Electrocorticography telemitter

• US 20060129056A1
• Filed: 12/10/2004
• Published: 06/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Washington University In St Louis
• Original Assignee: Washington University In St Louis
• Inventors: Leuthardt, Eric C., Moran, Daniel W., Dacey, Ralph G., LaConte, Matthew P., Chieu, Alexander, Kam, Byron
• Application Number:
  US11/011,018
• Publication Number:
  US 20060129056A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/544
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0219 of externally powered implanted units
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0006 ECG or EEG signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0031 Implanted circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/291 for electroencephalography [EEG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/293 Invasive
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4094 Diagnosing or monitoring seizure diseases, e.g. epilepsy

Abstract

Methods, systems, and articles of manufacture provide for wireless communications of brain signals from electrode implants to an external receiver for analysis of the brain signals. The analyzed brain signals are used to locate abnormal brain activity in a subject, such as epileptic seizure foci, or to localize task-specific brain activity.

Claims

1. A wireless telemitter comprising:

a plurality of parallel modules each comprising a sensor array, each sensor array comprising a plurality of sensor electrodes for sensing brain signals of a subject, and a plurality of sensor outputs;

electronic circuitry coupled to said plurality of parallel modules for processing the brain signals from said sensor outputs;

a wireless transmitter coupled to an output of said electronic circuitry, configured to transmit the processed brain signals from the sensor electrodes to a receiver external to the subject; and

an implantable power source without percutaneous wires for providing power to each module;

wherein the wireless telemitter is fully implantable beneath the scalp of a subject.

2. A wireless telemitter according to claim 1 wherein said implantable power source without percutaneous wires comprises an inductively rechargeable battery.

3. A wireless telemitter according to claim 2 wherein said inductively rechargeable battery is rechargeable by a Transcutaneous Energy Transfer (TET) system using magnetic induction.

4. A wireless telemitter according to claim 1 wherein said implantable power source without percutaneous wires comprises a battery.

5. A wireless telemitter according to claim 1 wherein said electronic circuitry for processing the brain signals from the sensor electrodes comprises:

a multiplexing unit coupled to said plurality of sensor outputs for multiplexing the brain signals from said plurality of sensor electrodes;

an amplifier coupled to said multiplexing unit for amplifying the multiplexed signal;

a low-pass filter coupled to said amplifier for filtering the amplified signal;

an analog-to-digital converter coupled to said low-pass filter for converting an analog signal from said sensor electrodes to a digital signal for said wireless transmitter.

6. A wireless telemitter according to claim 1 wherein said dedicated wireless transmitter comprises a Bluetooth module.

7. A wireless telemitter according to claim 6 wherein said Bluetooth module comprises a shielded chip having a built-in antenna.

8. A wireless telemitter according to claim 6 wherein said Bluetooth module comprises a WML-C09 Class 2 Bluetooth module.

9. A wireless telemitter according to claim 1 further comprising a casing comprising a biocompatible material encasing said plurality of parallel modules, said multiplexing unit, said amplifier, said low-pass filter, said analog-to-digital converter, said dedicated wireless transmitter, and said implantable power source without percutaneous wires.

10. A wireless telemitter according to claim 9 wherein said casing comprises silicone.

11. A wireless telemitter according to claim 1 further comprising a flexible circuit board for mounting said plurality of parallel modules, said multiplexing unit, said amplifier, said low-pass filter, said analog-to-digital converter, said dedicated wireless transmitter, and said implantable power source without percutaneous wires.

12. A wireless telemitter according to claim 11 further comprising a casing comprising a biocompatible material encasing said plurality of parallel modules, said multiplexing unit, said amplifier, said low-pass filter, said analog-to-digital converter, said dedicated wireless transmitter, said an implantable power source without percutaneous wires and said flexible circuit board.

13. A wireless telemitter according to claim 12 wherein said casing comprises silicone.

15. A telemetry system according to claim 12 wherein said implantable power source without percutaneous wires comprises an inductively rechargeable battery that is rechargeable by a TET system using magnetic induction.

16. A telemetry system according to claim 15 wherein said wireless telemitter further comprises:

a multiplexing unit receiving a plurality of sensor outputs from said plurality of parallel modules;

an amplifier coupled to said multiplexing unit for amplifying the multiplexed signal;

a low-pass filter coupled to said amplifier for filtering the amplified signal;

an analog-to-digital converter coupled to said low-pass filter for converting an analog signal from said sensor electrodes to a digital signal; and

a dedicated wireless transmitter coupled to said analog-to-digital converter to receive the digital signal from said analog-to-digital converter and configured to transmit the signals from the sensor electrodes to an external receiver.

17. A wireless telemitter according to claim 16 wherein said dedicated wireless transmitter comprises a Bluetooth module.

18. A wireless telemitter according to claim 17 wherein said Bluetooth module comprises a shielded chip having a built-in antenna.

19. A wireless telemitter according to claim 18 wherein said Bluetooth module comprises a WML-C09 Class 2 Bluetooth module.

