Systems and methods for stimulating cellular function in tissue

• US 9,623,264 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2015
• Issued: 04/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Highland Instruments, Inc.,
• Original Assignee: Highland Instruments, Inc.,
• Inventors: Wagner, Timothy Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): PATTON, AMANDA K
• Application Number:
  US14/704,270
• Publication Number:
  US 20150246248A1
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00994 combining two or more different kinds of non-mechanical energy or combining one or more non-mechanical energies with ultrasound
• 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: A61N 1/205 for promoting a biological process
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/325 for iontophoresis, i.e. transfer of media in ionic state by an electromotoric force into the body electrodes for external use A61N1/0428
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/326 for promoting growth of cells, e.g. bone cells
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/327 for enhancing the absorption properties of tissue, e.g. by electroporation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36021 for treatment of pain
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36025 for treating a mental or cerebral condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2007/0021 Neural system treatment
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2007/0026 Stimulation of nerve 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

Abstract

The invention generally relates to systems and methods for stimulating cellular function in biological tissue. In certain embodiments, the invention provides a method for stimulating cellular function within tissue that involves providing a first type of energy to a region of tissue, in which the first type is provided in an amount that inhibits cellular function within the region of tissue, and providing a second type of energy to the region of tissue, in which the second type is provided in an amount that facilitates cellular function within the region of tissue, wherein the combined effect stimulates cellular function within the tissue.

Claims

1. A method for treating an arthritic condition, the method comprising:

providing an electrical type of energy to a location in a region of neural tissue; and

providing a non-electrical type of energy to the location in the region of neural tissue;

wherein one type is provided in an amount that inhibits cellular function within the location in the region of neural tissue, the other type is provided in an amount that facilitates cellular function within the location in the region of neural tissue, and the combined effect stimulates cellular function within the neural tissue in a manner in which the stimulatory effect exceeds the combined effect of the two amounts of energy provided to the region of tissue, thereby reducing or eliminating symptoms of the arthritic condition.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the stimulatory effect is facilitatory to the cellular function within the tissue.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the stimulatory effect is inhibitory to the cellular function within the tissue.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electrical and non-electrical types are provided simultaneously.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electrical and non-electrical types are provided sequentially.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the non-electrical type of energy is a mechanical type of energy.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the mechanical type of energy is generated by an ultrasound device.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the mechanical type of energy is pulsed.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the mechanical type of energy is time varying.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the mechanical type of energy is pulsed a plurality of times, and each pulse may be for a different length of time.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electric type of energy is pulsed.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electric type of energy is time varying.

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

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electric type of energy is time invariant.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electrical and non-electrical types of energy are applied to a structure or multiple structures within the brain or the nervous system selected from the group consisting of:

dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex, any component of the basal ganglia, nucleus accumbens, gastric nuclei, brainstem, thalamus, inferior colliculus, superior colliculus, periaqueductal gray, primary motor cortex, supplementary motor cortex, occipital lobe, Brodmann areas 1-48, primary sensory cortex, primary visual cortex, primary auditory cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, cochlea, cranial nerves, cerebellum, frontal lobe, occipital lobe, temporal lobe, parietal lobe, sub-cortical structures, and spinal cord.

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

17. A method for treating a skeletal disorder, the method comprising:

providing an electrical type of energy to a location in a region of neural tissue; and

providing a non-electrical type of energy to the location in the region of neural tissue;

wherein one type is provided in an amount that inhibits cellular function within the location in the region of neural tissue, the other type is provided in an amount that facilitates cellular function within the location in the region of neural tissue, and the combined effect stimulates cellular function within the neural tissue in a manner in which the stimulatory effect exceeds the combined effect of the two amounts of energy provided to the region of tissue, thereby reducing or eliminating symptoms of the skeletal disorder.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the stimulatory effect is facilitatory to the cellular function within the tissue.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the stimulatory effect is inhibitory to the cellular function within the tissue.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein the electrical and non-electrical types are provided simultaneously.

21. The method according to claim 17, wherein the electrical and non-electrical types are provided sequentially.

22. The method according to claim 17, wherein the non-electrical type of energy is a mechanical type of energy.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the mechanical type of energy is generated by an ultrasound device.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the mechanical type of energy is pulsed.

25. The method according to claim 23, wherein the mechanical type of energy is time varying.

26. The method according to claim 23, wherein the mechanical type of energy is pulsed a plurality of times, and each pulse may be for a different length of time.

27. The method according to claim 17, wherein the electric type of energy is pulsed.

28. The method according to claim 17, wherein the electric type of energy is time varying.

29. The method according to claim 17, wherein the electric type of energy is pulsed a plurality of times, and each pulse may be for a different length of time.

30. The method according to claim 17, wherein the electric type of energy is time invariant.

31. The method according to claim 17, wherein the electrical and non-electrical types of energy are applied to a structure or multiple structures within the brain or the nervous system selected from the group consisting of:

dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex, any component of the basal ganglia, nucleus accumbens, gastric nuclei, brainstem, thalamus, inferior colliculus, superior colliculus, periaqueductal gray, primary motor cortex, supplementary motor cortex, occipital lobe, Brodmann areas 1-48, primary sensory cortex, primary visual cortex, primary auditory cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, cochlea, cranial nerves, cerebellum, frontal lobe, occipital lobe, temporal lobe, parietal lobe, sub-cortical structures, and spinal cord.

32. The method according to claim 17, wherein the effect of the stimulation alters neural function past the duration of stimulation.