Methods for treating and/or collecting information regarding neurological disorders, including language disorders
First Claim
1. A method for treating a language disorder of a patient, comprising:
- selecting multiple stimulation sites of a patient'"'"'s brain to include at least one from a first group of Broca'"'"'s area or Wernicke'"'"'s area, and at least one from a second group of the middle frontal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus or inferior frontal lobe, the stimulation sites being located within the patient'"'"'s skull;
positioning at least one electrode epidurally or subdurally on, adjacent to or juxtaposed a stimulation site from the first group;
positioning at least one electrode epidurally or subdurally on, adjacent to or juxtaposed a stimulation site from the second group;
coupling the electrodes to a source of electrical potential; and
at least reducing a language disorder of the patient by applying electrical stimulation directly to the stimulation sites via the electrodes.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods for treating and/or collecting information regarding neurological disorders, including language disorders, are disclosed. A method in accordance with one embodiment directing a patient to perform a language-based task, directing information to be collected, with the information corresponding to a level of neural activity in the patient'"'"'s brain while the patient performs the language-based task, and, based at least in part on the information, selecting a stimulation site within the patient'"'"'s skull for receiving an electrode coupleable to an electrical current. In further embodiments, at least one electrode can be placed at the stimulation site, and the patient'"'"'s language disorder can be reduced by applying electrical stimulation directly to the stimulation site via the at least one electrode.
21 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A method for treating a language disorder of a patient, comprising:
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selecting multiple stimulation sites of a patient'"'"'s brain to include at least one from a first group of Broca'"'"'s area or Wernicke'"'"'s area, and at least one from a second group of the middle frontal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus or inferior frontal lobe, the stimulation sites being located within the patient'"'"'s skull; positioning at least one electrode epidurally or subdurally on, adjacent to or juxtaposed a stimulation site from the first group; positioning at least one electrode epidurally or subdurally on, adjacent to or juxtaposed a stimulation site from the second group; coupling the electrodes to a source of electrical potential; and at least reducing a language disorder of the patient by applying electrical stimulation directly to the stimulation sites via the electrodes. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method for treating a language disorder of a patient, comprising:
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identifying a patient as having a language disorder; based at least in part on identifying the patient as having a language disorder, selecting a first stimulation site at the right hemisphere of a patient'"'"'s brain and selecting a second stimulation site at the left hemisphere of the patient'"'"'s brain, the stimulation sites being located within the patient'"'"'s skull; positioning at least one electrode at each of the stimulation sites; coupling the electrodes to a source of electrical potential; and at least reducing a language disorder of the patient by applying electrical signals directly to the stimulation sites via the electrodes, the electrical signals including inhibitory signals applied to one of the first and second stimulation sites, and facilitatory signals applied to the other of the first and second stimulation sites. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification