Non-invasive neuromodulation (NINM) for rehabilitation of brain function
OwnerYuri P. Danilov, Mitchell E. Tyler +1inventors
InventorsYuri P. Danilov, Mitchell E. Tyler, Kurt A. Kaczmarek
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Abstract
In a patient suffering from neural impairment, stimulation is provided to sensory surfaces of the face and/or neck, or more generally to areas of the body that stimulate the trigeminal nerve, while performing an activity intended to stimulate a brain function to be rehabilitated. The simulation may then be continued after the performance of the activity has ceased. It has been found that the patient's performance of the activity is then improved after stimulation has ceased. Moreover, it tends to improve to a greater extent, and/or for a longer time, when the post-activity stimulation is applied, as compared to when post activity stimulation is not applied.
Claims55
A method for non-invasively assisting neurorehabilitation in a patient for treatment of a disorder affecting sleep patterns, the method comprising:
- engaging a patient in an exercise, the patient having no cognitive, physical or emotional impairment with respect to the exercise;
- providing intraoral cutaneous stimulation of at least one of the patient's cranial nerves via a mouthpiece situated within the patient's mouth, the mouthpiece having an array of one or more electrodes disposed on at least one surface of the mouthpiece;
- and
- delivering electrical pulses from a pulse generator to the patient's tongue via the mouthpiece, the delivery of electrical pulses being contemporaneous with the patient's engagement in the exercise and independent of the patient's surrounding environment and the patient's engagement in the exercise.
A method for non-invasively assisting neurorehabilitation in a patient for treatment of a disorder affecting sleep patterns, the method comprising:
- (a) engaging a patient in an exercise, the patient having no cognitive, physical or emotional impairment with respect to the exercise;
- (b) providing intraoral cutaneous stimulation of at least one of the patient's cranial nerves via an array of electrodes placed on the patient's skin at the patient's face;
- and
- (c) delivering electrical pulses from a pulse generator to the patient's skin via the array of electrodes, the delivery of electrical pulses being contemporaneous with the patient's engagement in the exercise and independent of the patient's surrounding environment and the patient's engagement in the exercise.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.