-loop systems or methods A61B5/0036 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0456 Specially adapted for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation [TENS]
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0476 Array electrodes (including any electrode arrangement with more than one electrode for at least one of the polarities)
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0484 Garment electrodes worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36025 for treating a mental or cerebral condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3603 Control systems

Abstract

Described is a system for consolidation of specific memories of events. A sleep state detector assesses a subject'"'"'s sleep state from neural recordings obtained from a high-density electroencephalogram (HD-EEG) device. During a memory encoding phase, a high-definition transcranial current stimulation (HD-tCS) system simultaneously applies a spatiotemporal amplitude-modulated pattern (STAMP) tag and a transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) signal to the subject as an event is experienced by the subject. During a memory consolidation phase, the HD-tCS system applies a transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) signal to the subject during a sleep or quiet waking state of the subject.

Claims

1. A system for memory consolidation, the system comprising:

a high-definition transcranial current stimulation (HD-tCS) system;

a high-density electroencephalogram (HD-EEG) device for generating neural recordings;

one or more processors and a non-transitory computer-readable medium having executable instructions encoded thereon such that when executed, the one or more processors perform an operation of generating a spatiotemporal amplitude-modulated pattern (STAMP) tag; and

a sleep state detector for assessing the sleep state from the neural recordings,

wherein during a memory encoding phase, the HD-tCS system simultaneously applies the STAMP tag and a transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) signal during an event, and

wherein during a memory consolidation phase, the HD-tCS system applies a transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) signal during a sleep or quiet waking state.

2. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the STAMP tag is a weighted combination of endogenous brain rhythms.

3. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the HD-tCS system applies the STAMP tag during the sleep or quiet waking state to stimulate replays of a memory of the event and consolidate the memory.

4. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein when a slow-wave-sleep (SWS) state is detected, the sleep state detector signals the HD-tCS system to apply a temporally compressed version of the STAMP tag.

5. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the HD-tCS system applies the tACS signal when the sleep state detector detects non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep.

6. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the event can be re-encoded in a memory by deliberate recall using a video of the event.

7. A method for memory consolidation, comprising acts of:

generating neural recordings using a high-density electroencephalogram (HD-EEG) device;

assessing the sleep state from the neural recordings using a sleep state detector;

generating a spatiotemporal amplitude-modulated pattern (STAMP) tag;

during a memory encoding phase, simultaneously applying, using a high-definition transcranial current stimulation (HD-tCS) system, the STAMP tag and a transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) signal during an event; and

during a memory consolidation phase, applying, using the HD-tCS system, a transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) signal during a sleep or quiet waking state.

8. The method as set forth in claim 7, wherein the STAMP tag is a weighted combination of endogenous brain rhythms.

9. The method as set forth in claim 7, wherein the HD-tCS system applies the STAMP tag during the sleep or quiet waking state to stimulate replays of a memory of the event and consolidate the memory.

10. The method as set forth in claim 7, wherein when a slow-wave-sleep (SWS) state is detected, the sleep state detector signals the HD-tCS system to apply a temporally compressed version of the STAMP tag.

11. The method as set forth in claim 7, wherein the HD-tCS system applies the tACS signal when the sleep state detector detects non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep.

12. The method as set forth in claim 7, wherein the event can be re-encoded in the memory by deliberate recall using a video of the event.

13. A computer program product for memory consolidation, the computer program product comprising:

computer-readable instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium that are executable by a computer having one or more processors for causing the processor to perform operations of;

generating neural recordings using a high-density electroencephalogram (HD-EEG) device;

assessing the sleep state from the neural recordings using a sleep state detector;

generating a spatiotemporal amplitude-modulated pattern (STAMP) tag;

during a memory encoding phase, simultaneously applying, using a high-definition transcranial current stimulation (HD-tCS) system, the STAMP tag and a transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) signal during an event; and

during a memory consolidation phase, applying, using the HD-tCS system, a transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) signal during a sleep or quiet waking state.