Method for eradicating pain of central origin resulting from spinal cord injury
OwnerScott P. Falciinventor
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Abstract
Methods are provided to reliably identify and surgically eradicate aberrant DREZ in patients suffering from spinal cord injury. The methods include identifying potential aberrant DREZ using a combination of mapping techniques based on the location of the patients perceived pain, analysis of the spontaneous electrical hyperactivity in targeted DREZ, and analysis of evoked transcutaneous C-fiber stimulation both in pre-operative and operative conditions. Methods are also provided for identifying potential pain effecters in aberrant DREZ, useful in the preparation of non-invasive therapeutics for central pain characteristic of spinal cord injury.
Claims20
A method for minimizing central pain in a patient having a spinal cord injury, the method comprising:
- determining the level of injury in the patient;
- determining the location of perceived central pain in the patient;
- mapping the location of the perceived pain in the patient to a potential pain generating DREZ of the patient's spinal cord, the mapping consistent with a pre-determined somatotopic map, wherein the somatotopic map provides a standard guide for a DREZ location that correlates to a perceived central pain, as previously determined from a series of test subjects having spinal cord injuries;
- and
- surgically exposing and causing one or more lesions in the identified pain generating DREZ, wherein the one or more lesions minimizes central pain in the patient.
A method for identifying an effecter of central pain in a patient with a spinal cord injury, the method comprising:
- identifying pain generating DREZs in the patient;
- identifying normal DREZs in the patient;
- taking a sample from the pain generating DREZ and taking a sample from the normal DREZ in the patient;
- and
- identifying a pain effecter in the pain generating DREZ by comparing effecters in the pain generating DREZ to effecters in the normal DREZ;
- wherein the comparing step utilizes biochemical and/or molecular techniques to search for differences in effecters between the pain generating DREZ and the normal DREZ.
A method for preparing a somatotopic map used in identifying aberrant DREZ in a patient with a spinal cord injury, the method comprising:
- comparing the perceived pain in a patient having a spinal cord injury to neuroelectrically active DREZ in the patient;
- and
- reducing the neuroelectric activity in the identified DREZ to non-aberrant neuroelectric activity and determining whether the patient continues to have the perceived pain;
- wherein, the location of the perceived pain is mapped to the identified DREZ if the reduction in neuroelectric activity correlates to the reduction in perceived pain by the patient, and wherein a map is prepared that correlates the perceived pain of the patient to the location of the identified DREZ.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.