Systems and methods for monitoring a patient's neurological disease state

• US 7,747,325 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2005
• Issued: 06/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cyberonics, Inc
• Original Assignee: NeuroVista Corporation
• Inventors: Dilorenzo, Daniel John
• Primary Examiner(s): Getzow; Scott M
• Application Number:
  US11/239,653
• Publication Number:
  US 20070142862A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,735 Days
• Field of Search: 607/45
• US Class Current: 607/45
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4082 Diagnosing or monitoring movement diseases, e.g. Parkinson, Huntington or Tourette
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0529 Electrodes for brain stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3605 Implantable neurostimulators for stimulating central or peripheral nerve system
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36064 Epilepsy
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36067 Movement disorders, e.g. tremor or Parkinson disease stimulating motor muscle A61N1/36003
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36082 Cognitive or psychiatric applications, e.g. dementia or Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

The present invention provides methods and systems for modulating a patient'"'"'s neurological disease state. In one embodiment, the system comprises one or more sensors that sense at least one signal that comprise a characteristic that is indicative of a neurological disease state. A signal processing assembly is in communication with the one or more sensors and processes the at least one signal to estimate the neurological disease state and to generate a therapy to the patient that is based at least in part on the estimated neurological disease state. A treatment assembly is in communication with the signal processing assembly and delivers the therapy to a nervous system component of the patient.

Claims

1. A method of modulating a patient'"'"'neurological disease state, the method comprising:

sensing at least one neurological signal from the patient;

processing the at least one neurological signal using a disease state processor to estimate the neurological disease state;

generating a therapy output, wherein the generated therapy output is a function of the estimated neurological disease state;

delivering the therapy output to the patient; and

communicating the estimated neurological disease state to the patient using a patient interface module external to the patient'"'"'s body.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein delivering the therapy output is carried out with an electrode array.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising coupling the electrode array to a peripheral nerve.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the peripheral nerve comprises a vagus nerve.

5. The method of claim 2 further comprising positioning the electrode array intracranially.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein communicating the estimated neurological disease state to the patient comprises displaying of a time history of the estimated neurological disease state.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said processing the at least one neurological signal using the disease state processor comprises estimating a future neurological disease state.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein sensing is carried out with one or more sensors and processing is carried out with a signal processing assembly, the method comprising implanting the signal processing assembly within the patient'"'"'s body.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the therapy output is carried out with a control law.

10. A method of modulating a patient'"'"'epilepsy disease state, the method comprising:

sensing at least one neurological signal from a nervous system component of the patient;

processing the at least one neurological signal using a disease state processor to estimate the patient'"'"'epilepsy disease state;

communicating the patient'"'"'estimated epilepsy disease state to the patient using a patient interface module external to the patient'"'"'body;

generating an electrostimulation therapy output that is based at least in part on the estimated epilepsy disease state; and

delivering the electrostimulation therapy output to a vagus nerve of the patient.