Magnetic stimulator
First Claim
1. A magnetic stimulator for magnetically stimulating a region of a body, comprising:
- a first coil producing a first time-varying magnetic field adjacent a brain of the body at a first frequency; and
a second coil producing a second time-varying magnetic field adjacent the brain at a second frequency that is different than the first frequency;
wherein the first and second coils are oriented such that the first and second magnetic fields produce a beat frequency time-varying electric field in the region of the body, the beat frequency being determined by the first and second frequencies.
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Accused Products
Abstract
At least two coils deliver at least two time-varying magnetic fields to a target region within a body. The coils are oriented such that the magnetic fields create intersecting electric fields in the target region. The magnetic fields operate at different frequencies and thus produce a beat frequency signal where the electric fields intersect. The frequencies are chosen so a time-varying electric field, or a current induced by a time-varying magnetic field, alternating at the beat frequency would stimulate excitable tissue located in the target region. Some embodiments utilize a novel coil, which includes a first conductor and at least one second conductor electrically connected to the first conductor at a point. The second conductor extends from the point of connection with the first conductor to a location spaced from the first conductor. At least a portion of the second conductor adjacent the point of connection with the first conductor is non-parallel to the first conductor.
83 Citations
93 Claims
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1. A magnetic stimulator for magnetically stimulating a region of a body, comprising:
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a first coil producing a first time-varying magnetic field adjacent a brain of the body at a first frequency; and
a second coil producing a second time-varying magnetic field adjacent the brain at a second frequency that is different than the first frequency;
wherein the first and second coils are oriented such that the first and second magnetic fields produce a beat frequency time-varying electric field in the region of the body, the beat frequency being determined by the first and second frequencies. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A magnetic stimulator for magnetically stimulating a region of a body, comprising:
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a first coil producing a first time-varying magnetic field at a first frequency; and
a second coil producing a second time-varying magnetic field at a second frequency that is different than the first frequency, the first frequency being within about 50 Hz of the second frequency;
wherein the first and second coils are oriented such that the first and second magnetic fields produce a beat frequency time-varying electric field in the region of the body, the beat frequency being determined by the first and second frequencies. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A magnetic stimulator for magnetically stimulating a region of a body, comprising:
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a first coil producing a first time-varying magnetic field at a first frequency; and
a second coil producing a second time-varying magnetic field at a second frequency that is different than the first frequency, each of the first and second frequencies being between about 5 KHz and about 100 KHz;
wherein the first and second coils are oriented such that the first and second magnetic fields produce a beat frequency time-varying electric field in the region of the body, the beat frequency being determined by the first and second frequencies. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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39. A magnetic stimulator for magnetically stimulating a region of a body, comprising:
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a first coil producing a first time-varying magnetic field at a first frequency; and
a second coil producing a second time-varying magnetic field at a second frequency that is different than the first frequency;
wherein the first and second coils are oriented such that the first and second magnetic fields produce a beat frequency time-varying magnetic field in the region of the body, the beat frequency being between about 1 Hz and about 50 Hz and being determined by the first and second frequencies. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49)
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50. A method of magnetically stimulating a region of a body, comprising:
subjecting the region to a beat frequency electric field produced by first and second time-varying magnetic fields having respective first and second frequencies, the first frequency being different than the second frequency, the region being adjacent a brain of the body. - View Dependent Claims (51, 52, 53, 54)
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55. A method of magnetically stimulating a region of a body, comprising:
subjecting the region to a beat frequency electric field produced by first and second time-varying magnetic fields having respective first and second frequencies, the first frequency being within 50 Hz of the second frequency, the first frequency being different than the second frequency. - View Dependent Claims (56, 57, 58, 59, 60)
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61. A method of magnetically stimulating a region of a body, comprising:
subjecting the region to a beat frequency electric field produced by first and second time-varying magnetic fields having respective first and second frequencies, the first frequency being different than the second frequency, the first and second frequencies each being between about 5 KHz and about 100 KHz. - View Dependent Claims (62, 63, 64, 65, 66)
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67. A method of magnetically stimulating a region of a body, comprising:
subjecting the region to a beat frequency electric field having a frequency between about 1 Hz and about 50 Hz and produced by first and second time-varying magnetic fields having respective first and second frequencies, the first frequency being different than the second frequency. - View Dependent Claims (68, 69, 70, 71, 72)
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73. A method of magnetically stimulating a region of a body, comprising:
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generating a first time-varying magnetic field having a first frequency along a first direction oriented toward the region of the body; and
generating a second time-varying magnetic field having a second frequency along a second direction oriented toward the region of the body;
wherein;
the first direction is different than the second direction;
the first frequency is different than the second frequency; and
the first frequency being within about 50 Hz of the second frequency. - View Dependent Claims (74, 75, 76, 77)
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78. A magnetic stimulation coil, comprising:
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a first conductor defining a signal path to a point on the first conductor;
at least one second conductor defining a signal path away from the point, the at least one second conductor being electrically connected in series with the first conductor at the point and extending from the point to a location spaced from the first conductor by a predetermined distance, at least a portion of the at least one second conductor adjacent the point being non-parallel to the first conductor; and
a lead electrically connected to the second conductor. - View Dependent Claims (79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93)
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Specification