Medical devices for the detection, prevention and/or treatment of neurological disorders, and methods related thereto

Inventors

Besio, Walter G. • Fasiuddin, Mohammed • Patwardhan, Ravish

Assignees

BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY ACTING THROUGH LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER • Precisis GmbH • Louisiana Tech University Foundation Inc

Abstract

Disclosed are devices and methods for detecting, preventing, and/or treating neurological disorders. These devices and methods utilize electrical stimulation, and comprise a unique concentric ring electrode component. The disclosed methods involve the positioning of multiple electrodes on the scalp of a mammal; monitoring the mammal's brain electrical patterns to identify the onset of a neurological event; identifying the location of the brain electrical patterns indicative of neurological event; and applying transcutaneous or transcranial electrical stimulation to the location of the neurological event to beneficially modify brain electrical patterns. The disclosed methods may be useful in the detection, prevention, and/or treatment of a variety of indications, such as epilepsy, Parkinson's Disease, Huntington's disease, Alzheimer's disease, depression, bipolar disorder, phobia, schizophrenia, multiple personality disorder, migraine or headache, concussion, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, eating disorder, substance abuse, and anxiety. The disclosed methods may also be used in combination with other peripheral stimulation techniques.

Core Innovation

The invention provides a bioelectric neuro device that detects and localizes neurological-event-related brain electrical activity and then applies transcutaneous or transcranial electrical stimulation to the localized event site. It uses multi-polar concentric electrode structures so that brain electrical patterns indicative of a neurological event can be monitored, the location of the indicative patterns can be identified, and stimulation can be delivered to beneficially modify the brain electrical patterns.

The device architecture includes a control module with an electrode arbiter, separate detection, impedance, and stimulation subsystems, and processing elements including a CPU and memory, together with communication capability. Each electrode includes at least two poles with conductive elements configured concentrically, including concentric rings or concentric disc and rings, and multi-polar concentric electrodes such as tripolar concentric electrode configurations.

Localization is supported by techniques including pseudo-bipolar differences, 5-point and 9-point methods, and concentric Laplacian-based localization using Laplacian potential and depth/source positioning in X-Y and Z. Real-time detection and feedback control enable responsive stimulation targeted to the localized event site, and stimulation is applied using biphasic or charge balanced waveforms.

Claims Coverage

The partial content identifies two independent claims. Across these claims, the inventive coverage is concentrated in the positioning and configuration of multi-polar concentric electrodes located wholly outside the cranium, combined with event detection and localization, and for the second claim, beneficial stimulation applied from the electrodes to modify the detected patterns.

In the partial content provided, independent claim coverage is directed to detecting and locating neurological-event-indicative brain electrical patterns using at least two electrodes with at least two concentrically configured poles, positioned wholly outside the cranium, and applying stimulation from the same electrodes to beneficially modify those brain electrical patterns after identifying the event location.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications