Methods of Treating Medical Conditions by Neuromodulation of the Cerebellar Pathways

• US 20100057161A1
• Filed: 11/12/2009
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cleveland Clinic Foundation
• Original Assignee: Cleveland Clinic Foundation
• Inventors: Machado, Andre, Rezai, Ali R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,190,263 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/45
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36017 with leads or electrodes penetrating the skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36025 for treating a mental or cerebral condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36082 Cognitive or psychiatric applications, e.g. dementia or Alzheimer's disease
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/40 relating to mechanical, radiation or invasive therapies, e.g. surgery, laser therapy, dialysis or acupuncture

Abstract

Methods of treating various medical conditions by neuromodulation of target sites of a cerebello-thalamo-cortical pathway and/or a cortical-ponto-cerebellar pathway. Such medical conditions include unilateral motor deficits, movement disorders, psychiatric disorders, epilepsy, speech or cognitive deficits associated with hemispheric lesions, visual deficits associated with hemispheric lesions, learning disorders associated with hemispheric lesions, vertigo and/or dizziness, gait disturbances, hereditary/genetic disorders, congenital malformations, infectious disease, degenerative disorders, autoimmune disorders, and metabolic disorders. A method of enhancing memory, learning and/or cognitive capacity in a normal individual by stimulating a target site of a cerebello-thalamo-cortical pathway and/or a cortical-ponto-cerebellar pathway is also provided.

Claims

1-19. -19. (canceled)

20. A system for improving a medical condition resulting from a stroke or a traumatic etiology in a patient suffering therefrom comprising:

a therapy delivery device for positioning on at least one target site selected from the group consisting of a deep cerebellar target site;

a thalamic nucleus target site that is within the cerebello-thalamo-cortical pathway and thus receives a projection from a deep cerebellar nucleus and projects to the cerebral cortex; and

projections from the cerebellum to the thalamus; and

a controller in communication with the therapy delivery device and programmed to enable the therapy delivery device to deliver a therapy signal to the target site to improve the medical condition resulting from the stroke or the traumatic etiology in the patient.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the medical condition is a motor deficit, a language deficit or a cognitive deficit.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the motor deficit is lack of coordination, paralysis, hemiparesis, paresis, or gait disturbance.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the cognitive deficit is apraxia.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the medical condition is a psychiatric disorder or a movement disorder.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the psychiatric disorder is depression or schizophrenia.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the movement disorder is Parkinson'"'"'s disease or tremor, or spasticity.

27. The system of claim 20, wherein the medical condition is autism.

28. The system of claim 21, wherein the language deficit is aphasia.

29. The system of claim 20, wherein the target site is a deep cerebellar target site.

30. The system of claim 20, wherein the target site is a thalamic nucleus target site that is within the cerebello-thalamo-cortical pathway, the thalamic nucleus target site receiving a projection from a deep cerebellar nucleus and projecting to the cerebral cortex.

31. The system of claim 20, wherein the medical condition results from the stroke.

32. The system of claim 20, wherein the medical condition results from the traumatic etiology.

33. A system for improving a medical condition resulting from a stroke or a traumatic etiology in a patient suffering therefrom comprising:

a therapy delivery device for applying a therapy signal on at least one target site selected from the group consisting of a deep cerebellar target site;

a thalamic nucleus target site that is within the cerebello-thalamo-cortical pathway and thus receives a projection from a deep cerebellar nucleus and projects to the cerebral cortex; and

projections from the cerebellum to the thalamus; and

a sensor for detecting a bodily activity indicative of the presence or severity of the medical condition resulting from the stroke or the traumatic etiology and for generating a sensor signal; and

a controller in communication with the therapy delivery device and the sensor and programmed to activate the therapy delivery device to initiate application of the therapy signal to the target site or to adjust application of the therapy signal to the target site in response to the sensor signal to improve the medical condition resulting from the stroke or the traumatic etiology in the patient.