Translational sensory stimulation procedure for the stimulation of amygdala-hippocampal complex

• US 20050222639A1
• Filed: 02/22/2005
• Published: 10/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Novartis Forschungsstiftung Zweigniederlassung Friedrich Miescher Institute For Biomedical Research (Novartis Ag), University of Basel
• Original Assignee: Novartis Forschungsstiftung Zweigniederlassung Friedrich Miescher Institute For Biomedical Research (Novartis Ag)
• Inventors: Seifritz, Erich, Luthi, Andreas, Scheffler, Klaus
• Application Number:
  US11/061,723
• Publication Number:
  US 20050222639A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/42
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/16 Devices for psychotechnics using teaching or educational appliances G09B1/00 - G09B7/00; Testing reaction times ; Devices for evaluating the psychological state
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/486 Bio-feedback A61B5/375 takes precedence

Abstract

The present invention relates to a methods and systems for the stimulation of the amygdala-hippocampal complex of a subject by a translational sensory stimulation procedure based on one or more time-series of random sensory pulses. Furthermore, it relates to methods for the representation of the neural activity of the amygdala-hippocampal complex of a subject.

Claims

1. A method for stimulating an amygdala-hippocampal complex of a subject comprising

generating and transmitting a translational sensory stimulation procedure (trSP) based on one or more time-series of random sensory pulses to said subject, wherein said trSP alters the neural activity of said amygdala-hippocampal complex of said subject so that an amygdala-hippocampal complex-dependent physiological function is created.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said amygdala-hippocampal complex-dependent physiological function is an emotional and/or cognitive dysregulation.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said amygdala-hippocampal complex-dependent physiological function is anxiety or an anxiety-like state.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising

administering to said subject an anti-anxiety drug or anti-anxiety drug candidate in an anxiety reducing amount, or subjecting said subject to anti-anxiety therapy for an anxiety reducing time-span, and,

optionally, monitoring an anxiety reducing effect of said anti-anxiety drug, anti-anxiety drug candidate or anti-anxiety therapy in said subject.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting the neural activity altered in said amygdala-hippocampal complex by said translational sensory stimulation procedure non-invasively or invasively.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said subject is a non-human animal and wherein said method further comprises translating said detected neural activity to a neural activity in a human or, wherein said subject is a human and wherein said method further comprises translating said detected neural activity to a neural activity in a non-human animal.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the random sensory pulses are random sound pulses.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the time-series of random sensory pulses comprise an order of pulses generated by separating single sensory pulses by a random time interval Δ

t, whereby after each sensory pulse, Δ

t is derived as a realization of a random value according to an arbitrary probability density function p(Δ

t) defined on an interval Δ

t>

0.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said translational sensory stimulation procedure comprises one or more time-series of random sensory pulses separated by intervals during which no pulses and/or regular sensory pulses are generated.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said time-series of random sensory pulses separated by intervals during which no pulses and/or regular sensory pulses are generated in a block-design fashion.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein the neural activity is detected by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) or related magnetic resonance imaging-based techniques, electroencephalography (EEG), magnethoencephalography (MEG), positron emission tomography (PET), infrared imaging (IR), or single photon emission computer tomography (SPECT).

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the altered neural activity in said amygdala-hippocampal complex is sustained for a period of at least about 15 seconds.

13. A system for the stimulation of an amygdala-hippocampal complex of a subject comprising:

i) a generator/transmitter of a translational sensory stimulation procedure (trSP) based on one or more time-series of random sensory pulses to said subject, wherein said trSP based on random sensory pulses is transmitted to said subject and alters the neural activity of said amygdala-hippocampal complex of said subject so that an amygdala-hippocampal complex-dependent physiological function is created, and

ii) a non-invasive or invasive neural activity detector, wherein said detector detects the alteration of said neural activity.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the random sensory pulses are random sound pulses.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the random sensory pulses comprise an order of pulses generated by separating single sensory pulses by a random time interval Δ

t, whereby after each sensory pulse, Δ

t is derived as a realization of a random value according to an arbitrary probability density function p(Δ

t) defined on an interval Δ

t>

0.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the neural activity detector is based on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and related magnetic resonance imaging-based techniques, electroencephalography (EEG), magnethoencephalography (MEG), positron emission tomography (PET), infrared imaging (IR), or single photon emission computer tomography (SPECT).

17. A method for representing the neural activity of an amygdala-hippocampal complex of a subject via functional brain mapping comprising:

i) generating and transmitting a translational sensory stimulation procedure based on one or more time-series of random sensory pulses to said subject, which alters the neural activity of said amygdala-hippocampal complex,

ii) detecting the neural activity altered in said amygdala-hippocampal complex during the transmission of said translational sensory stimulation procedure by emitting a corresponding pulse sequence for the excitation in, and read out of corresponding signals from, said subject and converting said signals into image data.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the random sensory pulses comprise an order of pulses generated by separating single sensory pulses by a random time interval Δ

t, whereby after each sensory pulse, Δ

t is derived as a realization of a random value according to an arbitrary probability density function p(Δ

t) defined on an interval Δ

t>

0.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the neural activity is detected by detecting the blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in said subject.

20. A device for representing the neural activity of an amygdala-hippocampal complex of a subject comprising:

i) a generator/transmitter of a translational sensory stimulation procedure (trSP) based on one or more time-series of random sensory pulses to said subject, wherein said trSP is transmitted to said subject and alters the neural activity of said amygdala-hippocampal complex in said subject so that an amygdala-hippocampal complex-dependent physiological function is created, and

ii) a neural activity detector, wherein said detector detects the alteration is said neural activity in said amygdala-hippocampal complex during transmission of said trSP by emitting a corresponding pulse sequence for the excitation in, and read out of corresponding signals from, said subject and converting said signals into image data.