Targeted steerable transcranial intervention to accelerate memory consolidation

• US 10,596,372 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2018
• Issued: 03/24/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HRL Laboratories LLC (The Boeing Co.)
• Original Assignee: HRL Laboratories LLC (The Boeing Co.)
• Inventors: Howard, Michael D., Pilly, Praveen K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Holmes, Rex R
• Application Number:
  US15/990,460
• Publication Number:
  US 20180272129A1
• Time in Patent Office: 669 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/025 Digital circuitry features of electrotherapy devices, e.g. memory, clocks, processors
• 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 1/36031 using physiological parameters for adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36034 specified by the stimulation parameters

Abstract

Described is a system to accelerate memory consolidation using a steerable transcranial intervention. During operation, the system generates a unique transcranial and steerable stimulation tag to associate with memory of a task or event. Once the tag is generated, the system activates a plurality of electrodes (e.g., as few as four) to apply the unique transcranial stimulation tag during the occurrence of the event or task to be consolidated.

Claims

1. A system for steerable transcranial intervention to accelerate memory consolidation, the system comprising:

one or more processors and a memory, the memory being a non-transitory computer-readable medium having executable instructions encoded thereon, such that upon execution of the instructions, the one or more processors perform operations of;

generating a unique transcranial and steerable stimulation tag to associate with memory of a task or event;

activating at least a plurality of electrodes to apply the unique transcranial and steerable stimulation tag during an occurrence of the task or event; and

wherein activating the plurality of electrodes includes applying an electrical stimulation to a region of stimulation through the unique transcranial and steerable stimulation tag such that the region of stimulation is varied during application of unique transcranial and steerable stimulation tag.

2. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the unique transcranial and steerable stimulation tag is a targeted, localized, transcranially applied pattern of electrical stimulation in a three-dimensional region of a brain using at least four electrodes from the plurality of electrodes during the occurrence of the task or event.

3. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the unique transcranial and steerable stimulation tag that is activated during the occurrence of the task or event is activated during a positive phase of a subject'"'"'s slow wave oscillations during non-REM sleep.

4. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the unique transcranial and steerable stimulation tag is generated as a function of variations of a stimulation pattern that include its three-dimensional start location, frequency, intensity, and a temporal trajectory through a subject'"'"'s brain that varies frequency, intensity, and location as a function of time.

5. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein an estimated duration of the task or event is estimated in advance, and the generated unique transcranial and steerable stimulation tag is clipped if an actual duration of the task or event is shorter than the estimated duration, or repeated if the actual duration of the task or event is longer than the estimated duration.

6. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein a rate at which a trajectory of the unique transcranial and steerable stimulation tag is traversed through a brain can be increased by a factor of at least ten times during sleep application.

7. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein activating the plurality of electrodes includes activating at least four electrodes to apply electrical stimulation through the unique transcranial and steerable stimulation tag, and in doing so, a region of stimulation is varied during application of the electrical stimulation.

8. A computer program product for steerable transcranial intervention to accelerate memory consolidation, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium having executable instructions encoded thereon, such that upon execution of the instructions by one or more processors, the one or more processors perform operations of;

generating a unique transcranial and steerable stimulation tag to associate with memory of a task or event;

activating at least a plurality of electrodes to apply the unique transcranial and steerable stimulation tag during an occurrence of the task or event; and

wherein activating the plurality of electrodes includes applying an electrical stimulation to a region of stimulation through the unique transcranial and steerable stimulation tag such that the region of stimulation is varied during application of unique transcranial and steerable stimulation tag.

9. The computer program product as set forth in claim 8, wherein the unique transcranial and steerable stimulation tag is a targeted, localized, transcranially applied pattern of electrical stimulation in a three-dimensional region of a brain using at least four electrodes from the plurality of electrodes during the occurrence of the task or event.

10. The computer program product as set forth in claim 8, wherein the unique transcranial and steerable stimulation tag that is activated during the occurrence of the task or event is activated during a positive phase of a subject'"'"'s slow wave oscillations during non-REM sleep.

11. The computer program product as set forth in claim 8, wherein the unique transcranial and steerable stimulation tag is generated as a function of variations of a stimulation pattern that include its three-dimensional start location, frequency, intensity, and a temporal trajectory through a subject'"'"'s brain that varies frequency, intensity, and location as a function of time.

12. The computer program product as set forth in claim 8, wherein an estimated duration of the task or event is estimated in advance, and the generated unique transcranial and steerable stimulation tag is clipped if an actual duration of the task or event is shorter than the estimated duration, or repeated if the actual duration of the task or event is longer than the estimated duration.

13. The computer program product as set forth in claim 8, wherein a rate at which a trajectory of the unique transcranial and steerable stimulation tag is traversed through a brain can be increased by a factor of at least ten times during sleep application.

14. The computer program product as set forth in claim 8, wherein activating the plurality of electrodes includes activating at least four electrodes to apply electrical stimulation through the unique transcranial and steerable stimulation tag, and in doing so, a region of stimulation is varied during application of the electrical stimulation.

15. A computer implemented method for steerable transcranial intervention to accelerate memory consolidation, the method comprising an act of:

causing one or more processers to execute instructions encoded on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such that upon execution, the one or more processors perform operations of;

generating a unique transcranial and steerable stimulation tag associate with memory of a task or event;

activating at least a plurality of electrodes to apply the unique transcranial and steerable stimulation tag during an occurrence of the task or event; and

wherein activating the plurality of electrodes includes applying an electrical stimulation to a region of stimulation through the unique transcranial and steerable stimulation tag such that the region of stimulation is varied during application of unique transcranial and steerable stimulation tag.

16. The method as set forth in claim 15, wherein the unique transcranial and steerable stimulation tag is a targeted, localized, transcranially applied pattern of electrical stimulation in a three-dimensional region of a brain using at least four electrodes from the plurality of electrodes during the occurrence of the task or event.

17. The method as set forth in claim 15, wherein the unique transcranial and steerable stimulation tag that is activated during the occurrence of the task or event is activated during a positive phase of a subject'"'"'s slow wave oscillations during non-REM sleep.

18. The method as set forth in claim 15, wherein the unique transcranial and steerable stimulation tag is generated as a function of variations of a stimulation pattern that include its three-dimensional start location, frequency, intensity, and a temporal trajectory through a subject'"'"'s brain that varies frequency, intensity, and location as a function of time.

19. The method as set forth in claim 15, wherein an estimated duration of the task or event is estimated in advance, and the generated unique transcranial and steerable stimulation tag is clipped if an actual duration of the task or event is shorter than the estimated duration, or repeated if the actual duration of the task or event is longer than the estimated duration.

20. The method as set forth in claim 15, wherein a rate at which a trajectory of the unique transcranial and steerable stimulation tag is traversed through a brain can be increased by a factor of at least ten times during sleep application.

21. The method as set forth in claim 15, wherein activating the plurality of electrodes includes activating at least four electrodes to apply electrical stimulation through the unique transcranial and steerable stimulation tag, and in doing so, a region of stimulation is varied during application of the electrical stimulation.