System for variably configurable, adaptable electrode arrays and effectuating software
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Publication Number
US-12208264-B2
Publication Date
2025-01-28
Expiration Date
Abstract
Electrical non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) delivers weak electrical currents to the brain via electrodes that are affixed to the scalp. NIBS can excite or inhibit the brain in areas that are impacted by that electrical current during and for a short time following stimulation. Electrical NIBS can be used to change brain structure in terms of increasing white matter integrity as measured by diffusion tensor imaging. Together the electrical NIBS can induce changes in brain structure and function. The present methods and devices are adaptable to and configurable for facilitating the enhancement of brain performance, and the treatment of neurological diseases and tissues. The present methods and devices are advantageously designed to utilize modern electrodes deployed with, inter alia, various spatial arrangements, polarities, and current strengths to target brain areas or networks to thereby enhance performance or deliver therapeutic interventions.
Core Innovation
The invention improves sleep of a subject by recording first level brain activity corresponding to a first sleep state and recording second level brain activity corresponding to a second sleep state. The recorded first level and second level brain activity are compared to determine a difference and to produce a difference image. Based on the difference image, the invention determines one or more brain regions that generated electrical activity corresponding to the difference.
In some implementations, the invention models the difference image to determine the one or more brain regions. After identifying the one or more brain regions, the invention electrically stimulates the determined one or more brain regions to achieve the second level brain activity. The stimulation is performed using at least one electrode, and in some implementations the stimulation is non-invasively applied to a subject’s scalp surface with a ramp-up period, a treatment period, and a ramp-down period.
Claims Coverage
The provided claims include three independent claims covering a sleep-improvement workflow that uses difference images and electrical stimulation, implemented as a method, a computer-readable medium, and an apparatus. Across these independent claims, three main inventive steps are shared: producing a difference image from recorded sleep-state brain activity, determining brain regions via modeling to match electrical activity associated with the difference, and electrically stimulating the determined regions to reach a second level brain activity.
Sleep-state difference image guided stimulation
Recording first level brain activity corresponding to a first sleep state and recording second level brain activity corresponding to a second sleep state; determining a difference between the recorded first level and the recorded second level to produce a difference image; and electrically stimulating one or more brain regions based on the difference image to achieve the second level brain activity.
Difference image modeling to identify generating brain regions
Determining a difference between recorded first level and recorded second level brain activity to produce a difference image, and modeling the difference image to determine one or more brain regions that generated electrical activity corresponding to the difference.
Apparatus with electrode-driven sleep-state stimulation based on difference image modeling
An apparatus comprising at least one electrode and at least one processor with a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions to record first and second level brain activity corresponding to first and second sleep states, determine a difference to produce a difference image, model the difference image to determine one or more brain regions generating electrical activity corresponding to the difference, and electrically stimulate the determined one or more brain regions to achieve the second level brain activity with the at least one electrode.
The independent claims consistently cover a closed workflow in which sleep-state brain activity recordings are used to create a difference image, modeling is used to identify one or more brain regions responsible for electrical activity corresponding to that difference, and stimulation of those regions is used to achieve the second level brain activity associated with the target sleep state.
Stated Advantages
Not explicitly described in patent.
Documented Applications
Not explicitly described in patent.
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