Method of treating psychiatric diseases by neuromodulation within the dorsomedial thalamus

• US 6,609,030 B1
• Filed: 02/24/2000
• Issued: 08/19/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Electrocore Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: Electrocore Technologies LLC
• Inventors: Rezai, Ali R., Kopell, Brian H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Layno, Carl
• Application Number:
  US09/511,842
• Time in Patent Office: 1,272 Days
• Field of Search: 607/3, 607/45, 604/500, 604/502, 604/506, 604/93
• US Class Current: 607/45
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36082 Cognitive or psychiatric applications, e.g. dementia or Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

A method for treating psychiatric diseases such as Affective Disorder (including Major Depression and Bipolar Disorder), Anxiety Disorder (including General Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Panic Disorder) by stimulation (either electrical and/or chemical) of the thalamus, and in particular a region within the dorsomedial nucleus of the thalamus. The method includes the steps of determining a common group of patients, each suffering from a common specific diagnosis for a psychological disorder; determining which common region of the patients'"'"' thalami are involved in carrying the pathological electrical signals and/or metabolic activity which may otherwise be generated in dissimilar and disparate regions of the brains of the patients; surgically implanting an electrode and/or catheter and electrical signal generating device and/or drug pump such that the electrode and/or catheter is positioned within the region of the thalamus identified as the dorsomedial nucleus; and selectively adjusting the level of electrical and/or chemical stimulation in accordance with the specific effect of the stimulation of the patient. In particular, the region of the thalamus most frequently associated with the aforementioned psychiatric disease is the dorsomedial nucleus.

Claims

1. A method of determining the proper therapeutic treatment for, and subsequently treating a specific psychiatric disorder comprising the steps of:

identifying a large sampling of patients, each exhibiting a common specific psychiatric disorder;

identifying which common region of the thalamus exhibits pathological electrical during manifestations of the specific psychiatric disorder, said common region thereafter constituting a predetermined treatment site;

surgically implanting a catheter in the brain of each of said patients so that a distal end thereof lies in communication with the predetermined treatment site in the thalamus of the brain;

coupling a proximal end of said catheter to a fluid medicine delivery pump; and

operating said fluid medicine delivery pump to stimulate said predetermined treatment site in the thalamus of the brain, whereby the effects of psychiatric disorder are reduced.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said psychiatric disorder is selected from the group consisting of Anxiety Disorder, Affective Disorder, and Substance Abuse Disorder.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the common regions of the thalamus constituting the predetermined treatment site is the dorsomedial thalamus.