Method and apparatus for stimulating the sphenopalatine ganglion to modify properties of the BBB and cerebral blood flow
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus for modifying a property of a brain of a patient is provided, including one or more electrodes (7), adapted to be applied to a site selected from a group of sites consisting of: a sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) (6) of the patient and a neural tract originating in or leading to the SPG. A control unit (8) is adapted to drive the one or more electrodes to apply a current to the site capable of inducing (a) an increase in permeability of a blood-brain barrier (BBB) of the patient, (b) a change in cerebral blood flow of the patient, and/or (c) an inhibition of parasympathetic activity of the SPG.
-
Citations
110 Claims
-
1. (canceled)
-
2. Apparatus for modifying a property of a brain of a patient, comprising:
-
one or more electrodes, adapted to be applied to a site selected from the group of sites consisting of;
a sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) of the patient and a neural tract originating in or leading to the SPG; and
a stimulator, configured to drive the one or more electrodes to apply, on a long-term basis, a current to the site capable of inducing an increase in cerebral blood flow of the patient. - View Dependent Claims (5, 7, 13, 14, 15, 26, 27, 74, 75, 76, 77, 64)
-
-
3-4. -4. (canceled)
-
6. (canceled)
-
8-10. -10. (canceled)
-
12. (canceled)
-
16-25. -25. (canceled)
-
28-32. -32. (canceled)
-
33. A method for modifying a property of a brain of a patient, comprising:
-
selecting a site from the group of sites consisting of;
a sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) of the patient and a neural tract originating in or leading to the SPG; and
on a long-term basis, applying a current to the site capable of inducing an increase in cerebral blood flow of the patient. - View Dependent Claims (36, 38, 44, 45, 46, 57, 58, 79, 80, 81, 82)
-
-
34-35. -35. (canceled)
-
37. (canceled)
-
39-41. -41. (canceled)
-
43. (canceled)
-
47-56. -56. (canceled)
-
59-72. -72. (canceled)
-
65. Vascular apparatus, comprising:
-
a detecting element, adapted to be fixed to a blood vessel of a patient and to generate a signal responsive to energy coming from the blood vessel; and
a control unit, adapted to analyze the signal so as to determine an indication of an embolus in the blood vessel. - View Dependent Claims (66, 67, 68)
-
-
69. A method for detecting, comprising:
-
fixing a detecting element to a blood vessel of a patient;
generate a signal responsive to energy coming from the blood vessel; and
analyzing the signal so as to determine an indication of an embolus in the blood vessel. - View Dependent Claims (70, 71, 72)
-
-
83. Apparatus for modifying a property of a brain of a patient, comprising:
-
one or more electrodes, adapted to be applied to a site selected from the group of sites consisting of;
a sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) of the patient and a neural tract originating in or leading to the SPG; and
a stimulator, configured to be implanted in a body of the patient, and to drive the one or more electrodes to apply a current to the site capable of inducing an increase in cerebral blood flow of the patient. - View Dependent Claims (11, 73, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91)
-
-
92. A method for modifying a property of a brain of a patient, comprising:
-
selecting a site from the group of sites consisting of;
a sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) of the patient and a neural tract originating in or leading to the SPG;
implanting one or more electrodes in a body of the patient;
implanting a stimulator in the body of the patient; and
driving the electrodes from the stimulator to apply a current to the site capable of inducing an increase in cerebral blood flow of the patient. - View Dependent Claims (42, 78, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100)
-
-
101. Apparatus for modifying a property of a brain of a patient, comprising:
-
one or more electrodes, adapted to be applied to a site selected from the group of sites consisting of;
a sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) of the patient and a neural tract originating in or leading to the SPG; and
circuitry, which comprises;
an implantable unit, configured to be implanted in a body of the patient, the implantable unit comprising an implantable unit coupler; and
an external unit, comprising an external unit coupler configured to be wirelessly coupled to the implantable unit coupler, the external unit configured to convey a control signal from the external unit coupler to the implantable unit coupler, which signal drives the implantable unit to drive the electrodes to apply a current to the site capable of inducing an increase in cerebral blood flow of the patient. - View Dependent Claims (102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110)
-
Specification