ELECTRODE SYSTEM FOR DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION

• US 20100100152A1
• Filed: 02/25/2008
• Published: 04/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Bakken Research Center B.V. (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Martens, Hubert Cecile Francois, Decre, Michel Marcel Jose, Cantatore, Eugenio
• Application Number:
  US12/528,848
• Publication Number:
  US 20100100152A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/45
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/24 Detecting, measuring or recording bioelectric or biomagnetic signals of the body or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6868 Brain
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0534 Electrodes for deep brain stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49117 Conductor or circuit manufacturing

Abstract

The invention relates to an electrode system (200) that is particularly suited for deep brain stimulation. According to a preferred embodiment, the electrode system (200) comprises an elongated probe body (202) carrying a plurality of annular stimulation electrodes (201) of radius r and axial extension h that are axially distributed at distances d. The axial extension h is preferably smaller than the diameter 2r and preferably larger than the distance d. Moreover, the electrode system (200) optionally comprises a plurality of microelectrodes (203) projecting radially away from the probe body (202), said microelectrodes (203) being suited for recording neurophysio logic potentials.

Claims

1. An electrode system (100-500) for deep brain stimulation, comprising

a) an axially extending probe body (102-502);

b) at least three stimulation electrodes (101-501) that are distributed along the axis of the probe body (102-502), wherein the diameter 2r of the stimulation electrodes (101-501) is equal or larger than their axial extension h;

2r≧

h;

c) a controller (11) for selectively generating patterns of electrical potentials that differ from each other in that they are shifted in axial direction with respect to the stimulation electrodes.

2. The electrode system (100-500) according to claim 1,

characterized in that the diameter 2r of the stimulation electrodes (101-501) is at least twice as large as their axial extension, 2r≧

2h, preferably at least four times larger than their axial extension, 2r≧

4h.

3. The electrode system (100-500) according to claim 1,

characterized in that at least two neighboring stimulation electrodes (101-501) have a distance d that is smaller than the axial extension h of the electrodes according to d≦

h, preferably to d≦

0.5·

h.

4. The electrode system (100-500) according to claim 1,

characterized in that the stimulation electrodes (101-501) are distributed over an axial region with a length H that is at least as long as the diameter 2r of the stimulation electrodes (101-501) and/or that is at least ten times as long as the axial extension h of the electrodes:

H≧

10·

h.

5. The electrode system (100-500) according to claim 1,

characterized in that the controller (11) comprises a single pulse generator.

6. The electrode system (200-500) according to claim 1,

characterized in that it comprises at least one microelectrode (203-503) projecting away from the probe body (202-502).

7. The electrode system (200-500) according to claim 6,

characterized in that the microelectrode (203-503) is surrounded by an electrical isolation (204-504) everywhere besides at its tip.

8. The electrode system (200-500) according to claim 6,

characterized in that the microelectrode (203-503) originates between two stimulation electrodes (201, 301) or within the area of a stimulation electrode (301).

9. The electrode system (100-500) according to claim 6,

characterized in that it comprises a recording unit (11) for sensing electrical potentials via the microelectrode (203-503).

10. A method for the production of an electrode system (200-500) according to claim 6, comprising

a) the fabrication of a sheet (510) of isolating material with at least one embedded electrical lead, wherein a stripe of the isolating material comprising an end of the lead is cut free;

b) rolling the sheet (510) around a probe body (502).