Techniques for nerve stimulation

• US 20100042194A1
• Filed: 10/19/2009
• Published: 02/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Incorporated (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: BioControl Medical (B.C.M) Ltd.
• Inventors: Cohen, Ehud, Ayal, Shai
• Granted Patent: US 8,326,438 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/118
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0556 Cuff electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36017 with leads or electrodes penetrating the skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3605 Implantable neurostimulators for stimulating central or peripheral nerve system

Abstract

Apparatus is provided for applying current to a nerve, including a housing, adapted to be placed in a vicinity of the nerve, and at least one cathode and at least one anode, fixed to the housing. The apparatus further includes two or more passive electrodes, fixed to the housing, and a conducting element, which electrically couples the passive electrodes to one another. Other embodiments are also described.

Claims

1-10. -10. (canceled)

11. Apparatus for applying current to a nerve, comprising:

a housing, adapted to be placed around the nerve; and

two or more cathodes and one or more anodes, fixed to the housing such that (a) no anodes are positioned longitudinally between the two or more cathodes, and (b) no cathodes are positioned longitudinally between the one or more anodes.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the two or more cathodes and the one or more anodes comprise ring electrodes.

14. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the housing comprises one or more insulating elements that separate one or more of the cathodes and the anodes, the insulating elements positioned closer to the nerve than are the cathodes and the anodes when the housing is placed around the nerve.

16. The apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a control unit coupled to the cathodes and the anodes,

wherein the two or more cathodes are fixed to the housing at respective cathodic longitudinal locations, and are configured to apply to the nerve a stimulating current, which is capable of inducing action potentials in a first set and a second set of nerve fibers of the nerve,

wherein the one or more anodes are fixed to the housing at respective anodal locations,

wherein the control unit is configured to drive the cathodes to produce a virtual anode effect at a virtual anodal longitudinal site of the nerve, which is capable of inhibiting the induced action potentials in the second set of nerve fibers, the nerve fibers in the second set having generally larger diameters than the nerve fibers in the first set, and

wherein the cathodic locations are between (a) the anodal locations and (b) the virtual anodal site.

17. The apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a control unit coupled to the cathodes and the anodes,

wherein the two or more cathodes are fixed to the housing at respective cathodic locations,

wherein the one or more anodes comprise a single anode, fixed to the housing at an anodal location,

wherein the control unit is configured to drive the anode to produce a virtual cathode effect at a virtual cathodic longitudinal site of the nerve, which is incapable of generating action potentials in the nerve, and

wherein the anodal location is between (a) the cathodic locations and (b) the virtual cathodic site.

18. The apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a control unit coupled to the cathodes and the anodes,

wherein the two or more cathodes are fixed to the housing at respective cathodic locations,

wherein the one or more anodes comprise a single anode, fixed to the housing at an anodal location,

wherein the control unit is configured to drive the anode to produce a virtual cathode effect at a virtual cathodic longitudinal site of the nerve, which does not generate action potentials in more than 10% of axons in the nerve, and

wherein the anodal location is between (a) the cathodic locations and (b) the virtual cathodic site.

19. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the cathodes are positioned such that a closest distance between two of the two or more cathodes is equal to at least a radius of the nerve.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the cathodes are positioned such that the closest distance between the two of the two or more cathodes is equal to at least 1.5 times the radius of the nerve.

21. The apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a control unit coupled to the cathodes and the anodes,

wherein the control unit is configured to drive the cathodes to apply respective cathodic currents to the nerve, and the anodes to apply respective anodal currents to the nerve, and

wherein, for any given depth within the nerve, for a myelinated axon within the nerve of diameter less than 10 microns, the cathodic currents define, in combination, for the depth, a cathodic activation function having a maximum depolarizing amplitude, and the anodal currents define, in combination, for the depth, an anodal activation function having a maximum hyperpolarizing amplitude greater than the maximum depolarizing amplitude.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein, for a 1 micron diameter myelinated axon within the nerve, the maximum hyperpolarizing amplitude is greater than or equal to 110% of the maximum depolarizing amplitude.

60. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the two or more cathodes are electrically coupled to one another.

12. (canceled)

15. (canceled)

23-59. -59. (canceled)