Electrical and magnetic stimulators used to treat migraine/sinus headache and comorbid disorders
First Claim
1. A method of treating a headache in a patient comprising:
- positioning a device adjacent to a skin surface of a neck of the patient;
generating one or more electrical impulses with the device; and
transmitting the electrical impulses to selected nerve fibers in the patient, the electrical impulses being sufficient to cause dopaminergic neurons originating in a ventral tegmental area of the brain to stimulate neurons or tissue to which said dopaminerqic neurons project and to at least partially relieve pain associated with the headache.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Non-invasive electrical nerve stimulation devices and magnetic stimulation devices are disclosed, along with methods of treating medical disorders using energy that is delivered noninvasively by such devices. The disorders comprise migraine and other primary headaches such as cluster headaches, including sinus symptoms that resemble an immune-mediated response (“sinus” headaches), irrespective of whether those symptoms arise from an allergy that is co-morbid with the headache. The disclosed methods may also be used to treat other disorders that may be co-morbid with migraine headaches, such as anxiety disorders. In preferred embodiments of the disclosed methods, one or both of the patient'"'"'s vagus nerves are stimulated non-invasively. In other embodiments, parts of the sympathetic nervous system and/or the adrenal glands are stimulated.
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Citations
37 Claims
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1. A method of treating a headache in a patient comprising:
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positioning a device adjacent to a skin surface of a neck of the patient; generating one or more electrical impulses with the device; and transmitting the electrical impulses to selected nerve fibers in the patient, the electrical impulses being sufficient to cause dopaminergic neurons originating in a ventral tegmental area of the brain to stimulate neurons or tissue to which said dopaminerqic neurons project and to at least partially relieve pain associated with the headache. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method of treating a headache in a patient comprising:
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positioning a device adjacent to a skin surface of a neck of the patient; generating one or more electrical impulses with the device; and transmitting the electrical impulses to selected nerve fibers in the patient, the electrical impulses being sufficient to modulate serotonergic neurons in the raphe nucleus and to at least partially relieve pain associated with the headache. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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Specification