20. A wireless telemitter according to claim 16 further comprising a casing comprising a biocompatible material encasing said plurality of parallel modules, said multiplexing unit, said amplifier, said low-pass filter, said analog-to-digital converter, said dedicated wireless transmitter, and said implantable power source without percutaneous wires.

21. A wireless telemitter according to claim 20 wherein said casing comprises silicone.

22. A wireless telemitter according to claim 16 further comprising a flexible circuit board for mounting said plurality of parallel modules, said multiplexing unit, said amplifier, said low-pass filter, said analog-to-digital converter, said dedicated wireless transmitter, and said implantable power source without percutaneous wires.

23. A wireless telemitter according to claim 22 further comprising a casing comprising a biocompatible material encasing said plurality of parallel modules, said multiplexing unit, said amplifier, said low-pass filter, said analog-to-digital converter, said dedicated wireless transmitter, said implantable power source without percutaneous wires and said flexible circuit board.

24. A wireless telemitter according to claim 23 wherein said casing comprises silicone.

14. A telemetry system for receiving and processing brain signals from a subject, said telemetry system comprising:

a fully implantable wireless telemitter comprising a plurality of parallel modules each comprising a sensor array, each sensor array comprising a plurality of sensor electrodes and a plurality of sensor outputs, and an implantable power source without percutaneous wires for powering each module; and

with respect to the subject, an external charging device for inductively recharging said implantable power source through the skin of the subject.

25. A method for monitoring brain signals of a human subject, said method comprising:

implanting a wireless telemitter including sensor electrodes beneath at least the scalp of the subject, wherein the wireless telemitter is capable of sensing the brain signals of the subject and is further capable of wirelessly transmitting the brain signals to a signal receiving device;

obtaining the brain signals of the subject with the wireless telemitter; and

over a period of time, receiving with the signal receiving device the transmitted brain signals of the subject from the wireless telemitter.

26. A method according to claim 25 further comprising providing the wireless telemitter, the wireless telemitter including a plurality of parallel modules each comprising a sensor array, each sensor array comprising a plurality of sensor electrodes and a plurality of sensor outputs;

a multiplexing unit coupled to said plurality of sensor outputs for multiplexing a plurality of signals from said plurality of sensor electrodes;

an amplifier coupled to said multiplexing unit for amplifying the multiplexed signal;

a low-pass filter coupled to said amplifier for filtering the amplified signal;

an analog-to-digital converter coupled to said low-pass filter for converting an analog signal from said sensor electrodes to a digital signal;

a dedicated wireless transmitter coupled to said analog-to-digital converter to receive the digital signal from said analog-to-digital converter and configured to transmit the signals from the sensor electrodes to an external receiver; and

an implantable power source without percutaneous wires for providing power to each module; and

wherein the wireless telemitter is configured to be fully implantable within a subject'"'"'s body.

27. A method according to claim 26 further comprising analyzing the received brain signals of the subject to locate an origin of abnormal brain activity within the brain of the subject.

28. A method according to claim 26 further comprising inductively recharging the battery at least once.

29. A method according to claim 25 wherein implanting the wireless telemitter beneath the scalp of the subject comprises implanting the wireless telemitter beneath the scalp and beneath the dura mater of the subject.

30. A method for obtaining brain signals from a subject, said method comprising:

providing a fully implantable telemitter including a plurality of sensor electrodes coupled to a transmitter capable of wireless signal transmission, the transmitter coupled to an implantable power source without percutaneous wires for powering the transmitter; and

implanting the telemitter beneath the scalp of the subject.

31. A method according to claim 30 wherein providing a telemitter further comprises:

providing a telemitter including;

a multiplexing unit coupled to the plurality of sensor electrodes outputs for multiplexing the signals from the plurality of sensor electrodes;

an amplifier coupled to the multiplexing unit for amplifying the multiplexed signal;

a low-pass filter coupled to the amplifier for filtering the amplified signal; and

an analog-to-digital converter receiving an output of the low-pass filter for converting an analog signal from the sensor electrodes to a digital signal for the wireless transmitter.

32. A wireless transmission system for transmitting brain signals of a subject to an external receiving device, said system comprising:

a plurality of implantable sensing means for sensing the brain signals of the subject;

implantable means for wireless transmission of the brain signals to the external receiving device;

means for processing the brain signals of the subject, coupled to the brain signal sensing means, so that the brain signals are capable of providing input to the wireless transmission means; and

implantable means for powering the brain signal sensing means and wireless transmission means, said powering means without percutaneous wires and capable of being implanted beneath the skin of the subject.

33. A wireless transmission system according to claim 32 wherein the signal processing means comprises:

multiplexing means coupled to the sensing means, for multiplexing a signals from the plurality of brain signal sensing means;

an amplifier coupled to the multiplexing means, for amplifying the multiplexed signal;

a means for low-pass filtering coupled to the amplifier, for filtering the amplified signal; and

means for converting an analog output of the low-pass filtering means to a digital output for the wireless transmitter.