Target therapy delivery site selection
AssigneeMedtronic, Inc.
InventorsPaul H. Stypulkowski, Jonathon E. Giftakis
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In some examples of selecting a target therapy delivery site for treating a patient condition, a relatively high frequency electrical stimulation signal is delivered to at least two areas within a first region (e.g., an anterior nucleus of the thalamus) of a brain of a patient, and changes in brain activity (e.g., as indicated by bioelectrical brain signals) within a second region (e.g., a hippocampus) of the brain of the patient in response to the delivered stimulation are determined. The target therapy delivery site, an electrode combination, or both, may be selected based on the changes in brain activity.
Claims53
A method comprising:
- mapping functional connections between a first region of a brain of a patient and a second region of the brain, wherein mapping functional connections comprises:
- controlling a stimulation generator to deliver electrical stimulation to a plurality of different areas of the first region of the brain of the patient, wherein the electrical stimulation is delivered to each area of the plurality of different areas of the first region of the brain at different times;
- and
- for each area of the plurality of different areas of the first region of the brain, determining a level of brain activity in the second region of the brain of the patient resulting from the delivery of the electrical stimulation to the area;
- and
- with a processor, selecting at least one of the areas of the plurality of different areas of the first region of the brain as a target therapy delivery site based on the associated level of brain activity in the second region of the brain.
A system comprising:
- a stimulation generator configured to generate and deliver electrical stimulation;
- a sensing module;
- and
- a processor configured to map functional connections between a first region of a brain of a patient and a second region of the brain, wherein the processor is configured to map the functional connections by at least controlling the stimulation generator to deliver electrical stimulation to each area of a plurality of different areas of the first region of the brain at a different time, and determining, for each area of the plurality of different areas of the first region and based on a bioelectrical brain signal sensed by the sensing module, a level of brain activity in a second region of the brain of the patient resulting from the delivery of the electrical stimulation to the area.
A system comprising:
- means for delivering electrical stimulation to a brain of a patient;
- means for mapping functional connections between a first region of a brain of a patient and a second region of the brain, wherein the mapping functional connections comprises:
- means for controlling the means for delivering electrical stimulation to deliver electrical stimulation to each area of a plurality of different areas of the first region of the brain at different times;
- and
- means for determining, for each area of the plurality of different areas of the first region, a level of brain activity in a second region of the brain of the patient resulting from the delivery of the electrical stimulation to the area;
- and
- means for selecting at least one of the areas of the first region of the brain of the patient as a target therapy delivery site based on the associated level of brain activity in the second region of the brain.
A computer readable medium comprises instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:
- map functional connections between a first region of a brain of a patient and a second region of the brain by at least:
- controlling a stimulation generator to deliver electrical stimulation to a plurality of different areas of the first region of the brain of the patient, wherein the electrical stimulation is delivered to each area of the plurality of different areas of the first region of the brain at different times;
- and
- for each area of the plurality of different areas of the first region of the brain, determining a level of brain activity in the second region of the brain of the patient resulting from the delivery of the electrical stimulation to the area;
- and
- select at least one of the areas of the first region of the brain of the patient as a target therapy delivery site based on the associated level of brain activity in the second region of the brain.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.