Apparatus and method for stimulation of biological tissue

• US 8,897,871 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2011
• Issued: 11/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Highland Instruments, Inc.,
• Original Assignee: Highland Instruments, Inc.,
• Inventors: Wagner, Timothy A., Eden, Uri T.
• Primary Examiner(s): BOCKELMAN, MARK
• Application Number:
  US13/228,584
• Publication Number:
  US 20120004580A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,173 Days
• Field of Search: 601 2- 3, 607/3, 607/45
• US Class Current: 607/3
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0816 using echo-encephalography
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0002 Head or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 7/00 Heating or cooling appliances for medical or therapeutic treatment of the human body heating or cooling means in connection with bedsteads or mattresses A47C21/00 ; massage, therapeutic baths A61H; hyperthermia using electric or magnetic fields or ultrasound A61N; electric heating elements H05B
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 1/005 Moveable platforms, e.g. vibrating or oscillating platforms for standing, sitting, laying or leaning
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/20 continuous direct currents
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/32 alternating or intermittent currents applying electric fields by inductive or capacitive coupling A61N1/40; microwave apparatus A61N5/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36003 of motor muscles, e.g. for walking assistance
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36014 External stimulators, e.g. with patch electrodes external pacemakers A61N1/3625
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36017 with leads or electrodes penetrating the skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36025 for treating a mental or cerebral condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36082 Cognitive or psychiatric applications, e.g. dementia or Alzheimer's disease
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3629 in combination with non-electric therapy
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/40 Applying electric fields by inductive or capacitive coupling microwave apparatus A61N5/00; Applying radio-frequency signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2/002 in combination with another treatment
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2/006 for magnetic stimulation of nerve tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2/02 using magnetic fields produced by coils, including single turn loops or electromagnets A61N2/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2007/0026 Stimulation of nerve tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/0622 Optical stimulation for exciting neural tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 7/00 Ultrasound therapy lithotripsy A61B17/22, A61B17/225; massage using supersonic vibration A61H23/00 ; using ultrasound for introducing media into the body A61M37/0092
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 7/02 Localised ultrasound hyperthermia hyperthermia in general A61F7/00

Abstract

An apparatus for generating focused currents in biological tissue is provided. The apparatus comprises an electric source capable of generating an electric field across a region of tissue and means for altering the permittivity of the tissue relative to the electric field, whereby a displacement current is generated. The means for altering the permittivity may be a chemical source, optical source, mechanical source, thermal source, or electromagnetic source.

Claims

1. A method for stimulating human neural tissue beneath a human scalp of a patient to treat an ailment, the method comprising:

providing a noninvasive transcranial neural stimulator comprising;

a noninvasive transcranial electric stimulator comprising a non-inductive electric source capable of generating an electric field of less than 100,000 Hz across a region of human neural tissue beneath a human scalp; and

a noninvasive transcranial ultrasound device capable of generating a mechanical field across the region of human neural tissue beneath the human scalp;

applying the noninvasive transcranial neural stimulator, directly or indirectly, to a region of the human scalp;

generating via the noninvasive transcranial neural stimulator an electric field of less than 100,000 Hz in human neural tissue beneath the region of the human scalp;

generating via the noninvasive transcranial neural stimulator a mechanical field in the human neural tissue beneath the region of the human scalp to thereby alter the permittivity of said human neural tissue beneath the region of the human scalp relative to said electric field, whereby the alteration of the permittivity of said human neural tissue beneath the region of the scalp relative to said electric field generates a current in said human neural tissue beneath the region of the human scalp providing a treatment that affects the ailment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said method is applied for physical therapy.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said method stimulates blood flow in said neural tissue beneath the region of skin.