Methods for enhancing exposure therapy using pairing with Vagus nerve stimulation
Inventors
Rodriguez, Christa McIntyre • Engineer, Navzer Dara • Kilgard, Michael P.
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-12064563-B2
Publication Date
2024-08-20
Expiration Date
Abstract
A therapy method (for a patient having post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)) includes: providing an exposure event, to the patient, which is related to a traumatic event that contributed to the PTSD; and, during a therapy session which includes the exposure event, applying vagus nerve stimulation (VNS). A therapy method (for a patient having a given disorder, e.g., a phobia disorder or an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or an addiction disorder) includes: providing a therapy event (e.g., an extinction event for a phobia disorder), to the patient, which is related to one or more things that contributed to the given disorder; and during a therapy session which includes the therapy event, applying VNS.
Core Innovation
The invention enhances exposure therapy for anxiety- and memory-extinction disorders by providing a therapy session that includes an exposure event or an extinction event related to a condition-related traumatic or fear/compulsive/addiction contributing factor. During the therapy session, vagus nerve stimulation is provided electrically using a neurostimulator in conjunction with the therapy session event, so that the stimulation occurs during the same therapy session that includes the exposure/extinction event.
For post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the method provides an exposure event related to a traumatic event that contributed to the PTSD, and provides vagus nerve stimulation electrically during the therapy session that includes the exposure event using a neurostimulator. The disclosed concept links delivery of VNS during the exposure event to improved memory consolidation and memory extinction processes associated with the therapy.
For phobia disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and addiction disorders, the method provides an extinction event or a therapy event related to factors that contributed to the disorder, and provides vagus nerve stimulation electrically during a therapy session that includes the therapy event using a neurostimulator. The disclosed preclinical proof-of-concept in rats reports that pairing VNS with extinction improves and accelerates extinction while reducing measures of fear-related behavior and reducing spontaneous recovery.
Claims Coverage
The document includes four independent therapy-method claims covering treatment for PTSD, phobia disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and addiction disorder. Each independent claim centers on pairing a disorder-related exposure/extinction/therapy event with electrically delivered vagus nerve stimulation during the same therapy session using a neurostimulator.
Disorder-related exposure event with concurrent vagus nerve stimulation for PTSD
Providing an exposure event to the patient which is related to a traumatic event that contributed to the PTSD; and providing vagus nerve stimulation to the patient electrically during a therapy session which includes the exposure event using a neurostimulator.
Extinction event pairing with concurrent vagus nerve stimulation for phobia disorder
Providing an extinction event to the patient which is related to something that contributed to the phobia disorder; and providing vagus nerve stimulation to the patient electrically during a therapy session which includes the extinction event using a neurostimulator, thereby at least partially alleviating the phobia disorder.
Therapy event pairing with concurrent vagus nerve stimulation for OCD
Providing a therapy event to the patient which is related to something that contributed to the OCD; and providing vagus nerve stimulation to the patient electrically during a therapy session which includes the therapy event using a neurostimulator.
Therapy event pairing with concurrent vagus nerve stimulation for addiction disorder
Providing a therapy event to a patient which is related to one or more things that contributed to the addiction disorder; and providing vagus nerve stimulation to the patient electrically during a therapy session which includes the therapy event using a neurostimulator.
Across the independent claims, the core coverage is the same pairing concept: a disorder-related exposure/extinction/therapy event is presented in a therapy session, while electrically delivering vagus nerve stimulation using a neurostimulator during that session. The claims align with memory extinction therapy for PTSD and include explicit at least partial alleviation for phobia disorder.
Stated Advantages
Improves and accelerates extinction (reported in preclinical proof-of-concept).
Reduces spontaneous recovery (reported in preclinical proof-of-concept).
Reduces fear-related behavior measures (reported in preclinical proof-of-concept).
At least partially alleviating the phobia disorder (explicitly stated in an independent claim).
Documented Applications
Enhancing exposure therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) using concurrent electrical vagus nerve stimulation during an exposure event related to a traumatic event contributing to PTSD.
Treating phobia disorder using an extinction event related to something that contributed to the phobia disorder with concurrent electrical vagus nerve stimulation during the therapy session.
Treating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) by providing a therapy event related to something that contributed to the OCD and concurrently providing electrical vagus nerve stimulation during the therapy session.
Treating addiction disorder by providing a therapy event related to one or more things that contributed to the addiction disorder and concurrently providing electrical vagus nerve stimulation during the therapy session.
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