High Resolution Electrical Stimulation Leads

• US 20120277821A1
• Filed: 12/21/2010
• Published: 11/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Bakken Research Center B.V. (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Sapiens Steering Brain Stimulation B.V. (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Martens, Hubert Cécile François, Decré, Michel Marcel Jose, Toader, Emil-Codrut
• Granted Patent: US 9,095,698 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/45
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36182 Direction of the electrical field, e.g. with sleeve around stimulating electrode
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36185 Selection of the electrode configuration

Abstract

System for providing a stimulus comprising a probe with multiple electrodes each capable of providing a particular current to surrounding tissue a generator for providing to each of the electrodes the particular current a controller for controlling the generator to provide current to the electrodes to achieve a desired electrical field around the probe.

Claims

1. A system for providing an electrical stimulus to surrounding tissue comprising:

a probe with multiple electrodes;

a generator for supplying electrical signals to the electrodes to obtain a field distribution in the surrounding tissue;

a controller being constructed for controlling the generator to provide;

in a first state a first distribution of the electrical signals to the electrodes for generating a first field distribution, and in a second state a second distribution of the electrical signals to the electrodes for generating a second field distribution, wherein the first distribution is more symmetrical with respect to the electrodes than the second distribution, and

the electrical signals to obtain a sum of electrical stimulation currents supplied to the probe being in the second state lower than in the first state.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is constructed for adjusting the electrical signals to the electrodes such that the generated field distribution gradually changes from the first field distribution in the first state into the second field distribution in the second state or the other way around.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the electrical signals are the electrical stimulation currents, in use, flowing through the electrodes into the surrounding tissue.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is constructed for reducing the sum of electrical stimulation currents when changing from the first state to the second state to keep the total power supplied to the electrodes in the first state and in the second state substantially constant.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the controller is constructed for reducing the sum of electrical stimulation currents to keep the field distribution in the second state within borders of the field distribution in the first state.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the controller is constructed for reducing the sum of electrical stimulation currents to keep a maximum of the field distribution in the second state substantially equal to a maximum of the field distribution in the first state, wherein the maximum of the field distribution is defined by trespassing a threshold of a field strength.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the probe and the controller are constructed for generating in the first state a field distribution being symmetrical around the probe and in the second state a field distribution having a directivity extending in a desired direction with respect to the probe.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first field distribution and the second field distribution are distributions of a voltage field, an electrical field, an activating function, or an activation-profile of multi compartment neuronal models.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the probe has an elongated shape and the multiple electrodes are circumferentially arranged on the probe at different axial positions, wherein several electrodes are present at a same one of the different axial positions.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a user interface for inputting a directivity including an orientation of the field distribution.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a user interface for inputting a total power supplied to the electrodes.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising a user interface for inputting a spread of the field distribution.

13. A method of generating an electrical stimulus for application to surrounding tissue with a probe with multiple electrodes, the method comprises:

generating electrical signals;

generating in a first state a first distribution of electrical signals for the electrodes (Ei) to generate a first field distribution; and

generating in a second state a second distribution of electrical signals for the electrodes to generate a second field distribution,

wherein the first distribution is more symmetrical than the second distribution, and a sum of electrical stimulation currents generated by the electrical signals in the second state is lower than in the first state.