Methods and devices for controlled delivery of neural stimulation

An automated method of controllably delivering neural stimuli to a neural pathway of a patient, the method comprising:

• delivering a neural stimulus to the neural pathway of the patient in order to evoke a neural response from the neural pathway, the neural stimulus being delivered according to a stimulus intensity parameter;
• capturing a signal window sensed on the neural pathway subsequent to the delivered neural stimulus;
• measuring an intensity of a neural response evoked by the delivered neural stimulus in the captured signal window,
• computing, from the measured intensity of the evoked neural response, a feedback variable;
• and
• completing a feedback loop by using the computed feedback variable to control the stimulus intensity parameter so as to maintain the feedback variable at a target value;
• and
• computing a quality score from the captured signal window;
• determining whether the quality score meets one or more criteria indicative of satisfactory quality;
• and
• taking mitigation action based on the determining.

A closed-loop neural stimulation device for controllably delivering neural stimuli, the device comprising:

• a feedback controller configured to use one or more controller parameters to control a stimulus intensity parameter so as to maintain a neural response intensity measured from a captured signal window at a target value;
• and
• a processor configured to:
• compute a quality score from the captured signal window;
• determine whether the quality score meets one or more criteria indicative of satisfactory quality;
• and
• take mitigation action based on the determining.

A neural stimulation system comprising:

• an implantable device for controllably delivering neural stimuli, the device comprising:
• a stimulus source configured to provide neural stimuli to be delivered via one or more stimulus electrodes of a plurality of electrodes to a neural pathway of a patient in order to evoke a neural response from the neural pathway;
• and
• measurement circuitry configured to capture signal windows sensed on the neural pathway via one or more sense electrodes of the plurality of electrodes subsequent to respective neural stimuli;
• and
• a control unit configured to control the stimulus source to provide each neural stimulus according to a stimulus intensity parameter;
• a processor configured to:
• instruct the control unit to control the stimulus source to provide a neural stimulus according to a stimulus intensity parameter;
• measure an intensity of an evoked neural response in the captured signal window subsequent to the provided neural stimulus;
• compute a feedback variable from the measured intensity of the evoked neural response;
• implement a feedback controller configured to use the computed feedback variable to control the stimulus intensity parameter so as to maintain the feedback variable at a target value;
• compute a quality score from the captured signal window;
• determine whether the quality score meets one or more criteria indicative of satisfactory quality;
• and
• take mitigation action based on the determining.