Methods, Systems, and Devices for Treating Tinnitus with VNS Pairing

• US 20130072996A1
• Filed: 11/09/2012
• Published: 03/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Board of Regents of the University of Texas System (University of Texas System)
• Original Assignee: MicroTransponder Inc., Board of Regents of the University of Texas System (University of Texas System)
• Inventors: Engineer, Navzer, Pierce, David Michael, Kilgard, Michael P.
• Granted Patent: US 8,666,501 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/3
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/128 evaluating tinnitus
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 11/00 Methods or devices for treatment of the ears or hearing sense implantable prostheses that substitute or replace internal ear parts, e.g. ear-drums, A61F2/18; methods or devices to cause a change in the state of auditory consciousness A61M21/00; electrotherapy applying electrical stimulation of the auditory system, or circuits therefor A61N1/36; radiotherapy using optical stimulation of the auditory system A61N5/06; electro-acoustic hearing aids H04R25/00; Non-electric hearing aids; Methods or devices for enabling ear patients to achieve auditory perception through physiological senses other than hearing sense; Protective devices for the ears, carried on the body or in the hand headwear, e.g. caps or helmets, with means for protecting the ears A42B1/0188, A42B3/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0551 Spinal or peripheral nerve electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36053 adapted for vagal stimulation A61N1/36114 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36092 Mental training
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/361 Phantom sensations, e.g. tinnitus
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36132 using patient feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36167 Timing, e.g. stimulation onset
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36171 Frequency
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36178 Burst or pulse train parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37235 Aspects of the external programmer
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37247 User interfaces, e.g. input or presentation means
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 23/28 for medicine
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/75 Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception

Abstract

A method of treating tinnitus comprising measuring a patient'"'"'s hearing, determining the patient'"'"'s hearing loss and the patient'"'"'s tinnitus frequency using the measurements of the patient'"'"'s hearing, programming a clinical controller with the measurements of the patient'"'"'s hearing, selecting a plurality of therapeutic tones, where the therapeutic tones are selected to be at least a half-octave above or below of the patient'"'"'s tinnitus frequency, setting an appropriate volume for each of the plurality of tones, repetitively playing each of the plurality of therapeutic tones, and pairing a vagus nerve stimulation pulse train with each playing of a therapeutic tone, thereby reducing the patient'"'"'s perception of tinnitus.

Claims

1. A method of treating tinnitus comprising:

measuring a patient'"'"'s hearing;

determining the patient'"'"'s hearing loss and the patient'"'"'s tinnitus frequency using the measurements of the patient'"'"'s hearing;

programming a clinical controller with the measurements of the patient'"'"'s hearing;

selecting a plurality of therapeutic tones, where the therapeutic tones are selected to be at least a half-octave above or below of the patient'"'"'s tinnitus frequency;

setting an appropriate volume for each of the plurality of tones;

repetitively playing each of the plurality of therapeutic tones; and

pairing a vagus nerve stimulation pulse train with each playing of a therapeutic tone, thereby reducing the patient'"'"'s perception of tinnitus.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising a session including at least 100 tones per day.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising a session of 300 tones per day.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising checking the volume level of each therapeutic tone.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each therapeutic tone has a duration of about 500 milliseconds.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each vagus nerve stimulation pulse train has a duration of about 500 milliseconds.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the patient'"'"'s hearing is measured by an audiologist.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the repetitive playing each of the plurality of therapeutic tones is random in time.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the repetitive playing each of the plurality of therapeutic tones selects the therapeutic tones frequencies randomly.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the therapeutic tones are pure tones.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the therapeutic tones is shaped by a ramp function.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the therapeutic tones is encoded with location data.

13. A system for treating tinnitus comprising:

a clinical controller executing tinnitus therapy software;

a vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) implantable pulse generator (IPG) in communication with the clinical controller and receiving stimulation signals from the clinical controller;

a VNS lead connected to the VNS IPG;

a VNS electrode connected to the VNS lead and receiving stimulation signals through the VNS lead from the VNS IPG; and

headphones connected to the clinical controller,

wherein the clinical controller plays selected sound files through the headphones while sending stimulation signals to the VNS IPG such that the sound files may be heard by a patient while a stimulation pulse train at the VNS electrode causes the patient'"'"'s vagus nerve to be stimulated.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the clinical controller is a laptop computer.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the VNS IPG receives stimulation parameters from the clinical controller.

16. A method of treating tinnitus comprising:

measuring a patient'"'"'s hearing;

determining the patient'"'"'s hearing loss and the patient'"'"'s tinnitus frequency using the measurements of the patient'"'"'s hearing;

programming a clinical controller with the measurements of the patient'"'"'s hearing;

selecting a plurality of therapeutic tones where the therapeutic tones are selected to be at least a half-octave above or below of the patient'"'"'s tinnitus frequency;

generating sound files by shaping the selected therapeutic tones using a ramp function;

modulating the sound files with phase information that simulates a sound source location;

setting an appropriate volume for each of the plurality of tones;

repetitively playing each of the plurality of therapeutic tones; and

pairing a vagus nerve stimulation pulse train with each playing of a therapeutic tone, thereby reducing the patient'"'"'s perception of tinnitus.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising a session including at least 100 tones per day.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising a session of 300 tones per day.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising checking the volume level of each therapeutic tone.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein each therapeutic tone has a duration of about 500 milliseconds.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein each vagus nerve stimulation pulse train has a duration of about 500 milliseconds.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the patient'"'"'s hearing is measured by an audiologist.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein the repetitive playing each of the plurality of therapeutic tones is random in time.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein the repetitive playing each of the plurality of therapeutic tones selects the therapeutic tones frequencies randomly.

25. The method of claim 16, wherein the therapeutic tones are pure tones.

26. The method of claim 16, wherein each of the therapeutic tones is shaped by a ramp function.

27. The method of claim 16, wherein each of the therapeutic tones is encoded with location data.