Enhanced spatial summation for deep-brain transcranial magnetic stimulation

• US 9,352,167 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2011
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brainsway, Ltd., US Department of Veterans Affairs (Government of the United States of America), Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University (Stanford Management Co.)
• Original Assignee: Rio Grande Neurosciences, Inc., Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University (Stanford Management Co.)
• Inventors: Schneider, M. Bret
• Primary Examiner(s): Natnithithadha, Navin
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILSON, KAYLEE R
• Application Number:
  US13/169,967
• Publication Number:
  US 20110319700A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,800 Days
• Field of Search: 600/13
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2/006 for magnetic stimulation of nerve tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2/008 for pain treatment or analgesia
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2/02 using magnetic fields produced by coils, including single turn loops or electromagnets A61N2/12 takes precedence

Abstract

Methods of stimulating a target deep brain region using multiple Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) electromagnets positioned over a predetermined cortical regions each having a first-order connection to a target deep brain region and applying TMS so that the applied TMS induces spatial summation and thereby modulation of the target deep brain region.

Claims

1. A method of stimulating a target deep brain region using multiple Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) electromagnets, the method comprising:

positioning a first TMS electromagnet over a first predetermined cortical region having a first-order connection to a target deep brain region;

positioning a second TMS electromagnet over a second predetermined cortical region having a first-order connection to the target deep brain region;

inducing modulation of at the first and second predetermined cortical regions by applying TMS from both the first and second TMS electromagnets; and

inducing modulation of the deep brain region by spatial summation of the modulation from the first and second cortical regions.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising positioning a third TMS electromagnet over a third cortical region having a first-order connection to the target deep brain region.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of applying TMS comprises synchronizing the applied TMS from the first and second TMS electromagnets.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of positioning the first and second TMS electromagnets comprises positioning discrete one coil or two coil TMS electromagnets.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of applying TMS comprises applying TMS only locally to the predetermined cortical regions, rather than the entire brain.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising directly stimulating the target deep brain region concurrent with the TMS of the first and second cortical brain regions.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising treating a patient for depression, addiction, or pain using the method of claim 1.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the target deep brain region comprises one of:

thalamus, cingulate, putamen, caudate nucleus, hippocampus, ventral striatum, and amygdala.

9. A method of treating a patient for a disorder by stimulating a target deep brain region using multiple Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) electromagnets to induce spatial summation from various cortical regions at the target deep brain region, the method comprising:

positioning a plurality of discrete TMS electromagnets over a plurality of predetermined cortical regions each having a first-order connection to a target deep brain region;

inducing modulation at each of the plurality of predetermined cortical regions by applying TMS to each of the plurality of predetermined cortical regions from each corresponding TMS electromagnet; and

treating the patient by receiving spatial summation of signals at the deep brain region from the induced modulation at each of the plurality of predetermined cortical regions.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the treating comprises synchronizing the applied TMS from the plurality of TMS electromagnets.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein positioning comprises positioning a first TMS electromagnet coil and a second TMS electromagnet coil.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein treating comprises applying TMS only locally to the predetermined cortical regions, rather than the entire brain.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising directly stimulating the target deep brain region concurrent with the TMS of the first and second cortical brain regions.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein treating comprises treating the patient for depression, addiction, or pain.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the target deep brain region comprises one of:

thalamus, cingulate, putamen, caudate nucleus, hippocampus, ventral striatum, and amygdala.