Focused magnetic stimulation for modulation of nerve circuits
AssigneePalo Alto Research Center Incorporated
InventorsBernard D. Casse, Victor Liu
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A neuromodulation device includes electrically conductive coils arranged in an array and circuitry coupled to energize the coils in the array using current pulses that generate an electromagnetic field. The circuitry is configured to control one or more parameters of the current pulses, including at least amplitude and phase of the current pulses, such that the electromagnetic field undergoes constructive and destructive interference that focuses and/or steers a magnetic flux density within a region of interest of a patient.
Claims20
A neuromodulation device comprising:
- electrically conductive coils arranged in an array;
- and
- circuitry coupled to energize the coils in the array using current pulses that generate an electromagnetic field, the circuitry configured to control one or more parameters of the current pulses, including at least amplitude and phase of the current pulses, such that the electromagnetic field undergoes constructive and destructive interference that focuses and/or steers a magnetic flux density within a region of interest of a patient and produces an electric field gradient and strength sufficient to activate one or more nerves within the region of interest while not activating nerves between the activated nerves and the electrically conductive coils.
A neuromodulation system comprising:
- a neuromodulation device comprising:
- electrically conductive coils arranged in an array;
- and
- circuitry coupled to energize the coils in the array with current pulses that generate an electromagnetic field, the circuitry configured to control one or more parameters of the current pulses, including at least amplitude and phase of the current pulses, such that the electromagnetic field undergoes constructive and destructive interference that focuses and/or steers a magnetic flux density within a region of interest of a patient and produces an electric field gradient and strength sufficient to activate one or more nerves within the region of interest while not activating nerves between the activated nerves and the electrically conductive coils;
- and
- communications circuitry configured to wirelessly transfer communication signals between the neuromodulation device and an external device;
- and
- a patient information device communicatively coupled to the neuromodulation device, the patient information device configured to monitor one or more biological signals of the patient and to transfer information about the biological signals to the neuromodulation device via the communication signals.
A neuromodulation method comprising:
- energizing coils in an array of coils using current pulses, the current pulses generating an electromagnetic field that provides a magnetic flux density at a region of interest of a patient;
- and
- controlling one or more parameters of the current pulses, including at least amplitude and phase, such that the electromagnetic field undergoes constructive and destructive interference that focuses and/or steers the magnetic flux density to the region of interest and produces an electric field gradient and strength sufficient to activate one or more nerves within the region of interest while not activating nerves between the activated nerves and the energized coils.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.