SEIZURE FORECASTING, MICROSEIZURE PRECURSOR EVENTS, AND RELATED THERAPEUTIC METHODS AND DEVICES

• US 20100292602A1
• Filed: 07/11/2008
• Published: 11/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mayo Foundation For Medical Education And Research (Mayo Clinic)
• Original Assignee: Mayo Foundation For Medical Education And Research (Mayo Clinic)
• Inventors: Worrell, Gregory A., Stead, Squire M.
• Application Number:
  US12/668,345
• Publication Number:
  US 20100292602A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/544
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/046 in a matrix array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/291 for electroencephalography [EEG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/377 using evoked responses
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4094 Diagnosing or monitoring seizure diseases, e.g. epilepsy
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0531 Brain cortex electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0534 Electrodes for deep brain stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36082 Cognitive or psychiatric applications, e.g. dementia or Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

A multiscale recording and stimulation system for identifying and responding to epileptiform activity. The system includes the use of microelectrode arrays (e.g., 10-100 micron electrodes with 100-500 micron spacing) to monitor iEEG activity of submillimeter regions or islands in the epileptogenic zone of brain tissue (e.g., independent microdomains in the range of 100-1000 micron diameter).

Claims

1. A therapeutic method including monitoring microseizures within neural microdomains in the brain.

2. The therapeutic method of claim 1 wherein the microdomains are sub-millimeter islands of brain.

3. The therapeutic method of claim 2 wherein the microdomains are on the order of 1000 μ

m or less in size.

4. The therapeutic method of claim 1 including monitoring a plurality of the microdomains.

5. The therapeutic method of claim 1 wherein monitoring microseizures includes monitoring iEEG through microelectrodes.

6. The therapeutic method of claim 5 wherein the microelectrodes are on the order of 200 μ

m or less in size.

7. The therapeutic method of claim 1 wherein the microelectrodes are spaced from one another on the order of 1 mm or less.

8. The therapeutic method of claim 1 and further including performing interventions as a function of the monitored microseizures.

9. The therapeutic method of claim 8 wherein the interventions include one or more of drug delivery, stimulation, and warning.

10. The therapeutic method of claim 8 and further including monitoring macrodomain iEEG and performing interventions as a function of the macrodomain iEEG and the monitored microseizures.

11. The therapeutic method of claim 10 wherein the macrodomain iEEG includes one or both of high-frequency epileptoform oscillations and DC fluctuations.

12. A multiscale electrode array for use with the therapeutic method of claim 10.

13. A passive recording and stimulation-response multiscale electrophysiology method, including monitoring microseizures in microdomain structures, for identifying epileptic brain, periods of increased seizure probability, and therapeutic intelligent control stimulation to prevent and/or abort seizures.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the monitoring is performed through venous access.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the simulation is performed through venous access.

16. The method of claim 13 including monitoring the electrical stimulation-induced response and epileptiform activity from a plurality of the microdomains and macrodomain structures to identify epileptogenic brain and probability of seizure occurrence.

17. The method of claim 14 and further including performing interventions including electrical stimulation as a function of the monitored microseizures, DC-shifts or HFEO, and including intelligent stimulation that is tuned to effectively cancel the local field activity over selected frequency bands or the entire spectrum (DC-1000 Hz)