Apparatus and method for stimulation of biological tissue

• US 9,597,499 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2015
• Issued: 03/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Highland Instruments, Inc.,
• Original Assignee: Highland Instruments, Inc.,
• Inventors: Wagner, Timothy Andrew, Eden, Uri Tzvi
• Primary Examiner(s): BOCKELMAN, MARK
• Application Number:
  US14/611,395
• Publication Number:
  US 20150151123A1
• Time in Patent Office: 778 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 platform, e.g. vibrating or oscillating platform for standing, sitting, laying, 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 treating epilepsy in a subject, the method comprising:

non-invasively providing at least two different types of energy to a cranial nerve of a subject to stimulate the cranial nerve of the subject, thereby treating epilepsy in the subject, wherein a first of the two different types of energy is an electric field that is provided by one or more electrodes non-invasively applied in a manner that the electric field operably interacts with the cranial nerve of the subject, and a second of the two different types of energy is a mechanical field that is provided by one or more mechanical energy sources non-invasively applied in a manner that the mechanical field operably interacts with the cranial nerve of the subject.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electric field is pulsed.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electric field is time varying.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electric field is pulsed a plurality of times, and each pulse may be for a different length of time.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electric field is time invariant.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mechanical field is generated by an ultrasound device.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mechanical field is pulsed.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mechanical field is time varying.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mechanical field is pulsed a plurality of times, and each pulse may be for a different length of time.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mechanical field passes through a bridging medium prior to reaching the cranial nerve.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein a first type of energy is an electric field and a second type of energy is a mechanical field, wherein the electric field is applied more broadly than the mechanical field.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method is provided to a patient in multiple sessions.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the effect of the stimulation alters neural function past the duration of stimulation.