SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DEPRESSION TREATMENT USING NEURO-EEG SYNCHRONIZATION THERAPY

• US 20110137104A1
• Filed: 11/11/2010
• Published: 06/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wave Neuroscience, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Neosync, Inc.
• Inventors: Jin, Yi, Phillips, James William
• Granted Patent: US 8,926,490 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/9
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2/004 specially adapted for a specific therapy
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2/006 for magnetic stimulation of nerve tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2/008 for pain treatment or analgesia

Abstract

Described are methods, devices, and systems for a novel, inexpensive, easy to use therapy for treatment of depression. Described are methods and devices to treat depression that involves no medication. Methods and devices described herein use alternating magnetic fields to gently “tune” the brain and affect symptoms of depression.

Claims

1. A method for treating depression in a subject comprising:

(a) adjusting output of a magnetic field for influencing at least one of an intrinsic frequency of a specified EEG band of the subject toward a pre-selected intrinsic frequency of the specified EEG band and a Q-factor of an intrinsic frequency within a specified EEG band of a subject toward a pre-selected Q-factor and

(b) applying said magnetic field close to a head of the subject;

wherein the pre-selected intrinsic frequency is a frequency that increases blood flow in the cortex of the subject, and wherein the pre-selected Q-factor is a Q-factor that increases blood flow in the cortex of the subject.

3. The method of any of claims 1 and 2, further comprising taking EEG measurements of the subject before the adjusting step or after the applying step, or both before the adjusting step and after the applying step.

4. The method of any of claims 1 and 2, further comprising determining at least one of:

the subject'"'"'s intrinsic frequency of the specified EEG band and the subject'"'"'s Q-factor of an intrinsic frequency within a specified EEG band.

5. The method of any of claims 1 and 2, wherein the applying of the magnetic field applies the magnetic field to a diffuse area in a brain of the subject.

6. The method of any of claims 1 and 2, wherein the magnetic field is generated by movement of at least one permanent magnet.

7. The method of claim 8, wherein the strength of the at least one permanent magnetic is from about 10 Gauss to about 4 Tesla.

8. The method of any of claims 1 and 2, wherein the step of applying the magnetic field is for about 5 minutes to about two hours.

9. The method of any of claims 1 and 2, further comprising repeating the applying step after an interval about 6 hours to about 14 days.

10. The method of any of claims 1 and 2, further comprising:

(a) locating a first electrode operable to detect electrical brain activity on the subject in at least one of an area of low electrical resistivity on a subject, and an area with substantially no electrical impulse interference on a subject;

(b) locating a second electrode operable to detect a reference signal on the subject; and

(c) determining the intrinsic frequency or the Q-factor or both from the electrical brain activity detected by the first electrode and the reference signal detected by the second electrode.

11. The method of any of claims 1 and 2, wherein the method provides an improvement as measured using a HAMD rating scale.

2. A method for treating depression in a subject comprising:

(a) adjusting output of a magnetic field for influencing an intrinsic frequency of a specified EEG band of a subject toward a pre-selected intrinsic frequency of the specified EEG band; and

(b) applying said magnetic field close to a head of the subject;

wherein the pre-selected intrinsic frequency is a frequency that decreases blood flow in a lower region of the brain of the subject.

12. A system for treating depression in a subject comprising:

a means for applying a magnetic field to a head of the subject;

whereby the means for applying the magnetic field is capable of influencing at least one of;

(a) an intrinsic frequency of a brain of the subject within a specified EEG band;

(b) a Q-factor of an intrinsic frequency of the brain of the subject within a specified EEG band;

(c) a coherence of intrinsic frequencies among multiple sites in the brain of the subject within a specified EEG band; and

(d) a EEG phase between two sites in the brain of the subject of a specified EEG frequency, and a device capable of determining the blood flow of at least one of the cortex and a lower region of the brain.

13. The system of claim 12, comprising at least one permanent magnet.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the magnetic field is generated by movement of at least one permanent magnet.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the movement of the at least one said magnet is at a frequency between about 0.5 Hz and about 100 Hz.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein said movement comprises at least one of rotational motion, linear motion, and swing motion.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein said movement generates an alternating magnetic field.

18. The system of claim 12, further comprising logic that controls the frequency to be any frequency between about 0.5 Hz and about 100 Hz in increments of about 0.1 Hz.

19. The system of claim 12, further comprising logic that automatically changes the frequency in response to EEG readings of a subject during treatment.

20. The system of claim 12, further comprising logic that calculates information from EEG data collected from the subject within a specified EEG band, wherein said information comprises at least one of items listed below:

(a) at least one intrinsic frequency;

(b) Q-factor of the at least one intrinsic frequency;

(c) a coherence value of intrinsic frequencies;

(d) an EEG phase; and

(e) any combination thereof.

21. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

(a) a first electrode operable to detect electrical brain activity; and

(b) a second electrode operable to detect a reference signal;

wherein the first electrode is located on the subject in at least one of;

an area of low electrical resistivity on a subject, and an area with substantially no electrical impulse interference on a subject, and wherein the second electrode is located on the subject.