Methods of treating medical conditions by neuromodulation of the cerebellar pathways

• US 20050283200A1
• Filed: 05/04/2005
• Published: 12/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cleveland Clinic Foundation
• Original Assignee: Cleveland Clinic Foundation
• Inventors: Machado, Andre, Rezai, Ali R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,640,063 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/42
• 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: G16H 20/30 relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/40 relating to mechanical, radiation or invasive therapies, e.g. surgery, laser therapy, dialysis or acupuncture

Abstract

Methods of treating various medical conditions by neuromodulation of target sites of a cerebello-thalamo-cortical pathway and/or a cortical-ponto-cerebellar pathway. Such medical conditions include unilateral motor deficits, movement disorders, psychiatric disorders, epilepsy, speech or cognitive deficits associated with hemispheric lesions, visual deficits associated with hemispheric lesions, learning disorders associated with hemispheric lesions, vertigo and/or dizziness, gait disturbances, hereditary/genetic disorders, congenital malformations, infectious disease, degenerative disorders, autoimmune disorders, and metabolic disorders. A method of enhancing memory, learning and/or cognitive capacity in a normal individual by stimulating a target site of a cerebello-thalamo-cortical pathway and/or a cortical-ponto-cerebellar pathway is also provided.

Claims

1. A system for treating a medical condition comprising:

a therapy delivery device for positioning at a target site of a cerebello-thalamo-cortical pathway or a cortical-ponto-cerebellar pathway; and

a controller in communication with the therapy delivery device for enabling the therapy delivery device to deliver therapy to the target site to treat the medical condition.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the medical condition is a language deficit, a visual deficit, a motor deficit, a cognitive deficit, a learning deficit, or a sensory deficit.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the motor deficit is lack of coordination, paralysis, hemiparesis, paresis, or gait disturbance.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the visual deficit is blindness.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the cognitive deficit is apraxia.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the sensory deficit is hypoesthesia.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the medical condition is a psychiatric disorder or a movement disorder.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the psychiatric disorder is depression or schizophrenia.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the movement disorder is Parkinson'"'"'s disease or tremor, or spasticity.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the medical condition is a pain syndrome.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the pain syndrome is chronic pain, neuropathic pain, complex regional pain syndrome I and II, headache, atypical facial pain.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the headache is a migraine headache or a cluster headache.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the neuropathic pain is chronic neuropathic pain, or neuropathic facial pain.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the medical condition is stroke.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the medical condition is autism.

16. The system of claim 2, wherein the language deficit is aphasia.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the target site is a deep cerebellar target site.

18. A system for treating a medical condition comprising:

a therapy delivery device for applying a therapy signal on a target site of a cerebello-thalamo-cortical pathway or a cortical-ponto-cerebellar pathway;

a sensor for detecting a bodily activity associated with the medical condition and for generating a sensor signal; and

a controller in communication with the therapy delivery device and the sensor for activating the therapy delivery device to initiate application of the therapy signal to the target site or to adjust application of the therapy signal to the target site in response to the sensor signal to treat the medical condition.

19. A method of treating a medical condition comprising:

placing a therapy delivery device on a target site of a cerebello-thalamo-cortical pathway or a cortical-ponto-cerebellar pathway; and

activating the therapy delivery device to deliver therapy to the target site to treat the medical condition.