MINIATURE WIRELESS SYSTEM FOR DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION

• US 20090105784A1
• Filed: 10/20/2008
• Published: 04/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UIM Pressure Implant Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Integrated Sensing Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Najafi, Nader, Massoud-Ansari, Sonbol
• Granted Patent: US 8,412,332 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/45
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36082 Cognitive or psychiatric applications, e.g. dementia or Alzheimer's disease
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37205 Microstimulators, e.g. implantable through a cannula
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3756 Casings with electrodes thereon, e.g. leadless stimulators
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3787 from an external energy source

Abstract

An implantable system and method for deep brain stimulation (DBS) treatments. The implantable system is sufficiently small and self-contained to enable implantation of the entire system within the brain, or optionally within the brain and the surrounding tissue. The system comprises an implantable inductor on which a voltage is induced when subjected to an electromagnetic field, and an implantable device comprising a housing, stimulating elements at an exterior surface of the housing, and electronics within the housing and electrically connected to the implantable inductor. The electronics produces a brain-stimulating current from the voltage induced on the implantable inductor and then delivers the brain-stimulating current to the stimulating elements. Deep brain stimulation is performed by subjecting the inductor to an electromagnetic field to induce a voltage on the inductor that powers the electronics to produce and deliver the brain-stimulating current to the stimulating elements.

Claims

1. An implantable system for performing deep brain stimulation, the system comprising:

an implantable inductor on which a voltage is induced when subjected to an electromagnetic field; and

an implantable device comprising a housing, stimulating elements at an exterior surface of the housing, and electronics within the housing and electrically connected to the implantable inductor, the electronics producing a brain-stimulating current from the voltage induced on the implantable inductor and then delivering the brain-stimulating current to the stimulating elements.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the implantable inductor is adapted for receiving the electromagnetic field from a non-implantable powering source.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein stimulating elements are pads that do not protrude from the exterior surface of the housing.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the stimulating elements protrude from the exterior surface of the housing.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the housing has a hollow interior that contains the electronics of the implantable device.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the housing is a potted structure in which the electronics of the implantable device are potted.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the implantable inductor is an inductive coil entirely within the housing.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the implantable inductor is an inductive coil outside the housing and connected thereto by a cable.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the inductive coil is defined on a planar film.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the device further comprises an additional element adapted to sense a physiological parameter chosen from the group consisting of pressure, temperature, flow, velocity, vibration, acceleration, and chemistry.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the device further comprises an actuator chosen from the group consisting of thermal generators, voltage sources, current sources, probes, electrodes, drug delivery pumps, valves, meters, microtools for localized surgical procedures, and radiation emitting sources.

12. A method of performing deep brain stimulation, the method comprising:

implanting an inductor and a device so that the device is within the brain, the device comprising a housing, stimulating elements at an exterior surface of the housing, and electronics within the housing, the electronics being electrically connected to the implantable inductor and adapted to produce a brain-stimulating current and deliver the brain-stimulating current to the stimulating elements; and

subjecting the inductor to an electromagnetic field to induce a voltage on the inductor that powers the electronics to produce and deliver the brain-stimulating current to the stimulating elements.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the inductor receives the electromagnetic field from a non-implanted powering source.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein stimulating elements are pads that do not protrude from the exterior surface of the housing.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the stimulating elements protrude from the exterior surface of the housing.

16. The method according to claim 12, wherein the inductor is an inductive coil entirely within the housing so that the inductor and the device are simultaneously implanted within the brain.

17. The method according to claim 12, wherein the inductor is an inductive coil outside the housing and connected thereto by a cable, and the inductor is separately implanted from the device at a location outside the brain but beneath the scalp.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the inductive coil is defined on a planar film.

19. The method according to claim 12, wherein the device further comprises an additional element that senses a physiological parameter chosen from the group consisting of pressure, temperature, flow, velocity, vibration, acceleration, and chemistry.

20. The method according to claim 12, wherein the device further comprises an actuator chosen from the group consisting of thermal generators, voltage sources, current sources, probes, electrodes, drug delivery pumps, valves, meters, microtools for localized surgical procedures, and radiation emitting sources.