Method and system for optical stimulation of nerves

• US 8,551,150 B1
• Filed: 11/07/2012
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nurotone Medical Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Webb, James S., Ralph, Heather A., Wells, Jonathon D., Bendett, Mark P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomson, Bill
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIPITZ, JEFFREY BRIAN
• Application Number:
  US13/671,379
• Time in Patent Office: 335 Days
• Field of Search: 607/2, 607/42, 607/88, 607/89
• US Class Current: 607/89
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/0605 Ear
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/0647 the applicator adapted to be worn on the head
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/0659 infrared
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/0603 for treatment of body cavities
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/0622 Optical stimulation for exciting neural tissue

Abstract

An optical-signal vestibular-nerve stimulation device and method that provides different nerve stimulation signals to a plurality of different vestibular nerves, including at least some of the three semicircular canal nerves and the two otolith organ nerves. In some embodiments, balance conditions of the person are sensed by the implanted device or external device, and based on the sensed balance conditions, varying laser nerve-stimulation signals are sent to a plurality of the different vestibular nerves.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining a plurality of laser-light sources configured to generate a plurality of laser-light signals including a first laser-light signal, a second laser-light signal, and a third laser-light signal;

providing an implantable optical-emission head configured to direct the plurality of laser-light signals toward nerves of an animal, wherein the providing of the optical-emission head includes providing a plurality of optical-output ports that emit light from a first emitting surface of the optical-emission head, wherein the plurality of optical-output ports includes a first optical-output port, a second optical-output port, and a third optical-output port;

coupling the plurality of laser-light sources to the optical-emission head using a plurality of optical waveguides including a first optical waveguide carrying the first laser-light signal to the first optical-output port, a second optical waveguide carrying the second laser-light signal to the second optical-output port, and a third optical waveguide carrying the third laser-light signal to the third optical-output port;

implanting the optical-emission head in the animal such that the plurality of optical-output ports of the optical-emission head directs the plurality of laser-light signals toward the nerves of the animal;

outputting the plurality of laser-light signals from the plurality of optical-output ports to the nerves of the animal;

testing the implanted optical-emission head to determine which selected subset of the plurality of optical-output ports is most effective for optical stimulation of desired nerves of the nerves, wherein the testing causes selected subsets of laser-light sources of the plurality of laser-light sources to emit laser-light signals from the plurality of optical-output ports toward the nerves, wherein the testing includes sensing conditions that affect balance of the animal during the testing, wherein the conditions are related to nerve action potentials (NAPs) triggered in the nerves by the laser-light signals emitted during the testing, wherein the most-effective selected subset of the plurality of optical-output ports is determined at least partly based on the sensing of the conditions; and

selectively controlling the plurality of laser-light signals from each of the plurality of laser-light sources such that the plurality of laser-light signals provide controlled optical stimulation to the desired nerves in order to trigger nerve-action potentials (NAPS) in the desired nerves, wherein the selectively controlling includes using results of the testing of the implanted optical-emission head such that the selectively controlling of the plurality of laser-light signals results in the optical-emission head emitting laser-light signals from the selected subset of the plurality of optical-output ports that was determined to be most effective for optical stimulation of the desired nerves.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of optical waveguides includes a plurality of optical fibers, the method further comprising assembling the plurality of optical fibers in an optical-fiber bundle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the selectively controlling of the plurality of laser-light signals includes controlling a pulse width of the plurality of laser-light signals.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the selectively controlling of the plurality of laser-light signals includes controlling a pulse-repetition rate of the plurality of laser-light signals.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the selectively controlling of the plurality of laser-light signals includes controlling a pulse shape of the plurality of laser-light signals.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the selectively controlling of the plurality of laser-light signals includes controlling a DC background amount of light intensity and a maximum intensity of the plurality of laser-light signals.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the selectively controlling of the plurality of laser-light signals includes controlling a precharge amount of light intensity followed by a trigger amount of light intensity of the plurality of laser-light signals.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the selectively controlling of the plurality of laser-light signals includes controlling the plurality of laser-light signals to decrease a frequency of the NAPs produced by the nerves that would otherwise occur without the plurality of laser-light signals.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining of the plurality of laser-light signals includes implanting a self-contained battery-powered laser-light-generation device in the animal.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising delivering electrical stimulation to an inner-ear organ of the animal.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the nerves of the animal are nerves of an inner-ear vestibular organ of the animal.

