SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR IMPLANTABLE LEADLESS BRAIN STIMULATION

• US 20110166620A1
• Filed: 01/14/2011
• Published: 07/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EBR Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: EBR Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Riley, Richard E., Cowan, Mark W., Brisken, Axel F., Echt, Debra S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,494,639 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/45
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0531 Brain cortex electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0534 Electrodes for deep brain stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36071 Pain

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed to stimulate brain tissue to treat medical conditions such as movement disorders, pain and epilepsy. The disclosed invention uses electrical stimulation of the brain tissue, where vibrational energy from a source is received by an implanted device and converted to electrical energy and the converted electrical energy is used by implanted electrodes to stimulate the pre-determined brain site. The vibrational energy is generated by a controller-transmitter, which could be either implanted or located externally. The vibrational energy is received by a receiver-stimulator, which could be located under the skull, within the brain, on the dura, or in the cranial space close to the brain. As a therapeutic treatment, the implantable receiver-stimulator stimulates the brain sites that are effective in altering brain activity.

Claims

1. A system for stimulating brain tissue, said system comprising:

an acoustic controller-transmitter configured to generate acoustic energy; and

an implantable acoustic receiver-stimulator having a stimulation electrode assembly adapted to be in direct contact with brain tissue, wherein the receiver-stimulator is configured to receive and convert the acoustic energy into an electrical stimulation output delivered to the brain tissue by the stimulation electrode assembly;

wherein the controller-transmitter is configured to sense the electrical stimulation output of the receiver-stimulator and adjust energy transmission accordingly in order to compensate for changes in electrical stimulation output of the receiver-stimulator.

2. The system as in claim 1, wherein the receiver-stimulator comprises an acoustic receiver which receives acoustic energy and generates alternating current, means for converting the alternating current to a pre-determined waveform, and the stimulation electrode assembly adapted to deliver the pre-determined waveform to stimulate brain tissue.

3. The system as in claim 2, wherein the implantable receiver-stimulator is adapted to be located at one of the following locations:

under the skull, within the brain, on the brain, on the dura, or in the cranial space in close proximity to the brain.

4. The system as in claim 2, wherein the implantable receiver-stimulator is adapted to be located at a predetermined brain stimulation site, said predetermined brain stimulation site being selected from the group consisting of the pallido-thalamic axons (AL), the lenticulo-thalamic fiber pathway (LT), substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr), external segment of globus pallidus (GPe), subthalamic to pallidal fiber tracts, putamen, putamen to GPe fibers, the ventrobasal (VB) area of the thalamus, the ventral posteromedial (VPM) nucleus, the ventral posterolateral nucleus (VPL), the ventrolateral nucleus (VL), the posterior complex of the thalamus (PO), the motor cortex, the sensory cortex, the cingulated gyrus, the medial lemniscus, the internal capsule, the periventricular grey (PVG) matter, the periaqueductal grey (PAG) matter, the nucleus of tractus solitarius (NTS), the sub thalamic nucleus, the hippocampus, the medial thalamus, the temporal lobe, and any ischemic area of the brain tissue.

5. The system as in claim 4, wherein the implantable receiver-stimulator is adapted to be placed and secured to stimulate brain sites effective in altering brain activity as a therapeutic treatment.

6. The system as in claim 1, wherein the controller-transmitter comprises a power source, control and timing circuitry to provide a stimulation signal, means for converting the stimulation signal to an acoustic energy signal, and means for transmitting the acoustic energy signal to the receiver-stimulator.

7. The system as in claim 6, wherein the controller-transmitter is adapted to be implantable.

8. The system as in claim 6, wherein control circuitry includes one or more means for sensing physiologic variables in order to adjust stimulation with one or more parameters chosen from pulse amplitude, pulse duration, duty cycle, or timing.

9. The system as in claim 8, wherein sensing physiologic variables includes detecting electrical brain activity and timing the stimulation signal to synchronize or desynchronize the brain activity.

10. The system as in claim 9, wherein means for sensing physiologic variables includes processing an electrogram signal of brain activity from electrodes in contact with tissue located on the exterior surface of the controller-transmitter.

11. The system as in claim 3, further comprising at least one additional receiver-stimulator device.

12. The system as in claim 11, wherein the system is programmed to activate the receiver-stimulator devices sequentially.

13. The system as in claim 11, wherein the system is programmed to activate the receiver-stimulator devices simultaneously.

14. The system as in claim 1, adapted to transmit and receive acoustic energy wherein the frequency of the acoustic energy is between 20 kHz and 10 MHz, the burst length is between 3 cycles and a continuous burst, the duty cycle is between 0.01% and 100.00%, and the mechanical index is less than 1.9.

15. The system as in claim 4, further comprising at least one additional receiver-stimulator device.

16. The system as in claim 15, wherein the system is programmed to activate the receiver-stimulator devices sequentially.

17. The system as in claim 15, wherein the system is programmed to activate the receiver-stimulator devices simultaneously.

18. The system as in claim 5, further comprising at least one additional receiver-stimulator device.

19. The system as in claim 18, wherein the system is programmed to activate the receiver-stimulator devices sequentially.

20. The system as in claim 18, wherein the system is programmed to activate the receiver-stimulator devices simultaneously.