CENTRAL BASE COILS FOR DEEP TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION

• US 20160206896A1
• Filed: 02/08/2016
• Published: 07/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brainsway, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Brainsway, Ltd.
• Inventors: ZANGEN, ABRAHAM, ROTH, YIFTACH
• Granted Patent: US 9,802,058 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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

A transcranial magnetic stimulation coil which is location-specific for medial brain regions or lateral brain regions is designed with multiple spaced apart stimulating elements having current flow in a first direction, and multiple return elements having current flow in a second direction which is opposite the first direction. The multiple stimulating elements are distributed around a central axis of the coil.

Claims

1. A coil for magnetic stimulation, the coil comprising:

a base portion including

a central axis defining a base portion right side and a base portion left side, wherein said base portion right side is positioned on a right side of said central axis and said base portion left side is positioned on a left side of said central axis,

multiple right side stimulating elements, said right side stimulating elements positioned in said base portion right side, including an innermost right side stimulating element which is closest to said central axis and an outermost right side stimulating element which is furthest from said central axis, wherein said multiple right side stimulating elements are configured to carry electrical current in substantially a first direction, and

multiple left side stimulating elements, said left side stimulating elements positioned in said base portion left side, including an innermost left side stimulating element which is closest to said central axis and an outermost left side stimulating element which is furthest from said central axis, wherein said multiple left side stimulating elements are configured to carry electrical current in substantially said first direction, wherein said outermost right side stimulating element is at a distance of at least 3 centimeters from said outermost left side stimulating element; and

a return portion including

multiple right side return elements positioned on the right side of said central axis, wherein each of said right side return elements corresponds to one of said multiple right side stimulating elements and wherein each of said right side return elements is positioned further away from said central axis than its corresponding right side stimulating element, and

multiple left side return elements positioned on the left side of said central axis, wherein each of said left side return elements corresponds to one of said multiple left side stimulating elements and wherein each of said left side return elements is positioned further away from said central axis than its corresponding left side stimulating element,

wherein said return portion is spaced a distance away from said base portion.

2. The coil of claim 1, wherein said multiple right side stimulating elements includes a number of elements which is equal to a number of said multiple left side stimulating elements.

3. The coil of claim 1, wherein said multiple right side stimulating elements are spaced apart from one another and wherein said multiple left side stimulating elements are spaced apart from one another.

4. The coil of claim 3, wherein said multiple right side stimulating elements are spaced variably from one another.

5. The coil of claim 4, wherein said multiple right side stimulating elements include multiple right side groupings of stimulating elements, and wherein said multiple right side groupings are spaced apart from one another.

6. The coil of claim 5, wherein said multiple right side groupings are spaced variably from one another.

7. The coil of claim 3, wherein said multiple left side stimulating elements are spaced variably from one another.

8. The coil of claim 7, wherein said multiple left side stimulating elements include multiple left side groupings of stimulating elements, and wherein said multiple left side groupings are spaced apart from one another.

9. The coil of claim 8, wherein said multiple left side groupings are spaced variably from one another.

10. The coil of claim 1, wherein said multiple right side return elements are spaced apart from one another and wherein said multiple left side return elements are spaced apart from one another.

11. A coil for magnetic stimulation, the coil comprising:

a base portion including

a central axis defining a base portion right side and a base portion left side, wherein said base portion right side is positioned on a right side of said central axis and said base portion left side is positioned on a left side of said central axis,

multiple right side stimulating elements, said right side stimulating elements positioned in said base portion right side, including an innermost right side stimulating element which is closest to said central axis and an outermost right side stimulating element which is furthest from said central axis, wherein said multiple right side stimulating elements are configured to carry electrical current in substantially a first direction, and

multiple left side stimulating elements, said left side stimulating elements positioned in said base portion left side, including an innermost left side stimulating element which is closest to said central axis and an outermost left side stimulating element which is furthest from said central axis, wherein said multiple left side stimulating elements are configured to carry electrical current in substantially said first direction, wherein said innermost right side stimulating element is at a distance from said innermost left side stimulating element; and

a return portion including

multiple right side return elements positioned on the right side of said central axis, wherein each of said right side return elements corresponds to one of said multiple right side stimulating elements and wherein each of said right side return elements is positioned further away from said central axis than its corresponding right side stimulating element, and

multiple left side return elements positioned on the left side of said central axis, wherein each of said left side return elements corresponds to one of said multiple left side stimulating elements and wherein each of said left side return elements is positioned further away from said central axis than its corresponding left side stimulating element,

wherein said return portion is spaced a distance away from said base portion.

12. The coil of claim 11, wherein said multiple right side stimulating elements includes a number of elements which is equal to a number of said multiple left side stimulating elements.

13. The coil of claim 11, wherein said multiple right side stimulating elements are spaced apart from one another and wherein said multiple left side stimulating elements are spaced apart from one another.

14. The coil of claim 11, wherein said distance between the innermost right side stimulating element and the innermost left side stimulating element is at least 0.5 cm.

15. The coil of claim 14, wherein said distance between the innermost right side stimulating element and the innermost left side stimulating element is between 0.5 and 25 centimeters.

16. The coil of claim 11, wherein said distance between the innermost right side stimulating element and the innermost left side stimulating element is at least 2 centimeters.

17. The coil of claim 16, wherein said distance between the innermost right side stimulating element and the innermost left side stimulating element is between 2 and 6 centimeters.

18. The coil of claim 11, wherein said distance between the innermost right side stimulating element and the innermost left side stimulating element is at least 10 centimeters.

19. The coil of claim 18, wherein said distance between the innermost right side stimulating element and the innermost left side stimulating element is between 10 and 20 centimeters.