12. A method for optical stimulation of a plurality of nerves of a human person, the method comprising:

providing an optical-emission head having a plurality of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) located on a first emitting face of the optical-emission head and configured to emit a plurality of laser-light signals from the first emitting face toward the plurality of nerves of the person, wherein the plurality of laser-light signals are configured to optically stimulate responses in the plurality of nerves;

implanting the optical-emission head in the person;

outputting the plurality of laser-light signals from the optical-emission head to the plurality of nerves of the person;

testing the implanted optical-emission head to determine which selected subset of the plurality of VCSELs is most effective for optical stimulation of desired nerves of the plurality of nerves, wherein the testing causes selected subsets of the plurality of VCSELs to emit laser-light signals toward the plurality of nerves, wherein the testing includes sensing conditions that affect balance of the person during the testing, wherein the conditions are related to nerve action potentials (NAPs) triggered in the plurality of nerves by the laser-light signals emitted during the testing, and wherein the most effective selected subset of the plurality of VCSELs is determined at least partly based on the sensing of the conditions; and

selectively controlling the plurality of laser-light signals emitted from each of the plurality of VCSELs such that the plurality of laser-light signals provide controlled optical stimulation to the desired nerves in order to trigger nerve action potentials (NAPs) in the desired nerves, wherein the selectively controlling includes using results of the testing of the implanted optical-emission head such that the selectively controlling of the plurality of laser-light signals results in the optical-emission head emitting laser-light signals from the selected subset of the plurality of VCSELs that was determined to be most effective for optical stimulation of the desired nerves.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the selectively controlling of the plurality of laser-light signals includes controlling a pulse width of the plurality of laser-light signals.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the selectively controlling of the plurality of laser-light signals includes controlling a pulse repetition rate of the plurality of laser-light signals.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the selectively controlling of the plurality of laser-light signals includes controlling a pulse shape of the plurality of laser-light signals.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising delivering electrical stimulation to an inner-ear organ of the animal.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the plurality of nerves of the human person include a plurality of vestibular nerves of the human person.

18. An apparatus comprising

a plurality of laser-light sources configured to generate a plurality of laser-light signals including a first laser-light signal, a second laser-light signal, and a third laser-light signal;

an optical-emission head configured to be implanted in an animal and to direct the plurality of laser-light signals toward nerves of the animal, wherein the optical-emission head includes a plurality of optical-output ports on a first emitting surface of the optical-emission head such that the plurality of optical-output ports direct the plurality of laser-light signals from the first emitting surface, wherein the plurality of optical-output ports includes a first optical-output port, a second optical-output port, and a third optical-output port;

means for outputting the plurality of laser-light signals from the plurality of optical-output ports to the nerves of the animal, wherein the means for outputting includes a first means for carrying the first laser-light signal to the first optical-output port, a second means for carrying the second laser-light signal to the second optical-output port, and a third means for carrying the third laser-light signal to the third optical-output port;

means for testing the optical-emission head, when implanted, to determine which selected subset of the plurality of optical-output ports is most effective for optical stimulation of desired nerves of the nerves, wherein the means for testing causes selected subsets of laser-light sources of the plurality of laser-light sources to emit laser-light signals from the plurality of optical-output ports toward the nerves, wherein the means for testing includes means for sensing conditions that affect balance of the animal during testing, wherein the conditions are related to nerve-action potentials (NAPs) triggered in the nerves by the laser-light signals emitted during the testing, wherein the most effective selected subset of the plurality of optical-output ports is determined at least partly based on sense data generated from the means for sensing; and

means for selectively controlling the plurality of laser-light signals from each of the plurality of laser-light sources such that the plurality of laser-light signals provide controlled optical stimulation to the desired nerves in order to trigger nerve-action potentials (NAPs) in the desired nerves, wherein the means for selectively controlling includes means for using results of the testing of the implanted optical-emission head such that the means for selectively controlling of the plurality of laser-light signals emits laser-light signals from the selected subset of the plurality of optical-output ports that was determined to be most effective for optical stimulation of the desired nerves.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the means for selectively controlling the plurality of laser-light signals includes means for controlling a pulse width of the plurality of laser-light signals.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the means for selectively controlling the plurality of laser-light signals includes means for controlling a pulse repetition rate of the plurality of laser-light signals.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the means for selectively controlling the plurality of laser-light signals includes means for controlling a pulse shape of the plurality of laser-light signals.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the means for selectively controlling the plurality of laser-light signals includes means for controlling a DC background amount of light intensity and a maximum light intensity of the plurality of laser-light signals.

23. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the optical-emission head is configured to direct the plurality of laser-light signals toward nerves of an inner-ear vestibular organ of the animal.