Peltier unidirectional and selective nerve stimulation
First Claim
1. Apparatus comprising:
- an assembly, which comprises;
a housing configured to be applied to a nerve of a subject; and
at least one cathode and at least one Peltier cooler, which are fixed to the housing; and
a control unit, which is configured to drive;
the cathode to apply an activating current to the nerve that generates action potentials traveling in first and second directions in the nerve, andthe Peltier cooler to cool the nerve sufficiently to block propagation of at least a portion of the cathode-generated action potentials traveling in the second direction,wherein the nerve contains smaller- and larger-diameter fibers, and wherein the control unit is configured to drive the Peltier cooler to cool the nerve sufficiently to block the propagation of the portion of the cathode-generated action potentials traveling in the smaller-diameter fibers.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus is provided including an assembly (22) and a control unit (36). The assembly (22) includes a housing (34) configured to be applied to a nerve (20) of a subject, and at least one cathode (30) and at least one Peltier cooler (32), which are fixed to the housing (34). The control unit (36) is configured to drive the cathode (30) to apply an activating current to the nerve (20) that generates action potentials traveling in first and second directions (38 and 40) in the nerve (20), and the Peltier cooler (32) to cool the nerve (20) sufficiently to block propagation of at least a portion of the cathode-generated action potentials traveling in the second direction (40). Other embodiments are also described.
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Citations
11 Claims
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1. Apparatus comprising:
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an assembly, which comprises; a housing configured to be applied to a nerve of a subject; and at least one cathode and at least one Peltier cooler, which are fixed to the housing; and a control unit, which is configured to drive; the cathode to apply an activating current to the nerve that generates action potentials traveling in first and second directions in the nerve, and the Peltier cooler to cool the nerve sufficiently to block propagation of at least a portion of the cathode-generated action potentials traveling in the second direction, wherein the nerve contains smaller- and larger-diameter fibers, and wherein the control unit is configured to drive the Peltier cooler to cool the nerve sufficiently to block the propagation of the portion of the cathode-generated action potentials traveling in the smaller-diameter fibers. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. Apparatus comprising:
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an assembly, which comprises; a housing configured to be applied to a nerve of a subject; and at least one cathode and at least one Peltier cooler, which are fixed to the housing; and a control unit, which is configured to drive; the cathode to apply an activating current to the nerve that generates action potentials traveling in first and second directions in the nerve, and the Peltier cooler to cool the nerve sufficiently to block propagation of at least a portion of the cathode-generated action potentials traveling in the second direction, wherein the assembly comprises at least one anode, and wherein the control unit is configured to drive the anode to apply an inhibiting current to the nerve that blocks the propagation of a portion of the cathode-generated action potentials traveling in the second direction, wherein the nerve contains smaller-, intermediate-, and larger-diameter fibers, and wherein the control unit is configured to; configure the inhibiting current to block the propagation of the portion of the cathode-generated action potentials traveling in the larger-diameter fibers, and drive the Peltier cooler to cool the nerve sufficiently to block the propagation of the portion of the cathode-generated action potentials traveling in the smaller-diameter fibers. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7)
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8. Apparatus comprising:
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an assembly, which comprises; a housing configured to be applied to a nerve of a subject; and at least one cathode and at least one Peltier cooler, which are fixed to the housing; and a control unit, which is configured to drive; the cathode to apply an activating current to the nerve that generates action potentials traveling in first and second directions in the nerve, and the Peltier cooler to cool the nerve sufficiently to block propagation of at least a portion of the cathode-generated action potentials traveling in the second direction, herein the control unit is configured to; configure the activating current to generate the action potentials in fibers of the nerve up to a first depth from a surface of the nerve, and drive the Peltier cooler to cool fibers of the nerve up to a second depth less than the first depth, thereby blocking the propagation of the cathode-generated action potentials traveling in the second direction in the fibers of the nerve up to the second depth. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11)
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Specification