NEURAL STIMULATOR SYSTEM

• US 20170036033A9
• Filed: 10/31/2013
• Published: 02/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Curonix Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Micron Devices LLC
• Inventors: Perryman, Laura Tyler, Larson, Patrick, Andresen, Chad
• Granted Patent: US 9,566,449 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36125 Details of circuitry or electric components
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36142 for improving safety
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3708 for power depletion
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37223 Circuits for electromagnetic coupling
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37235 Aspects of the external programmer
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37241 providing test stimulations
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37247 User interfaces, e.g. input or presentation means
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37258 Alerting the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3727 characterised by the modulation technique
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3787 from an external energy source
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

An implantable neural stimulator method for modulating excitable tissue in a patient including: implanting a neural stimulator within the body of the patient such that one or more electrodes of the neural stimulator are positioned at a target site adjacent to or near excitable tissue; generating an input signal with a controller module located outside of, and spaced away from, the patient'"'"'s body; transmitting the input signal to the neural stimulator through electrical radiative coupling; converting the input signal to electrical pulses within the neural stimulator; and applying the electrical pulses to the excitable tissue sufficient to modulate said excitable tissue.

Claims

1. A method for modulating excitable tissue in a patient comprising:

implanting a neural stimulator within the body of the patient such that one or more electrodes of the neural stimulator are positioned at a target site adjacent to or near excitable tissue;

generating an input signal with a controller module located outside of, and spaced away from, the patient'"'"'s body;

transmitting the input signal to the neural stimulator through electrical radiative coupling;

converting the input signal to electrical pulses within the neural stimulator; and

applying the electrical pulses to the excitable tissue sufficient to modulate said excitable tissue.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating a stimulus feedback signal within the neural stimulator;

transmitting the stimulus feedback signal to the controller module through electrical radiative coupling; and

adjusting parameters of the input signal based on the stimulus feedback signal.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the parameters include an amplitude of the electrical pulses.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the parameters include an impedance of the one or more electrodes.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the converting step is carried out such that the electrical pulses result in a substantially zero net charge within the patient'"'"'s body.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of selectively designating a polarity of each of the one or more electrodes.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the implanting step is carried out by

implanting the neural stimulator at one of the following locations in the patient'"'"'s body:

an epidural space of the spinal column, beneath or on a dura mater of the spinal column, in tissue in close proximity to the spinal column, in tissue located near a dorsal horn, dorsal root ganglia, dorsal roots, dorsal column fibers and peripheral nerve bundles leaving the dorsal column of the spine.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the implanting step is carried out by

implanting the neural stimulator at one of the following locations in the patient'"'"'s body:

abdominal, thoracic or trigeminal ganglia, peripheral nerves, deep brain structures, cortical surface of the brain, sensory or motor nerves.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting step includes the step of

transmitting sufficient energy to the neural stimulator such that the neural stimulator does not require an internal power source or an internal energy storage source for operation.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting step is carried out by transmitting the input signal to one or more dipole antennas within the neural stimulator.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the input signal has a carrier frequency of about 300 MHz to about 8 GHz.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the input signal has a carrier frequency of about 800 MHz to about 1.2 GHz.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the neural stimulator comprises only passive components.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the implanting step is carried out by

implanting the neural stimulator below a skin of the patient.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

limiting a characteristic of the electrical pulses such that a charge per phase resulting from the electrical pulses remains below a threshold level;

generating a limit feedback signal when the charge per phase would have exceeded the threshold level; and

transmit the limit feedback signal to the controller module through electrical radiative coupling.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

obtaining a forward power signal that is reflective of an amplitude of a signal sent to the controller module;

obtaining a reverse power signal that is reflective of an amplitude of a reflected portion of the signal sent to the controller module;

determining a mismatch value indicative of a magnitude of an impedance mismatch based on the forward power signal and the reverse power signal; and

adjust parameters of the input signal based on the mismatch value.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising encoding stimulus parameter information within the input signal and transmitting the stimulus parameter information to the neural stimulator through electrical radiative coupling.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the converting step is carried out by

converting the input signal to the electrical pulses based on the stimulus parameter information encoded within the input signal.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the implanting step comprises injecting the neural stimulator through a percutaneous penetration in the patient and advancing the neural stimulator to a target site within the patient'"'"'s body.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the target site is a cortex of the brain.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the target site is within the brain adjacent to or near one of the thalamus, periventricular gray matter, ventral intermediate thalamus, thalamic nucleus, globus pallidus or hypothalamus.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein the target site is one of the epidural space, between the dura mater and the arachnoid membranes or subdurally in the intrathecal space.