Systems, methods, and devices for brain stimulation and monitoring

Inventors

Pradeep, Anantha K.

Assignees

StimScience Inc

Abstract

Provided are systems, methods, and devices for brain stimulation and monitoring. Brain stimulation may be provided to enhance slow wave and spindle synchrony. Such stimulation may provide increased memory consolidation. Furthermore, brain stimulation modalities may provide enhanced sleep and awakening. For example, transcranial direct current stimulation of the brain stimulation may enhance sleep quality. Moreover, one or more markers characterizing unconsciousness are may be identified based on changes in measured power densities or spectra. Further still, the above described modalities of brain stimulation may be implemented in an open-loop or closed loop manner. Brain state parameters may be generated for building models of the brain based on determined synchrony patterns between slow waves and spindles. The models may be used to determine a mediation procedure for adjusting the intensity of slow wave oscillations to enhance slow wave and spindle synchrony.

Core Innovation

The invention provides a method and system that obtain a plurality of measurements from a brain of a user via an interface, where the plurality of measurements includes indications of slow wave oscillations and sleep spindles. A processing device generates brain state parameters that characterize at least one brain state of the user, including an indication of a synchrony pattern between the measured slow wave oscillations and the measured sleep spindles, with the synchrony pattern including an amount of temporal deviation between slow wave oscillation peaks and sleep spindle peaks.

Using the synchrony pattern and a machine learning model of the brain trained based on the plurality of measurements and the synchrony pattern, a controller transmits one or more control signals to the interface to apply one or more stimuli to cortical tissue of the brain. The stimuli are configured to enhance synchrony of slow wave oscillations and sleep spindles such that sleep spindle peaks occur closer to slow wave oscillation peaks, reducing the amount of temporal deviation.

The disclosed approach further includes determining a mediation procedure using a model trained based on mediation data points, where the mediation procedure specifies a procedure for mediation to adjust slow wave oscillation power using stimulus parameters. The framework additionally includes a closed-loop adaptation using one or more subsequent brain measurements after applying the stimuli to update an updated mediation procedure based on changes in brain state parameters and to adjust the model using the control signals and the subsequent measurements.

The at least one brain state is configured to include an unconscious state corresponding to non-rapid-eye-movement sleep.

Claims Coverage

The document includes three independent claims, a method, a system, and a non-transitory computer readable medium, centered on generating synchrony-pattern brain state parameters including temporal deviation between slow wave and spindle peaks and using a trained machine-learning model to transmit control signals that apply cortical stimuli to enhance slow wave-sleep spindle synchrony and reduce temporal deviation. The independent claims are supported by additional features for mediation procedure adjustment, closed-loop updating, and an unconscious non-rapid-eye-movement sleep state.

Across the independent claims, the coverage centers on quantifying slow wave-sleep spindle synchrony via brain state parameters including temporal deviation, using that synchrony pattern together with a trained machine learning model to generate and transmit control signals, and applying cortical stimuli configured to enhance synchrony by reducing temporal deviation. The additional refinements described within the dependent claim set include deriving a mediation procedure for adjusting slow wave oscillation power, performing closed-loop updates using subsequent measurements, and targeting an unconscious non-rapid-eye-movement sleep brain state.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications