Method and Apparatus for Treating Centralized Pain
AssigneeCerephex Corporation
InventorJeffrey B. Hargrove
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for alleviating centralized pain in human subjects includes assessing the brain of a subject suffering from pain, diagnosing abnormal brain function associated with centralized pain, locating at least one area of abnormal brain function associated with the centralized pain, and alleviating the abnormal brain function by applying a cortical stimulation signal to tissues corresponding to the at least one area of abnormal brain function.
Claims117
A method for alleviating centralized pain, the method including the steps of:
- assessing the brain of a subject suffering from pain;
- diagnosing one or more brain conditions associated with centralized pain;
- locating at least one area of abnormal brain measure associated with an abnormal brain condition producing the centralized pain;
- and
- applying to tissues corresponding to the at least one area of abnormal brain measure a cortical stimulation signal configured to alter the one or more brain conditions in such a way as to alleviate the centralized pain.
A method of assessing a brain to determine the presence of centralized pain, the method including the use of a brain response test (BRT) comprising one or more neuroimaging tests performed before, during and after the application of any one or more sensory stimulations to cause one or more brain responses.
A method of predicting symptom severity in individuals having centralized pain, the method including the steps of:
- executing BRT testing on a subject;
- obtaining brain measures associated with centralized pain in the subject by analyzing findings from the BRT testing;
- and
- correlating the brain measures to measures of symptom severity.
A method of determining the effect of therapeutic intervention in alleviating symptoms of centralized pain, the method including the steps of:
- executing BRT testing on a subject;
- obtaining brain measures associated with centralized pain in the subject by analyzing findings from the BRT testing;
- and
- correlating the brain measures to measures of the effect of therapeutic intervention.
A method for determining points for application of cortical stimulation for alleviating centralized pain by analyzing a BRT.
A method for optimizing an intervention for alleviating centralized pain, the method including the steps of:
- collecting brain measures associated with one or more abnormal brain conditions associated with centralized pain during a time period at or near the time of a therapeutic intervention;
- analyzing the brain measures by computational algorithms to determine measures and statistics associated with the brain measures;
- and
- using the measures and statistics to modify parameters of an intervention for the purposes of optimizing therapeutic benefit.
An apparatus for providing a stimulation signal, the apparatus comprising a cap configured to be worn on a subject's head, and further comprising a series of interconnectable flexible bands configured to include arms and tabs that connect when placed on a head to form a means to fit the shape of the head.
An apparatus for diagnosing and treating centralized pain, the apparatus comprising a cap configured to be worn on a subject's head, and further comprising interconnected flexible bands that form the cap and that are configured to position one or more electrodes to measure one or more EEG signals from a subject and/or deliver one or more cortical stimulation signals to a subject.
A method for delivering one or more cortical stimulation signals to a subject, the method including the use of an apparatus comprising one or more electrodes including one or more ground electrodes positioned in flexible bands configured to include arms and tabs that connect when placed on a head to form a cap and means to fit the shape of the head.
An abnormal brain function diagnostic and treatment apparatus comprising a cap configured to be worn on a subject's head and comprising one or more electrodes positioned to contact a subject's head when the subject is wearing the cap, and the cap further comprising a memory configured to store information.
A method of preventing a cap from being used more than a predetermined number of times, the method including:
- providing a cap identifier on the cap;
- providing on the cap an allowed use indicator representing a predetermined number of allowed uses for the cap;
- gaining access to stored information in the cap identifier and the cap allowed use indicator;
- comparing the stored information against a database of information on caps that have previously been used;
- comparing the number of allowed uses indicated in the cap allowed use indicator against the previous cap use number stored in the cap information database;
- and
- configuring an apparatus for diagnosing and treating centralized pain to allow use of the cap only if the cap information database indicates that the previous cap use number is less than the number of allowed uses indicated by the cap allowed use indicator.
A method for altering brain network connectivity in a subject, the method including the steps of:
- identifying at least one target network of the subject's brain;
- identifying at least one target region of tissues that has network connections functionally interrelated with the at least one target network;
- and
- altering network connectivity in the at least one target network by stimulating the at least one target region of tissues.
An apparatus for altering network connectivity, the apparatus comprising a cap configured to be worn on a subject's head, and further comprising interconnected flexible bands that are configured to position one or more electrodes to measure one or more EEG signals from a subject and/or deliver one or more cortical stimulation signals to a subject.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.