Non-invasive neuromodulation (NINM) for rehabilitation of brain function

• US 9,656,069 B1
• Filed: 07/11/2016
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kurt A. Kaczmarek, Mitchell E. Tyler, Yuri P. Danilov
• Original Assignee: Kurt A. Kaczmarek, Mitchell E. Tyler, Yuri P. Danilov
• Inventors: Danilov, Yuri P., Tyler, Mitchell E., Kaczmarek, Kurt A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alter, Alyssa M
• Application Number:
  US15/207,029
• Time in Patent Office: 316 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 21/00 Massage devices for cavities of the body , e.g. nose, ears and anus for the genitals A61H19/00; Vibration or percussion related aspects A61H23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0456 Specially adapted for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation [TENS]
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0476 Array electrodes (including any electrode arrangement with more than one electrode for at least one of the polarities)
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0492 Patch electrodes A61N1/0412, A61N1/0428 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0526 Head electrodes A61N1/0551 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0548 Oral electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36014 External stimulators, e.g. with patch electrodes external pacemakers A61N1/3625
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36025 for treating a mental or cerebral condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36067 Movement disorders, e.g. tremor or Parkinson disease stimulating motor muscle A61N1/36003
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36078 Inducing or controlling sleep or relaxation non-implantable stimulator A61M21/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36082 Cognitive or psychiatric applications, e.g. dementia or Alzheimer's disease
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36092 Mental training
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36096 Mood disorders, e.g. depression, anxiety or panic disorder
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/361 Phantom sensations, e.g. tinnitus
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36103 Neuro-rehabilitation; Repair or reorganisation of neural tissue, e.g. after stroke
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/00 Teaching not covered by other main groups of this subclass teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26

Abstract

A method to provide non-invasive neurostimulation to enhance a subject'"'"'s proficiency in an exercise includes: (a) engaging a subject in an exercise, the subject having no cognitive, physical or emotional impairment with respect to the exercise; (b) providing stimulation of at least one of the subject'"'"'s trigeminal nerve, facial nerve or hypoglossal nerve by delivering electrical pulses generated by a signal generator to the subject'"'"'s skin via at least one electrode in contact with the subject'"'"'s skin, the delivery of electrical pulses being (i) contemporaneously with and independent of the subject'"'"'s engagement in the exercise, and (ii) independent of the subject'"'"'s surrounding environment; and (c) repeating steps (a) and (b) on a periodic basis.

Claims

1. A method of providing non-invasive neurostimulation to enhance a subject'"'"'s proficiency in an exercise comprising:

(a) engaging a subject in an exercise, the subject having no cognitive, physical or emotional impairment with respect to the exercise;

(b) providing stimulation of at least one of the subject'"'"'s trigeminal nerve, facial nerve or hypoglossal nerve by delivering electrical pulses generated by a signal generator to the subject'"'"'s oral cavity via at least one electrode in contact with a region within the subject'"'"'s oral cavity, the delivery of electrical pulses being (i) contemporaneously with and independent of the subject'"'"'s engagement in the exercise, and (ii) independent of the subject'"'"'s surrounding environment; and

(c) repeating steps (a) and (b) on a periodic basis.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the exercise comprises one or more of a physical activity, a sports activity, reading, studying, playing a musical instrument, operating a vehicle, sleep or relaxation.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the exercise includes one or more of the following:

a brain training exercise, a computerized brain training exercise, a memory recollection exercise, an attention span increasing exercise, or a reading comprehension exercise.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) further comprises providing stimulation during one or more of a period shortly or immediately before the subject has engaged in the exercise, or a period shortly or immediately after the subject engaged in the exercise.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the delivery of electrical pulses is in a random or repeating pattern that is independent of events occurring outside the signal generator.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one electrode is part of an electrode array.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the stimulation is provided to the subject'"'"'s tongue.

8. A method of providing non-invasive neurostimulation to enhance a subject'"'"'s proficiency in an exercise comprising:

(a) engaging a subject in an exercise, the subject having no cognitive, physical or emotional impairment with respect to the exercise; and

(b) providing stimulation of at least one of the subject'"'"'s trigeminal nerve, facial nerve or hypoglossal nerve by delivering electrical pulses to a region of the subject'"'"'s oral cavity via at least one electrode in contact with the region of the subject'"'"'s oral cavity, the delivery of electrical pulses being (i) contemporaneously with and independent of the subject'"'"'s engagement in the exercise, and (ii) independent of the subject'"'"'s surrounding environment.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the stimulation is generated by a signal generator.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the exercise comprises engaging the subject in one or more of a physical activity, a sports activity, reading, studying, playing a musical instrument, sleep or relaxation.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising repeating steps (a) and (b) on a periodic basis.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the stimulation is provided to the subject'"'"'s tongue.

13. A method of providing non-invasive neurostimulation to enhance proficiency in an exercise, the method comprising:

(a) providing an exercise regimen including the exercise for use by a subject having no cognitive, physical or emotional impairment with respect to the exercise; and

(b) providing stimulation configured to excite at least one of the subject'"'"'s trigeminal nerve or the subject'"'"'s facial nerve by delivering electrical pulses to a region within the subject'"'"'s oral cavity via at least one electrode in contact with the region within the subject'"'"'s oral cavity;

wherein the delivery of electrical pulses is configured to be (i) contemporaneous with and independent of the subject'"'"'s engagement in the exercise, and (ii) independent of the subject'"'"'s surrounding environment.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the electrical pulses are generated by a signal generator.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the exercise includes one or more of a physical activity, a sports activity, reading, studying, playing a musical instrument, operating a vehicle, sleep or relaxation.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the stimulation occurs during one or more of a period shortly or immediately before the subject has engaged in the exercise, or a period shortly or immediately after the subject engaged in the exercise.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein the stimulation is unsynchronized with the subject'"'"'s engagement in the exercise.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein the stimulation includes electrical pulses delivered to the one or more stimulators in a random or repeating pattern that is independent of the subject'"'"'s engagement in the exercise.

19. The method of claim 13 wherein the exercise regimen includes (i) performing the exercise at high intensity;

and (ii) subsequently performing the exercise at moderate intensity.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the exercise regimen includes performing the exercise at low intensity before performing the exercise at high intensity.

21. The method of claim 13 wherein the at least one electrode is part of an electrode array.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein the stimulation is provided to the subject'"'"'s tongue.