Transcranial stimulation device and method based on electrophysiological testing

• US 8,239,030 B1
• Filed: 12/28/2010
• Issued: 08/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Evoke Neuroscience, Inc.
• Original Assignee: DJ Technologies Inc.
• Inventors: Hagedorn, David W, Thompson, James W. G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Manuel, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wieland, Robert N
• Application Number:
  US12/979,419
• Time in Patent Office: 588 Days
• Field of Search: 607/45, 607/46, 607/62
• US Class Current: 607/45
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/375 using biofeedback
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6803 Head-worn items, e.g. helmets, masks, headphones or goggles
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0484 Garment electrodes worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36025 for treating a mental or cerebral condition

Abstract

Embodiments of the disclosed technology provide a combination electroencephalography and non-invasive stimulation devices. Upon measuring an electrical anomaly in a region of a brain, various tDCS or other electrical stimulations are utilized to correct neural activity. Devices of the disclosed technology may utilize visual, balance, auditory, and other stimuli to test the subject, analyze necessary brain stimulations, and administer stimulation to the brain.

Claims

1. A bi-directional method of carrying out electrophysiological data recording and analysis with manual or automated delivery of transcranial current stimulation, comprising the steps of:

via at least one electrode, providing current stimulation of electrical currents within a brain of a person, the at least one electrode including at least one anode electrode and at least one cathode electrode, the current of the current stimulation being either direct current or alternating current;

via the at least one electrode, conducting a non-invasive measurement of the electrical currents within the brain of the person;

determining functional abnormality in said person based on said conducting while providing directed sensory stimuli to said person;

sending a non-invasive brain stimulation via said at least one anode electrode and said at least one cathode electrode to said brain of said person; and

augmenting the non-invasive stimulation based on at least one measured physiological characteristic of the person.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising an additional step of conducting

non-invasive measurements of electrical currents via a plurality of electrode pairs.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a said electrode pair comprises a

cluster of a single electrode surrounded by at least three electrodes of opposite polarity to said single electrode.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said non-invasive brain stimulation comprises sending the non-invasive brain stimulation using a plurality of clusters of electrodes.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein all said clusters simultaneously stimulate a different region of said brain based on said analysis.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein each said cluster alternately stimulates a different region of said brain based on said analysis.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein said plurality of electrodes is pre-arranged in a single piece of headgear worn by said person.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said additional measured physiological characteristic is selected from the group consisting of heart rate variability, a measure of neuropathway speed and amplitude, a measure of balance, measures of peak performance, and pathology comparisons.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein a force plate is used to measure measures of balance.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said conducting and said sending are carried out by means of a single device with a single manually operated control.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said conducting and said sending are carried out by way of a pre-configured automated process.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said conducting and said sending are carried out by means of two separate devices utilizing a single electrical pathway.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing the directed sensory stimuli to the person in at least one of;

an immersive environment and a two-dimensional interactive screen.

14. A joint brain electro-analysis and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) system comprising:

a plurality of spaced-apart removable and replaceable electrodes or electrode boots arranged in a piece of headgear, the electrodes or electrode boots including at least one anode electrode and at least one cathode electrode;

an electroencephalography device wired to each of said electrodes;

a transcranial direct current stimulation device wired to each of said electrodes; and

an additional device for measuring physiological characteristics, of a person wearing said piece of headgear;

wherein, upon measuring an electroencephalographic anomaly in a brain region of the person with said electroencephalography device while providing directed sensory stimuli to the person, transcranial direct current stimulation is engaged to the at least one anode electrode and the at least one cathode electrode of said brain region where said anomaly was measured and such that the non-invasive stimulation is augmented based on at least one measured physiological characteristic of a person.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the directed sensory stimuli to the person in at least one of:

an immersive environment and a two-dimensional interactive screen.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein said at least one anode and said at least one cathode comprise a cluster of an electrode with a first polarity surrounded by at least three electrodes of a second polarity.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said cluster is a plurality of clusters, and said current stimulation is alternated between a first and a second cluster.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein each said cluster stimulates a different region of said brain based on said analysis.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein said additional measured physiological characteristic is selected from the group consisting of heart rate variability, a measure of neuropathway speed and amplitude, a measure of balance, measures of peak performance, and pathology comparisons.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein said electroencephalography device and said transcranial direct current stimulation device are contained within a single housing and are operable with a single set of controls.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein switching between use of said electroencephalography device and said transcranial direct current stimulation device requires manually disconnecting a wire hub between said electrodes and one of said devices recited in this claim, and reconnecting said wire hub to the other said device recited in this claim.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein a force plate is used to determine measures of balance.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein said force plate is used simultaneously with visual stimuli and an electroencephalography device.