System and method for treatment of mood and/or anxiety disorders by electrical brain stimulation and/or drug infusion
First Claim
1. A method of treating patients with mood and/or anxiety disorders, comprising:
- implanting at least one system control unit in the skull or the brain of the patient, wherein the at least one unit controls the delivery of at least one stimulus to at least one area of the brain affecting mood and/or anxiety disorders;
applying the at least one stimulus to the at least one area of the brain in order to at least in part alleviate symptoms of the mood and/or anxiety disorder of the patient being treated, wherein the at least one stimulus increases excitement of the at least one area of the brain affecting mood and/or anxiety disorders that exhibits chronic decreased activity; and
wherein the at least one stimulus is applied to one or more of the anterior cingulate gyrus, the dorsal prefrontal cortex, the dorsal raphe nuclei, the median raphe nuclei, and the locus coeruleus.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for introducing one or more stimulating drugs and/or applying electrical stimulation to the brain to treat mood and/or anxiety disorders uses an implantable system control unit (SCU), specifically an implantable signal/pulse generator (IPG) or microstimulator with two or more electrodes in the case of electrical stimulation, and an implantable pump with one or more catheters in the case of drug infusion. In cases requiring both electrical and drug stimulation, one or more SCUs are used. Alternatively and preferably, when needed, an SCU provides both electrical stimulation and one or more stimulating drugs. In a preferred embodiment, the system is capable of open- and closed-loop operation. In closed-loop operation, at least one SCU includes a sensor, and the sensed condition is used to adjust stimulation parameters.
316 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A method of treating patients with mood and/or anxiety disorders, comprising:
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implanting at least one system control unit in the skull or the brain of the patient, wherein the at least one unit controls the delivery of at least one stimulus to at least one area of the brain affecting mood and/or anxiety disorders;
applying the at least one stimulus to the at least one area of the brain in order to at least in part alleviate symptoms of the mood and/or anxiety disorder of the patient being treated, wherein the at least one stimulus increases excitement of the at least one area of the brain affecting mood and/or anxiety disorders that exhibits chronic decreased activity; and
wherein the at least one stimulus is applied to one or more of the anterior cingulate gyrus, the dorsal prefrontal cortex, the dorsal raphe nuclei, the median raphe nuclei, and the locus coeruleus. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of treating patients with mood and/or anxiety disorders, comprising:
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implanting at least one system control unit in the skull or the brain of the patient, wherein the at least one unit controls the delivery of at least one stimulus to at least one area of the brain affecting mood and/or anxiety disorders;
applying the at least one stimulus to the at least one area of the brain in order to at least in part alleviate symptoms of the mood and/or anxiety disorder of the patient being treated, wherein the at least one stimulus decreases excitement of at least one area of the brain affecting mood and/or anxiety disorders that exhibits chronic increased activity; and
wherein the at least one stimulus is applied to the cerebellar vermis. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification