Treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders by nerve stimulation
First Claim
1. A method of treating patients with neuopsychiatric disorders, which includesselecting a patient suffering form a neuropsychiatric disorder,determining the type of neuropsychiatric disorder exhibited by the patient, andselectively applying a predetermined electrical stimulus to the patient'"'"'s vagus nerve for modulating the electrical activity thereof in a manner to alleviate the symptoms of the neuropsychiatric disorder exhibited by the patient being treated.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Method and apparatus for treating and controlling neuropsychiatric disorders including schizophrenia, depression, and borderline personality disorder by selectively applying a predetermined electrical signal to the patient'"'"'s vagus nerve for stimulation thereof to alleviate the symptoms of the disorder being treated. The electrical signal may be applied continuously, periodically, or intermittently to the vagus nerve depending, in part, on the nature of the disorder being treated. In certain instances, the electrical signal is applied upon detection of an event indicative of onset of the disorder. In other instances, the electrical signal is selectively applied at will to the vagus nerve, such as by patient activation of the signal generator. Parameter values of the electrical signal including pulse width, output current, frequency, on time and off time, are selectively programmable.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A method of treating patients with neuopsychiatric disorders, which includes
selecting a patient suffering form a neuropsychiatric disorder, determining the type of neuropsychiatric disorder exhibited by the patient, and selectively applying a predetermined electrical stimulus to the patient'"'"'s vagus nerve for modulating the electrical activity thereof in a manner to alleviate the symptoms of the neuropsychiatric disorder exhibited by the patient being treated.
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16. A new use for a neurostimulator device adapted to be implanted in a human patient, in which the device comprises an electrical signal generator which is programmable to generate an electrical output signal having selected signal parameters, and an electrical lead adapted to be connected at a proximal end thereof to the signal generator, the lead including an electrode electrically connected to a distal end of the lead and having a configuration for encompassing a portion of the length of a nerve so that the electrode is adapted to be implanted on the patient'"'"'s vagus nerve to modulate the electrical activity of the nerve in response to application of the programmed electrical output signal from the signal generator to the lead, the new use of the neurostimulator device comprising the steps of:
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implanting said electrode on the vagus nerve of the patient, electrically connecting the proximal end of the lead to said signal generator, programming the output signal of the signal generator to constitute a pulse waveform with parameter values of pulse width, output current, frequency, and on and off times selected for therapeutic treatment and control of a neuropsychiatric disorder of the patient among the group of such disorders consisting of schizophrenia, depression, borderline personality disorder. - View Dependent Claims (17)
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18. A method for use in advancing the treatment and control of neuropsychiatric disorders, including the steps of
providing an electrical lead with a stimulating electrode assembly at its distal end for implantation on a patient'"'"'s vagus nerve, providing a programmable stimulus generator for generating electrical pulse sequences with selectively variable electrical parameters for selective application to the lead/electrode assembly when implanted on the vagus nerve, incorporating an electrical connector in the stimulus generator to accommodate electrical connection of the proximal end of the electrical lead to the stimulus generator, restricting the programmable ranges of the variable parameters of the electrical pulse sequences to values which in combination will stimulate the vagus nerve and thereby modulate its electrical activity when one or more programmed pulse sequences are applied to the nerve via the lead/electrode assembly, to alleviate symptoms of the particular neuropsychiatric disorder to be treated, adapting the stimulus generator for physician control of the programming, and supplying the stimulus generator and lead/electrode assembly for the treatment and control of neuropsychiatric disorders.
Specification