Neuromodulation using energy-efficient waveforms
First Claim
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1. A neuromodulation method comprising:
- applying an electrical signal to an anatomical site, wherein;
the electrical signal comprises a first phase and a second phase immediately following the first phase;
the electrical signal is anodic in one of the first and second phases and cathodic in the other of the first and second phases; and
a waveform of the electrical signal in each of the first and second phases is entirely defined by one of an exponential increasing function and an exponential decreasing function.
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Abstract
Methods of neuromodulation in a live mammalian subject, such as a human patient. The method comprises applying an electrical signal to a target site in the nervous system, such as the brain, where the electrical signal comprises a series of pulses. The pulses includes a waveform shape that is more energy-efficient as compared to a corresponding rectangular waveform. Non-limiting examples of such energy-efficient waveforms include linear increasing, linear decreasing, exponential increasing, exponential decreasing, and Gaussian waveforms. Also described are apparatuses for neuromodulation and software for operating such apparatuses.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A neuromodulation method comprising:
applying an electrical signal to an anatomical site, wherein; the electrical signal comprises a first phase and a second phase immediately following the first phase; the electrical signal is anodic in one of the first and second phases and cathodic in the other of the first and second phases; and a waveform of the electrical signal in each of the first and second phases is entirely defined by one of an exponential increasing function and an exponential decreasing function. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11)
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8. A neuromodulation method comprising:
executing, by an electrical signal generator, a program defining a function to produce an electrical stimulation signal whose waveform corresponds to the program-defined function, wherein the function is one of an exponential increasing function, an exponential decreasing function, and a Gaussian function.
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12. A neuromodulation method comprising:
applying an electrical signal to an anatomical site, the electrical signal including a cathodic pulse and an anodic pulse, wherein a peak amplitude of the anodic pulse is less than a peak amplitude of the cathodic pulse. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A neuromodulation method comprising:
in a stimulation session, electrically stimulating an anatomical site by executing a stimulation program that defines for the stimulation session one or more waveforms of electrical stimulation signals by one, and not the other, of a linear increasing function and a linear decreasing function.
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18. A neuromodulation method comprising:
applying an electrical signal to an anatomical site, wherein a waveform of the electrical signal includes one of (a) a sharp increase to a maximum amplitude of the signal followed by a gradual decrease of the amplitude and (b) a gradual increase to the maximum amplitude followed by a sharp decrease of the amplitude. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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21. A neuromodulation apparatus comprising:
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an electrode comprising an electrode contact; and implantable pulse generator coupled to the electrode and including a processor and a storage medium in which is stored a program which, when executed, causes the processor to generate an electrical signal using the electrode and for stimulating an anatomical site, wherein at least one of; (a) the generation of the electrical signal is in accordance with a waveform function defined in the program, the function being one of an exponential increasing function, an exponential decreasing function, and a Gaussian function; (b) the electrical signal includes a cathodic pulse and an anodic pulse, a peak amplitude of the anodic pulse being less than a peak amplitude of the cathodic pulse; (c) the generation of the signal is in a stimulation session, the program defining for the stimulation session one or more waveforms of electrical stimulation signals by one, and not the other, of a linear increasing function and a linear decreasing function; (d) a waveform of the electrical signal includes one of (i) a sharp increase to a maximum amplitude of the signal followed by a gradual decrease of the amplitude and (ii) a gradual increase to the maximum amplitude followed by a sharp decrease of the amplitude; and (e) the electrical signal; comprises a first phase and a second phase immediately following the first phase; is anodic in one of the first and second phases and cathodic in the other of the first and second phases; and is, in each of the first and second phases, of a respective waveform entirely defined by one of the exponential increasing function and the exponential decreasing function.
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22. A non-transitory computer-readable medium on which is stored a program executable by a processor, the program which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform a neuromodulation method, the method comprising:
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generating an electrical signal using an implanted electrode and for stimulating an anatomical site, wherein at least one of; (a) the generation of the electrical signal is in accordance with a waveform function defined in the program, the function being one of an exponential increasing function, an exponential decreasing function, and a Gaussian function; (b) the electrical signal includes a cathodic pulse and an anodic pulse, a peak amplitude of the anodic pulse being less than a peak amplitude of the cathodic pulse; (c) the generation of the signal is in a stimulation session, the program defining for the stimulation session one or more waveforms of electrical stimulation signals by one, and not the other, of a linear increasing function and a linear decreasing function; (d) a waveform of the electrical signal includes one of (i) a sharp increase to a maximum amplitude of the signal followed by a gradual decrease of the amplitude and (ii) a gradual increase to the maximum amplitude followed by a sharp decrease of the amplitude; and (e) the electrical signal; comprises a first phase and a second phase immediately following the first phase; is anodic in one of the first and second phases and cathodic in the other of the first and second phases; and is, in each of the first and second phases, of a respective waveform entirely defined by one of the exponential increasing function and the exponential decreasing function.
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Specification